Morality is the expression and codification of aspects of human nature such as empathy, compassion, affection and self-interest, all of which are features bestowed upon us by evolution. Clearly we could never have the kind of highly organised, highly technological, close-knit society we all live in without self-imposed restraints on our behavious - These traits along with others such as intelligence and dexterity have proven to be an extraordinarily successful survival strategy for our genes, and are therefore highly favoured by natural selection. So, morality is a successful feature of humans in exactly the same kind of way as wings are a successful feature of birds.
Needless to say, religions are not the source of morality, they merely reflect the existing morality of the people who invent them, a morality which comes from innate human nature.
2006-07-30 13:05:25
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answer #1
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answered by Anonymous
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Morals and ethics are not manufactured by religions. They are taught and spread (in theory) through religions.
Morals and basic ethics are codes and rules that are manmade and guide us as all rules and codes are supposed to do.
There is one problem with rules, codes and ethics. Just like laws, they are only for those who chose to obey them. When allowed to break them with no punishment, there can be only anarchy.
Even animals know varying degrees of right and wrong. Your dog may bite an intruder, but not you or someone who was invited into your house so why should a human with a so called superior mind not be able to discern the same?
2006-07-30 12:56:02
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answer #2
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answered by billydeer_2000 4
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I think that secular morals can be summed up by the reciprocity principal. (Some folks call this the golden rule...)
Basically treat others how you want to be treated. I do not want to be robbed, beaten,murdered, have my liberties taken away, etc. Thus I do not do those things to people. I do not believe that morals are dictated from some arbitrary power. But by following the reciprocity principal humans, for the most part, have created civilizations where the inhabitants can co-exists and interact.
Murder, robbery, rape, random violence are just as abhorrent to an atheist as it is to people of religious backgrounds.
Problems arise when this principal is violated and it is up to a civil secular court to extract justice for wrong doing.
I tend to disagree with "laws" that are simply codified rules that my fellow citizens who are believers associate with "sin" even when the reciprocity rules are not violated. I believe that you can live by your personal codes, without forcing your beliefs on to others, by which I mean turning those codes into law.
2006-07-30 16:38:19
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answer #3
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answered by DrSean 4
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I think for myslef and I do what I feel and believe is right in my heart. I was taught to respect other people, never to steal, never judge, be kind to animals, and never hurt anyone else. God has nothing to do with doing what is right and wrong. Just as many religious people commit "sins" or hurt others or break the law as do atheists. You can have morals, ethics, and a good heart without beleiving in God. It's just to bad that more religious people don't believe in morals and ethics.
2006-07-30 13:03:18
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answer #4
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answered by Anonymous
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Religion is by no way the corner stone of morality. Morality is determined by society it self. There are simply things that are and are not accepted. Religion has very little to do with morality. I am agnostic, but I base my morality on the laws set by my government and what I would have done to myself. I don't want someone to steal from me, I know how that would make me feel, so I would not want to bring that kind of pain to others. Most of my morality comes from a love of my fellow man. You don't need to believe in God to have a love of your fellow man. To be honest with you, if you only do good because of a fear of punishment, then that is not very moral in it's self.
2006-07-30 12:54:04
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answer #5
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answered by Anonymous
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I'm Christian and not atheist, but you can have morals and not believe in God. I don't believe in stealing or killiing people, not because I believe in God nescessarily, but because that was the way I was raised and I just believe it's not right. I wasn't raised in a relgious setting and never went to church so my beliefs didn't originate from religion. I think most people, religious or not have pretty much the same beliefs regarding what's right and wrong....like killing, stealing, etc.
2006-07-30 12:56:16
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answer #6
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answered by First Lady 7
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First, an atheist decides what he or she wants out of life.
Then, said atheist determines how best to behave based on that.
Most people go for "happiness". And most of them are smart enough to realize that what benefits society also benefits themselves. Therefore, wanton killing sprees and the like aren't a very good idea.
That's where our laws come from. They're not based on a religion. They're based on what's good for society.
You don't have to have a "god" telling you what to do in order to figure out how best to behave.
2006-07-30 12:53:20
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answer #7
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answered by extton 5
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Human values.
There's no evidence that morals were implanted in our brains, but reason suggests that we would be better off as a society by allowing most freedoms but avoiding harming to others. This would disallow (and punish) murder and stealing. It would also discourage lying (creates barriers to human communication and trust) and infidelity (creates harm to one's spouse, marital relationship, and family).
These cover the rational parts of the 10 Commandments (minus the God parts), and yet they are entirely based on reason and good judgment.
2006-07-30 12:53:10
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answer #8
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answered by NHBaritone 7
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Every time I see a question like this, it appals me to be reminded that there are people in the world who are so out of touch with their own humanity that they would apparently be unable to function in society absent an irrational and delusional belief in an imaginary supernatural deity.
Cooperation and altruism are inate properties of human existence... a more sophisticated version of the social organization that you can see among pods of orcas, packs of wolves, lion prides and troops of chimpanzees. Moral consensus, moral conscience and mutual empathy are evolved survival traits. These are social constructs... the social lubrication that allows people to exist together. People come away with the misconception that they don't exist, absent religion. The religious puppet masters try to perpetuate that idea, in order to protect their conduits to wealth and power... but that is a canard. This has to do entirely with human nature.
"An Atheist loves himself and his fellow man instead of a god. An Atheist knows that heaven is something for which we should work now - here on earth - for all men together to enjoy. An Atheist thinks that he can get no help through prayer but that he must find in himself the inner conviction and strength to meet life, to grapple with it, to subdue, and enjoy it. An Atheist thinks that only in a knowledge of himself and a knowledge of his fellow man can he find the understanding that will help to a life of fulfillment. Therefore, he seeks to know himself and his fellow man rather than to know a god. An Atheist knows that a hospital should be built instead of a church. An Atheist knows that a deed must be done instead of a prayer said. An Atheist strives for involvement in life and not escape into death. He wants disease conquered, poverty vanquished, war eliminated. He wants man to understand and love man. He wants an ethical way of life. He knows that we cannot rely on a god nor channel action into prayer nor hope for an end to troubles in the hereafter. He knows that we are our brother's keeper and keepers of our lives; that we are responsible persons, that the job is here and the time is now." ~ Madalyn Murray (later O'Hair), preamble to Murray v. Curlett, 27 April 1961
2006-07-30 12:58:30
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answer #9
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answered by Anonymous
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Behave as you would want others to behave towards you. There is no need to fear hell or revere heaven to motivate one to be a good person. Perhaps an athiest may do better than a super-religious person since they do not believe in an afterlife, only the life that exists at this time and space.
2006-07-30 12:54:53
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answer #10
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answered by Laura N 2
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