Why do many christians assume that atheists have no morals?

Question

Morals are personal. The individual creates their own moral code, usually basing their morals on what they were taught by their friends and family, although many simply use logic to create their personal moral code. Why do so many christians feel they have a monopoly on morality? Why do they believe that morals come from the bible and how do they explain it when a 'good christian' performs an 'immoral act'?

I have not answered my own question. I have explained that atheists do have morals. The question is: why do many christians say that we do not?

Answer 1

Often people become religious because they can't control their own behavior. Left to their own devices, they make themselves and everyone around them unhappy. They become alcoholics or drug addicts or wife beaters or what have you. Then they find Jesus and He saves them and takes away their guilt for all the bad stuff they've done, and helps them stay on the right path.

My point is that for those people, they need a 'higher power' to watch over them and keep them doing the right thing. And they can't understand how other people can lead normal, healthy, moral lives without God to dictate right and wrong (and dole out the consequences and rewards). Basically, they figure that if you don't have a big daddy in the sky setting the rules and making sure you abide by them, then you're like a lost lamb who will ultimately walk into the electric fence and get fried. They can't get their heads around the idea that some people intrinsically understand what is right and what is wrong. We do the right thing simply because it is right - not because we seek rewards. We avoid what is wrong simply becauswe we know it is wrong - not because we fear punishment. Essentially, people who don't trust their own judgement (probably for good reason) just assume that they can't trust anybody else's judgement either (for no good reason).

Answer 2

I know some atheists have a moral code. The problem is that they do not give credit to the One who created and instilled the moral code, and therefore they are prideful and blasphemous.

Here's a question for you: If people are the authors of good--that is, if people are the authority on what is good and what is not--what makes one author more accurate than another? What makes your morality any better or worse than anyone else's? How can you get in a moral outrage against someone else's moral code, when there are no absolutes? If good is to be good, it must have an author...or else it must have as many authors as there are people, which renders any moral code entirely subjective and ultimately meaningless. Then it becomes whatever the mob rule accepts--which, lo, is subject to change.

I explain a Christian performing an immoral act by noting that the Christian is not Christ.

Answer 3

Maybe because if there was no God/reason for being good, then they wouldn't do anything to benefit their fellow man. It's selfish. Unless shown otherwise, I believe people know right from wrong, how to respect one another & help out each other for the common good. And this knowledge goes across whatever religious, gender, age, sexual orientation, race, class spectrum you can classify people in. Just because a person claims the are a man/woman of God does not mean they DO have morals. Just because a person is an Atheists doesn't mean they LACK morals.

Answer 4

Sometimes just like atheists generalize Christians a certain way I guess it's because a lot of atheist say hurtful thing to people. Of course we know not all atheist are rude and have no morals. Just remember that some people that are rude as in telling people they are going to rot in hell do not represent the other 99% of Christians which feel someone making a comment definitely is not a true christian. We do not feel like we are righteous people we feel we are all sinners that need forgiveness everyday

Answer 5

Well, frankly, many (not all) atheists are not particularly moral people.

But I think the real issue is that atheists don't really have any logical basis for morality, except in the most self-serving sense (i.e. being good to others causes them to be good to me). Really, if there's no God and all life and the universe itself is nothing more than a meaningless accident, why not be completely selfish? If all of reality is nothing more than a chance occurence, you might as well look after only yourself and only help others when it gives an advantage to yourself.

Keep in mind that I'm not saying that atheists CANNOT be moral people, just that they don't really have any logical basis for it.

Answer 6

Atheists are not led by the same Spirit that Christians are. When a person accepts Jesus as their Savior, they receive the Spirit that also helps guide them. However, because everyone has free will, it is possible to go astray and because they are supposed to have understood the consequences as well as Jesus suffering on their behalf, it is always a very sad situation. Whether atheists do not have any morals at all, I cannot say.

Answer 7

I believe that atheists have morals (a conscience), but I believe that the Holy Spirit indwells in Christians and shows them things beyond morals. Christ has promised that all Christians will live forever with Him. It is a sin when anyone disobeys God.

Answer 8

Don't waste another thought on christians out of all people! Let them fantasize about their righteous lives because they read an ancient book and can solves all life's problems . Morals has nothing to do with shoving Jesus's name down people's throats. Besides these are brainwashed individuals who can't think for themselves!

Answer 9

I have many many wonderful friends from the past and are still good friends....they truly believe that if they are just good people (and they are) that they will go to heaven. Being respectful of their friendships, I never say anything, but I pray for them everyday as the Bible clearly says that the only way to the Father is though the Son...and that the door to heaven is very narrow. As Christians, we all fall short of the glory of God every day....being a Christian doesn't mean we can't do in anger some bad bad things...being a Christian means I do accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior and I do repent of my sins often.....as I know I must...He knows my heart...he knows whether my motives are pure....i can't hide from Him...

Answer 10

I am a christian. I worked with a women who was an atheist. Until then, I would have thought that they did not have any morals but she was one of the kindest women I have ever met.I think it is that people are scared of what is different from them, and usually people think that their way is the right way.