Where do Atheists hold their actions(good or bad) accountable?

Question

anoldmick,
I know dude.

Answer 1

I am accountable for my actions to myself and to those who are affected by my actions. If I do good, then the credit is mine. If I do bad, then the fault is mine, as is the responsibility to correct it as best I can. I am morally required to do as little harm and as much help as I can. It doesn't require a deity to be accountable to be good and moral. It requires compassion and empathy for one's fellow man.

This is what scares me sometimes about people of faith, be they Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Bah'ai, etc. Some of these people, if you can convince them to accept the hypothetical, "If it were proven to you that there is no god," for the sake of discussion, tell me they would go off the deepend, kill their enemies, rape loot and plunder, etc, because what would be the point of being good if there is no Heaven and no Hell? To me, this isn't morality. Morality is being good because it is the right thing to do.

Answer 2

Religion is not the sole source of morality in the world. I can't begin to understand the origin of this fear or hatred of atheists. To be atheist is not to be an anarchist. People of all religions and philosophies have a choice to live their lives in a productive and peaceful manner. Some (Christians, Muslims, Jews, included!) people chose to live corrupt lives. How many countless scandals has this country with religious men at the forefront? In the same way that being religious does not coincide with being a moral or good person, being irreligious does not does not suggest a lack of morality or humanity.

Answer 3

Meditate on this for a little while. Christians make up about 75% of the US population and 75% of the US prison population. No big surprise there.

Atheists, on the other hand, make up about 10% of the US population... but they only make up 0.2% of the US prison population. Now, isn't THAT a surprise? That means that atheists are FIFTY (50) times LESS LIKELY to be incarcerated than Christians. Pretty strange, huh, for a group that has no god-given guiding moral principals?

I can think of only two possibilities that might reasonably be said to account for this disparity:

1. Atheists are of a higher ethical and moral caliber than Christians, and thus are less prone to do the same kinds of nasty things that land so many Christians in the slammer;

OR,

2. Atheists are, overall, a lot smarter than Christians and thus, they are less likely to get caught in the course of their transgressions.

It's GOT to be one or the other... take your pick.

Answer 4

Besides my slight lead foot and DVD/software piracy, I am a law abiding citizen. My morals are based on self-respect and respect for my neighbors... at least those who deserve it. I'm sick and tired of religious people thinking that going to church and posting a Ten Commandments sign in the front yard is the benchmark of morality... especially since I could make a list of Christians I know and their immoral actions. You guys are not as moral as you think you are... Bible or not!

Answer 5

I remember the day I came to the realization that God does not exist. I felt so empty inside. It was the first time in my life I really feared death. If my actions on Earth are not rewarded or punished in the end, what's the point of living to begin with? I had to come to the conclusion that life is meaningless.

For a while I wished I could believe that God did exist. It would be so much easier to know my life meant something.

But I have come to realize that living is more than just selfish thinking. Life is about more than just myself. I am very lucky to have been blessed with life. And it is true that there may be nothing in the end, but our actions on Earth affect the future, so it is our responsibility to live virtuously for the good of mankind. I have found a new meaning in life, and that is mans ability to improve the world in ways great and small. We also have the ability to destroy the world in ways great and small. But we must live for the good!

The root of all evil is selfishness. So the act of being good for the reward of Heaven, or because of fear of Hell, is ultimately a selfish act. It is good to be good, but the reasons for acting good is wrong. Society should be taught to be good, but they should use the truth to instill good behavior. Not fear. Not lies.

Answer 6

I simply hold myself accountable...guilt tends help good people stay away from doing bad things. If I harm someone, intentional or accidentally, I live with the guilt for the entire REST of my life...my conscience will ALWAYS remind me of the wrong that I have done and therefore the chance of repeating that wrong is very slim to non-existent.

It is very different from the "confess sin so you can sin again and again" tactic that christians take. How does that work again? Oh yes...say you molest a child...simply confess your sin to god, then god forgives you and removes your guilt...once you are forgiven and guilt free then it is ok to do the sin again....confess your sin, be forgiven, guilt taken away because god still loves you...back to molesting the kid again. vicious cycle.

Answer 7

To the extent others don't hold me accountable, I either do it myself, or give myself a free pass. Ethics are simply general guidelines. You can break them if it's appropriate, and there's no sense in feeling bad about it in those cases.

Answer 8

We hold them actions accountable if they help someone(good) or if ithe actions brings harm to another fellow human being(bad, obviously)

Answer 9

with myself. with the beliefs of right and wrong i learned from my parents and while becoming an adult. my basis is if it hurts someone else dont do it. with the expectantions of myself that i set for me and that my husband has? just because you dont believe in a god doesnt mean there arent other ways to hold yourself accountable for your actions and decisions. really if you think about it your actions shouldnt be based on what "god" expects of you but what you expect of you and where you want to see yourself down the line. your actions today decide your postion tommorow.

Answer 10

To themselves, to society, to their loved ones. I will return change if I receive too much - not because I'm special or squeaky clean, because I know that to take it knowingly is stealing and taking advantage of another's honest mistake and I would want them to treat me with the same consideration and respect. To do otherwise would affect my self-respect. I do not need the concept of a god or a fear of hell to do the right thing. Do you?