Can you have morality without religion, are humans capable of deciphering right and wrong without a text book?

Answer 1

When I discovered I was being lied to about the faith I was raised in, I had an adverse reaction, and began studying myself. I concluded that there is a morality that is independant of religion, but it is based in logic.

If a society centers itself around learning, then morality will become very apparent simply because it is logical.

Here is a math based answer. 1+1=2, 2 is greater than 1.

In this example to be good is right, to be bad is wrong. Right and wrong are also logical arguments, as in the right way to do things and the wrong way to do things. If you are assembling a machine and you do it wrong, it will not function properly or at all, if you do it right it will function properly.

When you are good, relationship connections grow stronger(you are assembling a mechanism giving you greater support), giving you access to more, more strength, more resilience, more intelligence, more viewpoints, etc.

To kill or sever the connections leaves you less resources to work with(Either putting it together wrong or damaging a working mechanism).

2-1=1. 1 is less than 2.

Being bad separates you from others and other resources, it can make you feel bad and you can even be separated from your own life if you are wrong enough.

To be good means you achieve more, as well as help others more, and communicate more, and that grows what you are into a larger amount.

That is a morality based on logic rather than religion. Because there are fluctuations in society, there are very few universal and timeless moral truths, but there is morality without relegion and it doesn't have to be handed down in a text book, as a matter of fact anyone who can understand math can understand it.

Answer 2

Yeah, you can have morality without religion. The question should be, can you have a successful society without laws? The answer to that is no. You do have to have some uniform, written code of right and wrong, and the punishments for the acts, because sadly people do need to have a text book to figure out what's right and what's not.

Answer 3

Yes you can have morals without religion, morals are what you decide is right or wrong based on a the system of ethics you adopt. Religions offer only some systems of ethics, you can have a non-religious system for deciding what is right and wrong. Christians or believers of any religion do not hold a monopoly on ethical systems or on morals that result from those systems.

Answer 4

Everyone has an ideology and a belief system, which are the components of religion. Even if your ideology is simple and ignorant, like "I do what I want and I don't believe in anything."

It's still a belief system. I guess the term religion only applies to devout followers of a mainstream ideology.

You can have morality without organized religion, but morality itself is an belief system, therefore it is a religion, in a sense.

I don't believe everything I read in text books, and neither should you.

Answer 5

I do not think right and wrong can be taught in a text book,,, I choose to think one can be moral with religion,, although,, there are a lot of people in the world who claim morality and religion are connected,,,,

Answer 6

If I went around killing, stealing,and raping, without any knowlege of religion, I think I would stop because I would'nt have many friends and most people would hate me, and social interaction matters to most people, even more than what may happen in the afterlife.

Answer 7

Yes. It's called ethics. People have some sense of right and wrong without religion. maybe not the "Remember the sabbath and keep it holy" part, but other ethical mores are inborn common sense.

Answer 8

The Bible is one resource for guidance. However, societies decide what is right and wrong also. Anyone who tries to do what they truly believe to be the right thing is usually considered a moral person no matter what their source of reference.

Answer 9

as a halfway decent atheist, i would have to say yes, i am capable of a moral code without the threat of hell hanging over my head. and if you dont believe me, ask someone about the morals that an eagle scout has to have, theyll set you straight.

Answer 10

not really, all good rules are derived from religous books (ten commandments). humans are born evil, we like doing bad things, without religion and the threat of a tormenting afterlife theres not any rela reason to behave is there?