gods law

[sniffingratty]

I have been organizing with the "sovereign" movement, and am trying to make the benefits of sovereignty available for all.  Unfortunately there is a "religious" aspect to the basis of common law and it is often said that the constitution was written to protect liberties granted by god.  The is the basis of sovereignty, kind of like the king had divine right, now each individual in the republic has divine right.  

So I am trying to figure out language that fits with atheists.  Perhaps is could be something like:

Common law: love thy god above all else, and do onto thou brothers as you would have them do onto you.
Atheist common law: love the truth above all else, and do onto thou brothers as you would have them do onto you.  

Common law" that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights"
Atheist common law: "that they are endowed by nature?...necessity? with certain..."

Oath: one of the problem for atheists is that they may not consider anything sacred, in which case they cannot take an oath but only make a pledge.  The concept of an oath requires a sacred witness.  Perhaps an atheist would consider the truth as sacred in and of it's self.  
Atheist oath: "I solemnly swear to tell the truth with the truth as my witness."  Hmm, sounds weird.  Any suggestions on the oath thing would be appreciate.  I suppose it shouldn't be that big a deal because people don't seem to mind lying under oat even if they are supposedly religious.  

Well what do y'all think about this language?

[The Magic Pudding]

Common law: love thy god above all else, and do onto thou brothers as you would have them do onto you.
Atheist common law: love the truth above all else, and do onto thou brothers as you would have them do onto you.

Does something have be to above all else?  
Sometimes ameliorating suffering is more important than truth.

Common law" that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights"
Atheist common law: "that they are endowed by nature?...necessity? with certain..."

An atheist common law:  "We of good will declare people have certain inalienable rights".

"I solemnly swear to tell the truth with the truth as my witness."

"I swear to tell the truth aware of the penalties for misstatement".

Anyway welcome sniff.

[Will]

I have been organizing with the "sovereign" movement,

I'd like to hear more about this. I'm familiar with the sovereign citizen movement, is that what you're describing?

Common law: love thy god above all else, and do onto thou brothers as you would have them do onto you.
Atheist common law: love the truth above all else, and do onto thou brothers as you would have them do onto you.

Why not simplify it? "One should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself." It's the most basic form of the ethic of reciprocity in the modern lexicon, and it lays out a very straightforward foundation for a social contract that most if not all people can understand intuitively.

Common law" that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights"
Atheist common law: "that they are endowed by nature?...necessity? with certain..."

Endowment implies an 'endower', much like create implies a creator. "By our understanding of justice, all people are equal under the law." has a nice ring to it.

Oath: one of the problem for atheists is that they may not consider anything sacred, in which case they cannot take an oath but only make a pledge.  The concept of an oath requires a sacred witness.  Perhaps an atheist would consider the truth as sacred in and of it's self.  
Atheist oath: "I solemnly swear to tell the truth with the truth as my witness."  Hmm, sounds weird.  Any suggestions on the oath thing would be appreciate.  I suppose it shouldn't be that big a deal because people don't seem to mind lying under oat even if they are supposedly religious.  

I've always liked the wording of unsworn declarations in Title 28, part 5, chapter, 115, § 1746 of the US Code: "I declare (or certify, verify, or state) under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that the following/foregoing is true and correct." It's simple and to the point.

That said, I don't swear oaths. Sacred is a word that doesn't really have any meaning to me. There are things in my life that are important, but sacred implies god or gods, and that's not my cup of celestial tea.

[fester30]

Even the Presidential oath does not have any religion in it according to the Constitution.  The new president has to request that "so help me God" be added.  

Rather than some sort of religious common law perhaps one should realize it really comes down to Aristotle.  Everything in moderation, nothing to excess.  

Everything according to your own tolerances, which people practice on a daily basis most of the time anyway.  Why aren't abortion clinics across the country being sabotaged?  You don't have to kill abortion doctors to hurt their ability to perform abortions.  It's because even religious people default every day to society's secular code.  People generally don't like to go to jail, so they act accordingly, even if not entirely in line with their own religious teachings.  I can't tolerate prison time, I have a family to think about, so I won't kill that gang leader who is responsible for hundreds of deaths, even if he evades the legal system.

I think it was Socrates (not sure, so please educate me if I'm wrong) who said something to the effect of...
When you choose to live in a society, you choose to live by that society's laws.  If you do not wish to be bound to that society's laws, then choose to live somewhere else.

[Stevil]

Common law: love thy god above all else, and do onto thou brothers as you would have them do onto you.
Atheist common law: love the truth above all else, and do onto thou brothers as you would have them do onto you.  

This is hard to translate. What is the intent behind "love thy god above all else"? to establish a hierarchy? Showing that one does not want to compromise their spot in heaven by committing a sin (lie). Highlighting a moral code of ethics?
I don't think love has anything to do with the intent of the phrase.
As for the second part, certainly need to take away the male bias "brothers" and the shamefull bible speak "thou".
try
      "Holding humanity above all else by doing onto others as you would hope they do unto you"

Common law" that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights"
Atheist common law: "that they are endowed by nature?...necessity? with certain..."

"endowed by evolution" Nah, endowed is a bit off. What's the intent of this phrase?
Seems like a human rights thing here e.g. freedom, liberty, justice, equality...
try
       "Knowing that people are entitled to fundamental human rights"

Oath: one of the problem for atheists is that they may not consider anything sacred, in which case they cannot take an oath but only make a pledge.  The concept of an oath requires a sacred witness.  Perhaps an atheist would consider the truth as sacred in and of it's self.  
Atheist oath: "I solemnly swear to tell the truth with the truth as my witness."  Hmm, sounds weird.

An Atheist is responsible for his or her own reputation. The Atheist has a great responsibility upon him/herself with regards to making decisions and carrying out actions. An Atheist cannot simply pray for forgiveness. Humanity is an Atheist's witness, but that puts humans at the centre of the Universe, which is not right.
try
        "I solemnly swear to tell the truth with the world as my witness"

Well what do y'all think about this language?

I like what you are trying to do here, although some words are a little off, but a great start none the less. Hope you get some great ideas from us godless folk at the Happy Atheist Forum!

[Whitney]

I guess you must not be talking about the US because what you said doesn't make sense in that context as "common law" here is like marriage and our swearing in process is secular even in Texas....are you talking about the UK, Canada, or where?