Can you still be moral if you don't believe in God?

Answer 1

I'd say if you don't believe in God and are still a good person... then you could be considered more moral than a religious person who only does good things because they're afraid of going to hell and/or not getting into heaven.

Answer 2

As an athiest I believe that morals are defined by the individual and thus all individuals are moral. Now, everyone's definition of morality will be different from everyone elses' and thus there is no "correct" form of morality. What we see as real moral values (killing and stealing = wrong, helping and loving = right) are nothing more than a majority among our society's collective moral definitions. Anyone who believes or acts differently from our popular moral "standards" is considered a criminal or deviant.

Answer 3

Motherlandprecision,

Do you love your enemies? If you can, without the presence of God's Spirit in your heart, I think you'd be the first. As far as I have seen, God is the only Person in the universe, who still loves those who despise Him. Yes, to a certain extent, you can engage in what most would call "moral" behavior. Without the measure of God's love to guide us, however, morality can mean very different things to different people. Muslim terrorists, for example. Right wing fundamentalist Christians who bomb abortion clinics, for another. I don't think mortal humans are capable of defining what true morality is. It is a concept that defies the behavior, demanded by materialism. Good luck with it.

Answer 4

Yes of course! Morality does not live in God, and you can live a moral life without religion. A lot of times the most immoral people are religious, it warps the brain.

Answer 5

No, because you still have the sinful nature. The Bible says in John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten sun for whosoever belives in him should not perish but have evalasting life". If you are the kindest person in the world you are still a sinner and you need God's forgiveness. I will advice you to just meet with a Pastor of a Bible Believing Church and ask him the Question you put above he will be able to answer better.

God Bless

Answer 6

Can you be moral if you believe in a god? Well, it depends. True morality means the judgment of good and bad behaviour according to conscience, and hence the Christian worldview is amoral, because it is all about following orders, regardless of what your conscience tells you. This is the antithesis of morality, by definition. Islam is the same, and presumably some other religions too.

The atheist worldview is truly moral because the atheist judges good and bad behaviour according to his conscience.

Answer 7

Morality IS from God. Acting moral, whether or not you believe in God, is actually doing what HE said. Make sense? All good things come from God. So you doing good, is from God whether or not you want to acknowledge it.

Answer 8

Yes coz moral is defining good and bad (some are derived from culture that does not neccesarily include god).

I think we all have brains that can rationalize and differentiate the good and bad.

God is only there to scare us into not doing bad things but if you are generally a good person you won't do it anyways.

So the answer would be yes :D

Answer 9

Absolutely. Morality is not restricted to a religious basis.

In fact, I tend to think that someone who chooses to act in a moral way "because they think it's the right thing to do" has more moral fiber than someone who chooses to act in a moral way "because they'll burn in hell if they don't" (but if the threat of eternal punishment weren't there, they'd act in a different manner).

Answer 10

Sure. I know people that don't believe in God but they obey the Laws of my country. They are married and they are faithfully committed to each other.

But...without the belief of God, people will view what is moral and what isn't differently.

Answer 11

yes, ethical, without needing fear of hell

read this, written by Madalyn Murray O'Hair who fought and won a legal case to have prayer removed from school in the 60's.

"Your petitioners are Atheists and they define their lifestyle as follows. An Atheists loves himself and his fellow man instead of a god. An Atheist thinks that heaven is something for which we should work for now - here on earth- for all men together to enjoy. An Atheist accepts 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, subdue and enjoy it. An Atheist thinks that only in 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 of troubles in a hereafter. He knows that we are our brothers' keepers in that we are, first, keepers of our lives; that we are responsible persons, that the job is here and the time is now."