what is morality without using the Bible, traditions from the Bible or any other works of religion?

Question

How can you define it and have me accept it in society without introducing any influences of religious doctrine?
For example we know that murder is bad, but without the Ten Commandments why do we otherwise except this. The American morays and laws were based upon what the Puritans brought when founding the country. If we seperate the core belief system how do we validate a cultural norm?

Answer 1

I think we can derive a good deal of morality through reasoning and common sense. If we all know we wouldn't want a certain action to be taken against us- say, being killed or prevented from peacefully worship ping in our own way- it's a good bet that these things should be considered immoral. This is a natural law approach. Humans can recognize morality inherent in nature, just as they can recognize the laws of gravity or economics.

Or you can take a utilitarian approach; what behaviors, if left unchecked, would lead to overall unhappiness in society? Whatever they are, those are immoral behaviors.

No religion involved there, just people recognizing what they want and applying it to others. I'm not saying these are superior forms of developing morality, but they are possibilities.

While I am on the subject, what makes the Bible or any other religious work a valid means of determining morality? Ultimately, using the Bible is simply referring to an authority figure. Couldn't we cut out the middle man, have a dictator write the rules for us, and obey those instead? If the only thing that matters is having everyone operate from the same written guidelines, what makes the Bible better than anything else?

Answer 2

You don't make a lot of sense. We don't need the bible to set morality, especially after the crusades and their pedophile priests!

I know murder is bad, I don't need the bible to tell me that! The bible, isn't even accurate! People who believe in the Bible use that as a basis for abusing their children! Is that a good Core belief, especially when that is not what the Bible says! "Spare the Rod" doesn't mean beat your kids! Shepard's didn't strike their sheep with a "Rod", they used it to guide them!

Our cultural norm is dictated by the majority of the people,most whom are religious.

American laws were based upon British common law, the Magna Carta, and the Constitution of the US. Not the bible! Most came here to ESCAPE religious persecution, not to find more of it!

People validate the cultural norm, not the Bible!

Answer 3

In answering your question of how do we know murder is bad I believe you could examine the basic human condition and objectively law. Think of the Hammurabi Code, if individuals were allowed to murder there could be no cohesive societal units. There would be no cooperation as anyone could just kill their neighbor and take his goods instead of working for his own. Worst case scenario human kind would degrade into anarachy; best case scenario Tyranny.

Back to morality without religion I think that as the most intelligent life form on the planet, humans have the cognitive ability to understand that certain actions are wrong. Death is final and damages the cooperative soceity; therefore it is wrong.

Also I would not tout the Bible or any religion as the basis for morality. Deuteronomy 22:22 "If a man is found sleeping with another man's wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die." I do not believe it is morally acceptable to kill two people for getting to 'know' each other in the biblical sense.

Answer 4

Morality is a belief as to what is fundamentally good or bad, or sometimes right/wrong in the objective global sense.

Morals are always personal, though most people's moral codes derive from their religious, ethnic and/or cultural background.

Developing a cultural median based on diverse and overlapping moral codes is a statistical exercise. 62% agree that behavior X is bad, 94% that behavior Y is bad, but only 28% agree that behavior Z is bad.

The problem is, those are not by themselves sufficient or valid reasons to enact secular law. If we are going to have a secular legal system, one not run by the majority religion, then we need to base laws on objective quantifiable harms, and not on the moral conscience of the majority.

{EDIT to jimvalentinojr} Three commandments: no murder, no theft, no bearing false witness (perjury).

Answer 5

Morals weren't CREATED by religion; they were created by man as a way of co-existing in harmony. Hence, when people are immoral it causes strife. Religion simply plays into morality by offering a way to the "eternal heaven" or whatever each religion calls the "goal".

We know that murder is bad because we wouldn't want it done to us. See how that works? Same with stealing, cheating, lying, etc. It wasn't a bible or a priest that told me that. It is the "Golden Rule" and has nothing to do with religion.

Answer 6

SImple. Morality is a code based on what our empathy for others tells us is the right/wrong thing to do. Evolution equiped us with empathy - the ability to imagine and feel ourselves in someone elses shoes - for our own benefit and for the benefit of our tribe/species. Thus morality is universal and nothing to do with religon.

Answer 7

um...not killing is a universal ethic that transcends the ten commandments...it is a tenet of just about every religion on the planet.

in addition, if you want to legislate based upon the ten commandments, then how come idolatry and adultery are not illegal? in fact, only two commandments are illegal that i know of. btw, do you even know what all of those commandments are?

i think your argument falls a little short.

Answer 8

Well, they had morals before it was written, what would be the difference?