Questions to atheists?

Question

What is the basis of your morality? For example let's say, is it ok for you to have safe sex with your father or mother or brother or sister? Why or why not?

answer to grinningleaf :
Why do you think incest is not logical?

answer to huggy_bunny17:
Let's say you do it just for fun and not procreation. Is it ok then?

answer to azmurath:
don't get me wrong. I know christians are not
100% proof alcohol. But they have a basis or conception of what is moral or not moral. What is the atheist's point of view of incest?

answer to Amy:
why do you think it is wrong?

answer to kanajlo:
I am not a Christian. I think some Christians who do sins that is against their scriptures make up some reasons thinking that they will somehow get away. One reason might be that
they really don't believe but pretend to believe
for some benefits. The other reason might be--they think their past,present and future sins are forgiven by God by Christ's sacrifice. Same with other religions. I am not criticizing atheists or christians or buddhists or anybody. Just am curious why they think something is wrong or not and the basis of their thinking.

answer to JT:

If you read my question and it's extension you will understand that I am not promoting or criticizing BIBLE here.
My question was out of curiosity that why certain people think certain things wrong or immoral and the basis of their thinking.

Answer 1

The incest taboo is found in all cultures and religions. The rational man says that it is right to do that which harms no one. I can give you a long, long list of Christians, for example, many in positions of authority, who have committed sexual acts which are against the laws of this country. What was the basis of their morality?

Answer 2

So what you are saying is that you would actually do these things if you were an atheist, but the only thing that stops you is the fact that you are a Christian and you just control this temptation.
Sorry, but for me is not Christianity that gives me morality but society. Morality in the modern world was not nurtured by religion, on the contrary open minded people started it, and most of them were not religious. . In communist countries where people are atheists there isn't any sodomy, at least not more than countries that consist of a lot religious people.
Get a grip, and think of something better...we've seen what your priests are doing anyway. It just doesn't make sense...its like saying,ok since you are an atheist you would kill your baby, or you would beat someone to death...religion doesn't stop people from doing bad things anyway..its in the person's education and general morality.

Answer 3

Morality is a concept created by mankind to ensure that society functions as well as it can. Much like religion was used to control the people. Morality trys to set guidelines based on what is acceptable and right.

Incest is wrong due to the biological ramifications. When you say what about just for fun, then its still an unacceptable risk and a pointless act. Sex has its place in life, and when people forget what it is, it tends to end up bad.

On a side note, God said it was OK for Adam and Eve's kids to perform incest, but later on changed his mind. Where are the morals there???

Answer 4

Close the book for a second and try an experiment with me. Pretend that morality occurs in all human cultures - and along the same general lines. (Your statement on incest was really good for this example because anthropologists have confirmed the universal existence of incest-taboos.)

Could we then not suspect that the issue has been turned on its head by religious people? In other words, humans will ALWAYS create morality (culturally), and then some religious authorities will give the credit to their favorite deity, or deities. Morality thus precedes religion.

So the short answer is that our basis for morality is the same as that of a religious person. It's just that some religious people don't know what that basis of their morality is. You were not going to have sex with your mother, regardless of whether you were a Christian, Jew, Muslim, Animist, Buddhist, Hindu, Pagan, or Athiest..

The longer answer is that morality arises out of the human condition itself - regardless of how it gets abstracted or disguised by myth-makers. The advantage the skeptic has is that his morality is self-justifying. Murder is wrong in itself, NOT because gods are displeased by it. And no, we don't need promises of eternal rewards or threats of eternal damnation in order to be moral. (I think that stick-carrot concept is a very weak ethic indeed.)

Answer 5

A couple of presuppositions in this statement I need to address.

You assume that there's a single source for morality, ie a book or a law or something. It is possible to pull one's values from variety of sources.

So, what you mentioned is illegal, and not too appealing either, so I'm not going to do it. But experience can also be a source for one's values.

Once you start being an atheist, you might spend a little bit of time redefining your values, but you might also discover that right and wrong for you are pretty straightforward, so you don't have to think about morality all the time.

You may also find that trying to get all your morals from a book is what's REALLY confusing if the book leaves, holes, grey areas, and contradictions. So that can't be the source anymore.

Answer 6

Have you ever really read the bible?

Go read about Abraham prostituting his wife to the Egyptians.

Then, read about him having a bastard son with their slave.

Then, read about Isaac, Abraham & Sarai's son, marrying a three year old girl, Rebekah, when he was 40. After which, he proceeded to prostitute her just like his daddy did with his mother.

The bible provides the most amoral & immoral examples humanly possible.

And, not only does the bible encourage every conceivable immoral act imaginable, it goes on to forgive people who do even worse, if they will only give their souls to "Jesus."

The only unforgivable sin in the bible is questioning the bible or religon. Everything else is perfectly okay.

The ignorance of thumpers is almost breath taking.

Atheists' morals are established the same as anyone else's morals, why would you imagine them to be different if you are not a Christian? That question and implied assertion (atheists are a or immoral) comes straight from the pulpit.

Answer 7

The basis for my morality is social structure, and obviously, nature. No, it is never ok to sleep with a family member. But that is just basic human instinct. I choose to live my life with my own morals and principals. I agree with a lot that certain religions have to teach us, how to be a good person. The only problem is the why involved. I don't want to rely on, or serve an invisible god; that's why I'm an atheist. Not because I don't agree with the good that comes from, loving thy neighbor, not stealing, honoring thy mother and thy father. But if I get into a fight with my dad, I'll apologize to him because I'm sorry, because I feel guilty, because my medulla oblongata has a higher than normal level of serotonin due to an abnormality in my conscious mind, not because I don't want to offend god. I don't owe god an apology. I guess you can see what I mean, religion teaches us many things, it's just that I choose to believe in evolution over magic.

Answer 8

Seeing as there is no one right way to live say there was a society of people that have sex and children with their immediate family members. After a few generations this group would be gone due to many diseases and complications that come from constant inbreeding. Morals are one thing but basic trial and error are going to tell you this way of life is not good for continuation of the species, which, of course, is the meaning of life. Sorry to barge in like this. I'm not an atheist. I'm an animist.

Answer 9

You must first understand the atheists/agnostic. They are very angry people who have been hurt somewhere in life, someone hurt them somehow. It's hard for them to experience or understand love. If you had them do a survey and they were honest (don't count on it) most would tell of their very dysfunctional child life. Most come from very screwed up families. They love to argue with Christians because they are like children in the cold looking in but they feel they've never been invited in..they are lost. That's why so many will quote web-sites that are anti-God, anti-Jesus or anything that makes them feel right..these people spends years remembering so-called scientific facts to fire at Christians...then they claim they are victims..that's their call to fame "WE are a VICTIMS". You are better off not talking to them..just pray they get help.
Deep down they hate themselves..it's sad but true. Some are here and every other Christian site barking trying to convince themselves their okay and right...they are just empty..and they know it too.

Answer 10

The basis of morality is the same for everyone, i.e. human nature, the product of evolution. Questions about who it is moral or immoral to have sex with are a matter of subjective value judgment. Personally I would regard any kind of sex between parent and offspring as immoral, since it is an abuse of a position of authority. Sex between siblings is not something I would contemplate myself but I wouldn't regard it as immoral per se - it would depend on the circumstances, e.g. whether there was any element of abuse or coercion. In general my perspective is that if something involves fully informed consenting adults and no-one gets harmed then it's not my business to tell people what they should or should not do.