Respectful question for non Christians?

Question

In the course of our daily lifes as non-Christians, we sometimes have to make moral decisions.

What guides you in making your moral decisions.

I am not a Christian and don't use the Bible as an absolute guidepost for criteria in making moral decisions.

Just curious, for other non-Christians, what standards of morality do you use, are they in a book, if so, please share.

Answer 1

believe it or not, i use common sense. my main concern is if what i do is going to have an ill effect on someone i know or myself. i usually try to think before i speak, or act on something. i do believe what comes around , goes around for the most part. you just have to examine what the reprecussions will be for your actions, and whether or not you are prepared to accept them. i think people that do not have this ability to rationalize on thier own usually end up in jail, on meds, dead, or nosed in the bible 24/7. (or a combination of some or all of the 4) HA--HA!

Answer 2

Whether or not the standards and morals I use in every day life are written in full in a book - I don't know.

What guides me to practice these morals? Compassion for my fellow man. I don't have to be a Christian to have empathy or sympathy for another human being or animal. I would consider myself agnostic since I am still exploring my beliefs and have not found one specific religion that suites my beliefs and convictions.

Basically, I would not do something to another person that I wouldn't want done to me. One could argue that that is a Christian belief (The Golden Rule) but actually, all religions have a form of this "Golden Rule". Some religions call it Karma (whatever you do to someone comes back to you). Wiccans say whatever you do comes back to you times three whether it be good or bad.

I do not live by this because it is the Golden Rule of Christianity or any other religion, but rather because I have compassion for others. I would never want to hurt someone without cause or cause them any harm. I don't lie because I think I deserve the truth as well. It's a matter of respect and compassion for others. I want to receive respect and in order to receive respect, you must first give respect.

Other decisions are about motivation. I have motivation to do something good because it will either benefit me or someone I love in the long run or even in the immediate future.

Answer 3

No book. Just the way my mommy raised me. We all should know right from wrong by the time we are ten. I have very high morals. I give everyone the benefit of the doubt. I am kind to all living creatures and some not living. I volunteer in my community 2 times a week with my therapy dog. I am with the humane society of the US disaster advance relief team so subsequently went to LA 3 times after Katrina. And so on.

Answer 4

It depends on what you have had exposure to. I am not a Christian (really man no kidding) but I was exposed to the ten commandments and therefore some of my decisions could be said to be based on the teachings of the Bible, even though I do not subsribe to the dogma. Everything we come into contact with helps to form who we are and how we make decisions. I would even go so far as to say some Sci-Fi works have influenced me, even though the majority of my time is expended reading spiritual texts.

Answer 5

I use my conscious and gut instinct. When I do something wrong - which I try not to do - then I feel guilt and pain. I try to stay away from that feeling. When I do something good, even if it is hard at the time, I feel it is the right decision. I also have read many philosophy and lit. books that are philosophical in nature - it was my minor in college - and I use the critical thinking skills I have honed over time to sort out right from wrong. I look at the method and the consequences. I weigh things before I act.

Answer 6

I follow the way I was raised. My parents were never spiritual people. The only time they went to church was when forced. I was never brought up in a church environment. I'm unbaptized. Even though I don't believe in Jesus the God, I believe in the message. Treat others as you would have them treat you. Be kind and charitible. Help those in need without expectation of compensation. My parents always raised me in that way and it just kind of stuck with me. Now I get compliments on them all the time now so they must have something right.

Answer 7

I ask myself: "Does what you're doing hurt anyone? Is it the best solution to the problem at hand? Will I and everyone I care about be better off because of it?" That's just for the gray areas. Everything else is usually a no-brainer type situation. Common sense, I guess is the general term for it.

Answer 8

As a Unitarian Universalist I try hard to live our 8 principles and base my morality upon the premesis contained therein. Would advise you check us out at WWW.UUA.ORG...W're able to have a community of people of like mind without the Dogma, rules, and regulations that hinder other religious belief systems. PEACE!

Answer 9

It isn't really that hard. If you can feel empathy for other people, you don't really need the threat of Hell or the commands of God to try to do what is right. You consider the other people involved and what your own needs are in the situation and make a choice.

Answer 10

Well what do you use the Bible for on your train rides to work everyday? Why have a Bible if you don't believe anything it says? If I were an atheist, I wouldn't even waste my time reading it.