Atheist, do you have any morals or values, if so, where do they come from?

Question

How do you know right from wrong? or do you just have the concept of "what's good for me might not be good for you?" or "whatever works for you"??? just curious, thanks.

Answer 1

Common sense, experience, parent’s teachings and, particularly, a lot of empathy.

It's of my interest to live in a society with moral values, it assures a peaceful living, preservation of our environment and justice for all.

Now, why to say what others have said with better words. Here you are a few quotations about the topic, you can see the whole question is old as dirt:

"Freedom, morality, and the human dignity of the individual consists precisely in this; that he does good not because he is forced to do so, but because he freely conceives it, wants it, and loves it." - Mikhail Bakunin (1871)

"For though a man should be a complete unbeliever in the being of gods; if he also has a native uprightness of temper, such persons will detest evil in men; their repugnance to wrong disinclines them to commit wrongful acts; they shun the unrighteous and are drawn to the upright." - Plato (IV century BC)

"Because morality is a social necessity, the moment faith in god is banished, man's gaze turns from god to man and he becomes socially conscious. Religious belief prevented the growth of a sense of realism. But atheism at once makes man realistic and alive to the needs of morality." - Gora (1973)

"There was no other God, religion, or lawful magistracy, than conscience, which teaches all men the precepts of Justice, to do no injury, to live honestly, and give everyone his due." - Pierre Bayle (1673)

"To discover the true principles of morality, men have no need of theology, of revelation, or of gods. They need but common sense. They have only to look within themselves, to reflect upon their own nature, to consult their obvious interests, to consider the object of society and of each of the members who compose it, and they will easily understand that virtue is an advantage, and that vice is an injury to beings of the species.
Let us teach men to be just, benevolent, moderate, and sociable, not because their gods exact it, but to please men.
Let us tell them to abstain from vice and crime, not because they will be punished in another world, but because they will suffer in the present world." - Jean Meslier (1987)

"Morality does not depend on religion." - John Ruskin

Answer 2

I'm not an atheist (sorry to disappoint you) but I wanted to answer your question because I think I know where you're going with it. Many religious Christian fundamentalists automatically assume that in the absence of teaching the bible, a human being has no concept of ethical right and wrong and no understanding of what God would want from human beings. That's not true at all. I admit that in an absence of understanding Jesus's teachings and message for the world you may be more likely to never understand why peace and unconditional love is the only real answer to humans living together on the earth, but in the absence of this a person can still do good works, and that amounts to "moral" behavior. The bible may say "Not through good works alone shall you be saved," but that DOES NOT negate the need for good works.

In today's Christian fundamentalist perspective, "good works" are too downplayed for the sake of things like supporting war somehow through what the bible says, and the result is the ABSENCE of morality and love even from those who claim to be so faithful and born - again. I knew a born-again Christian who bet his wife and believed he was righteously justified in doing so because the bible says a man is the head of the houshold. He may not be typical of all born-again types but let me tell you--he could quote from the bible for HIS OWN self serving purposes. That's not morality.

You can "know" right from wrong in an intuitive form through the soul, through the holy spirit, through God, because ALL human beings have been born with the capacity for WISDOM. Conventional abuse of the bible is screwing with people's minds to the point that they support a war killing thousands of innocents and still call themselves followers of Jesus. That's just IMMORAL.

I will say this in your favor though. To think there are peole out there who do not believe there is a God, who do not believe there is a soul, who do not believe there is a higher power than our human philosophical branch known as "ethics"-- that scares the hell out of me.

Answer 3

Well I'm an atheist and of path I have ethical values. I understand tons of others who do too. I additionally understand tons of Christians and different men and women who consider in God and but behave very immorally (in many instances even within the title of faith). Where do my ethical values come from? Partly the best way I used to be introduced up however usually from my possess stories and socialisation. In different phrases, as I grew up I discovered that there are exact most important laws of residing in a society with different persons and if the ones laws weren't there then society might be chaotic. If every body used to be allowed to move round stealing and assaulting and killing every different then no one might be secure. I additionally discovered approximately the legislation of the nation I lived in, and authorized them for essentially the most aspect on account that they have a tendency to mirror what so much men and women agree is suitable and unacceptable conduct, for the identical causes as I recounted above. So no, it is not by means of hazard or by chance that those laws got here approximately. It's a manufactured from the truth that just about every body wishes to think secure, and to grasp that others will deal with them with recognize. For this to occur any shrewd man or woman can quickly see that every body demands to abide by means of laws which implement this safeguard and recognize.

Answer 4

MORALITY, STEWARDSHIP, FELLOWSHIP, THANKFULNESS, DOING NO HARM TO OTHERS, HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH RELIGION AT ALL. BELIEVING DOES NOT GIVE YOU THE ALL ACCESS PASS TO LIVING A GOOD LIFE. YOU SHOULD BE DOING THOSE THINGS ANYWAY, REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOU BELEIVE. WHY WOULD RELIGION BE THE ONLY CATALYST TO MORALITY? MORALITY IS WHAT MAKES US HUMAN, SEPERATES US FROM THE ANIMALS, MAKES US AWARE THAT WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO GREAT HARM, AND CHOOSING NOT TO. WHAT PART WOULD A GOD OR RELIGION PLAY IN THAT EQUATION. LOOK OUTSIDE THE BOX OF RELIGION. YOU MAY BE SURPRISED THAT THERE ARE PLENTY OF HAPPY MORAL ATHIEST'S OUT THERE.

Answer 5

Are you kidding me? Religion is not the only source of morals. Some of the most moral people I know are atheists.

Answer 6

It scares me that there are people out there like yourself who can't seem to figure out right and wrong for yourself and need a 2000-year old morality manual.

there must be something defective about you, if you can't comprehend the idea that people can figure it out for themselves.


Are you honestly telling us that you would be a murderer if the bible didn't tell you not to? Freak.

Answer 7

"It scares me that there are people out there like yourself who can't seem to figure out right and wrong for yourself and need a 2000-year old morality manual.

there must be something defective about you, if you can't comprehend the idea that people can figure it out for themselves.


Are you honestly telling us that you would be a murderer if the bible didn't tell you not to? Freak. "

GOOD ANSWER!!! What he said.

Answer 8

I am not an atheist but usually when an atheist does something, they do it simply because it is the right thing to do.

Answer 9

I know it is immoral to lie, cheat, steal, murder.. I don't need a religious belief to teach me that when my parents and society taught me that. Morals are society driven, we as a society make laws and live by them.. when you break them you are punished by a jury of your peers. If you have a religious belief and you say that is where you get your morals that is fine. I get mine from society.

Answer 10

Instinct, experience, observation, extrapolation, communication, understanding, agreement, dispute and repetitions. Humanity.