“THOU shalt not be negative” might seem a contradiction in terms, but the Methodist Church hath decreed that, henceforth, this shall be the Eleventh Commandment.

In an attempt to reach the nation’s youth, the Methodists promoted a competition to find a new commandment on beer mats in pubs throughout the country.

It selected five winners from more than 2,000 entries sent in by text message. The other four were: “Thou shalt not worship false pop idols”, “Thou shalt not kill in the name of any God”, “Thou shalt not confuse text with love” and “Thou shalt not consume thine own bodyweight in fudge”.

“We were thrilled to receive so many commandments from people having ‘Moses moments’,” Simon Jenkins, one of the organisers of the contest, run in co-operation with the website ShipofFools.com, said.

Andrew Shore, 21, a student, from Canvey Island, Essex, who thought up the “pop idol” commandment, said: “There are celebrities who do nothing. They are not actors or singers or musicians, they are just people we know. They are the golden calves of today. They do not serve any purpose other than to be idolised.”

Runners-up included: “Thou shalt not dump your lover by text”, “Thou shalt not dance like your dad”, “Thou shalt not change allegiance if your football team is relegated”, “Thou shalt not hold loud conversations on thy mobile phone in a public place”, “Thou shalt not use plastic to multiply your possessions” and “Thou shalt not pretend to have no change when asked to donate to charity”.

The Rev Jonathan Kerry, the Methodist Church’s worship secretary, said: “The response shows that people are definitely interested in talking about values and spiritual issues, even on a night out.”

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Science News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• Swine flu vaccine for all as drug rushed through
• Artificial sperm and the race to build a baby
• BBC jets out stars to tout for prizes