A question for atheists...?

Question

Serious answers only please...

Do you have a moral code? If so, where do you think it comes from? Look at all of the terrible things that people do. Look at some of the negative attitudes on this website.

If we all were created by some kind of large-scale cosmic accident, with no higher power, wouldn't our only instincts be things such as eat or be eaten? Just because we have bigger brains than the animals does not mean that we would automatically develop compassion for others and common decency.

I don't think that people, by themselves, would "evolve" into kinder people. If anything, they would become more and more agressive, dangerous, and self-centered. I'm not saying our world is perfect, but people have never cared about human rights as much as we do now.

Do you really think that we would have love, respect, decency, and justice without a God to teach it to us? I don't have enough faith in man for that.

Answer 1

morality, ethics, love, respect, decency & justice do not owe anything to religion

Just ask any victim of a priest/pastor

Answer 2

how many of these people out there are religious suicide nuts that go and blow themselves up along with 40 or 50 other people? I am an atheist and yes I do have a moral code, it was given to me by my parents who are both probably atheists as well, I don't see why you seem to think that a god has to exist in order for us to have moral codes, as far as a eat or be eaten world what do you think is going on in the world around you today? it is a eat or be eaten world, not only am I an atheist I am a pacifist as well, I honestly don't believe violence has ever solved anything maybe you really shouldn't compare animals to humans in the sense of compasion and decency either, if you owned a dog that you treated well and didn't just treat as a pet then maybe you would see love and kindness and compassion from them as well, and I have seen animals with more kindness and compassion than I have seen in humans, anyways I think you are passing judgement already on us atheists, at least it seems that way anyways

Answer 3

I am not an athiest, but I find it rather offensive that you think that just because someone doesn't have your beliefs that they are more prone to become self-centered, aggressive or dangerous.

Let's look at what the Christian moral codes have given us over the years:
1. Witch Burning
2. The Crusades
3. Spanish Inquisition
4. "Selling" places in heaven
5. Catholic priest sexual abuse of children
6. Bombings/shootings at abortion clinics

Now, I'm not saying that all Christians are bad. What I'm saying, is that even Christians have their bad apples. Same goes the other way. Not all good peope are Christian.

Before you start sounding off as holier than thou ("I don't have enough faith in man for that"), I would ponder exactly all the evils in the past (and present) that have been executed in the name of "God".

The only way humans will evolve into kindler gentler beings is when we start practicing tolerance and love for our fellow man. Quite frankly, I'm not the tolerance part coming from you right now...

Answer 4

I know what i do and dont like. There is also the need for wisdom in a humans life. We all have the brains needed to seek out wisdom. There are of course some things that are called moral which possibly shouldn't be considered moral. If immoral things are 'physical' in nature, then there is no need of religion to know about these things.
human beings are aggressive. Look at the technological weapons in the world.
Even religious parents teach their own kids in a secular manner. "Dont steal, you wouldn't like it if someone stole from you" for example. No need of religion. Fear of afterlife may work for some, fear of what can happen in this life may work for others. There is still the matter of what should and should not be considered law.
i dont fully understand what is meant by 'moral code', sorry if my answer does not seem adequate

Answer 5

I think you're right about the idea of "God" being an ideal, a source of inspiration. But "God" didn't write the Bible, men did. Men named Peter, Luke, Mark, John, etc. You can say they were inspired, and to some degree I'll agree with you. Certainly Christ's teachings were great moral teachings (also found in most other major religions in some form..)

I don't agree with the idea that we all were created by a large-scale cosmic accident. Certainly evolution does not say we were evolved by "accident". Where does life itself come from? I DON'T KNOW. And I don't think anyone else knows.

Certainly people can become kinder people as a result of personal experience. It happens every day. And some people become more hateful... maybe somebody killed their kids with a bomb. It's complicated. No simple answers.

Back to that "inspiration" that led to the great teachings. That seems to have popped up everywhere on Earth. But will people learn from it? How hard is it to understand: THOU SHALL NOT KILL? That seems pretty obvious. How hard to understand: LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF? That seems pretty obvious.

So why have these inspired teachings -- some claim come from God himself -- been ignored? Why have they been ignored by the majority of people that call themselves Christians, or Muslims? Who created the seven deadly sins? People? Then people have to fix it. No matter what, it's up to us ... right?

But you won't get me to be kinder by calling me names, or by telling me that what I think is nonsense. But when we both start with respect, then we can make some progress. Right?

Answer 6

Humans (and other animals) did indeed evolve kindness, compassion, and all of the other positive emotions, out of a need for socialization. Animals who learn to socialize are MUCH more successful at gathering food and protecting young, and socialization is impossible without some form of empathy. As reason developed and sentience set in, humans became able to objectify the experience of empathy and develop it into the complex systems of morals and ethics that we see today.

I do, indeed, have a moral code. It's the same one professed by Jesus, Buddha, Confucious, and Rabbi Hillel. It goes, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Everything else is just commentary.

Have a good one.

Answer 7

Chew on this for a bit. The bible says that god has a "divine plan" would we kill eachother, rape eachother, eat eachother, torture eachother, have wars, disease, catastrophic natural disasters or any other thing that gives us pain if there was a god that loves us. Just think about that from a realistic point of view and ask your priest, trust me he won't have a good answer I used to be a baptist now I'm an atheist. Oh and by the way to let you know more people have been killed in the name of GOD than for any other reason.

Answer 8

The atheist worldview allows for true morality because it permits us the free exercise of conscience to judge the difference between good and bad behaviour (check the dictionary).

Religion, on the other hand, means conforming to a set of rules and dogma, and explicitly rejecting the conscience as a guide to good and bad behaviour. Thus, the religious worldview is amoral.

Morality is clearly part of human nature.
Human nature is the product of evolution.
Evolution is a fact.

Hence what we know, and can prove, is that morality is part of our evolutionary heritage - A useful survival strategy which allows us to live in closely packed and highly organised society, and reap the benefits thereof in terms of reproductive success. The billions of people in the world are testament to that.

All this is true, and undeniable. Religious folks want to graft their beliefs and dogma onto that truth, claiming that morality - the exercise of conscience - is something more, something guided or dictated by a deity. However, they never provide justification for believing in the existence of said deity - No objective evidence, no valid argument, just 'faith' (i.e. wishful thinking).

If you want us to believe that morality is anything more than what we know it to be, where's your argument? Where's your evidence?

As no-one has ever, in all of human history, provided anything of the sort, I won't hold my breath.

Religion is amoral.
Atheism is truly moral.

Answer 9

just because we don't follow a strict code of religion does not mean that we become bad people. we have good morals because we realize that other people are human too, and when we are RUDE to other people, they feel bad, just like we would. your parents teach you that. not god. As far as the human rights movement, some of the worst atrocities of the day were committed by the 'favored' of the church. you cannot assume that you are correct and all others are heathens.

Answer 10

Well, look around you. Everything you fear are are repelled about is already happening under the religious umbrella you believe in.
Ones own conscience and personal code of ethics is the basis of the moral compass which you are longing for.
It is up to every individual to construct and honor socially & ethical norms if civilization is to acheive its positive potential. No way to pass the buck on that one.

Answer 11

You don't have faith in people but you have faith in god? You need to get your priorities straight. As for your question the best answer I can give is that traits like altruism and kindness help the survival of the race and make life a much more enjoyable experience.