"Yes." They are subject to the same laws of our country. They have a sense of right and wrong. They must work with people and being unethical in society would not serve them well. However, an Atheists' morals are not absolute. They do not have a set of moral laws from an absolute God by which right and wrong are judged. Christianity teaches love, patience, and seeking the welfare of others even when it might harm the Christian; In contrast, the atheists' presuppositions must be evolutionary. Since evolution teaches that life is the product of nature - survival of the fittest, natural selection, and equating humans to animals as a species are the ontological basis for our existence. With this the value of man is lowered. It is a very high calling to treat people properly who also are made in the image of God. To an atheist, ethics must be variable and evolving. This could be good or bad. But, given human nature being what it is, I'll opt for the moral absolutes based on Gods Law.
2006-10-21 19:23:38 · 25 answers · asked by iamwhoiam 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Atheists also base their moral truths on moral absolutes -- moral absolutes that contrary to your assertion of the coldness of evolution, mankind has evolved to have: Altruism and empathy.
Nice attempt to hide the fact you were insulting atheists... well, maybe not so nice, it was seen through.
2006-10-21 19:26:02 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 7⤊ 1⤋
Why did you ask since you already assume you have all the answers? You say they have a sense of right and wrong, but you do not give any logical reason why they do. They are just not good of their own volition and being created in the image and likeness of God, as we all were, is no guarantee that we will be ethical or moral. Evolution teaches nothing of moral or ethical values; it teaches that we evolved from species with no values at all, only instinct. The truth is that Atheists can absolutely be moral and ethical as long as they follow the laws written on their hearts (their conscience).
2006-10-21 19:36:20 · answer #2 · answered by Robert L 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
"Survival of the fittest" is not the same thing as "looking out for number 1". For one thing, it doesn't mean physically fit, it means the best fit to the environment. For another, no one acts in a vacuum. A person who constantly seeks his own advantage at the expense of others will eventually find himself ostracized and powerless. Cooperation and altruism are survivial traits.
Atheists do have the ethical advantage of being unburdened by metaphysical doctrines. Every ethical position they take must make sense. Believers must heed the dictates of their faith, even when they don't understand them. Or, when God's word is ambiguous, there are those who will twist, er, interpret it to serve their benefit, then justify it as God's will.
It is the experience of many non-believers that WHAT one believes does not seem as important to believers as THAT you believe. "Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven," the saying goes. Atheists don't get that option, apparently. Anything less than moral perfection is regarded as evidence of their total corruption. Christian peccadillos are simply evidence of human frailty and divine mercy. All one need do is cry out, "Lord, Lord!" (Matthew not withstanding.)
Essentially, the Christian sense of morality seems to be driven by that big stick waiting at the end of that final tunnel of light. Atheists must limp along with nothing more powerful than the golden rule.
2006-10-21 20:20:32 · answer #3 · answered by skepsis 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Moral absolutes? Purely human morality is sketchy at the absolute best - something like a natural, human moral "absolute" is utterly preposterous. Even those "guided by God" can perform acts of the greatest, most heinous proportions in history. Can an atheist be ethical? So long as you are not a sociopath devoid of conscience, certainly. But can an Atheist claim to hold "moral absolutes"?
Not in my book.
2006-10-21 19:37:21 · answer #4 · answered by Shawn L 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
We atheists need 3 things to carrry on the human race.
1. Living conservatively, learning logic(understanding right from wrong)
2. Hunting and Gathering Food for survival(survival of the fittest)
3. Reproduction
We know we are responsible for our own actions, that's why 75% of America's Jails are Christian and less than .02% are Atheist.
We don't have Salvation for our sins. I'm not saying we live perfect lives, but we know what it takes to carry on the human race. Putting Faith in delusion is not very healthy for our minds.
2006-10-21 19:29:32 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
How about we answer that question with this question. Can someone who wraps their life in God be unethical or unmoral? How about priests and other religious figures who molest children? How about the Catholic church helping Nazi war criminals escape Europe to South America? How about the Spanish inquisition? How about the "witches" of Salem?
As they say, never judge a book by it's cover. There are good people who believe in a higher being and there are good people who are athiests. There are also bad in both groups. The object is to get by their "covers" and figure out which is which.
2006-10-21 19:51:25 · answer #6 · answered by twodux 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
1) Such things as 'killing's wrong' have ALWAYS been wrong.
2) Our relativity is something good, the way I see it. Otherwise, we would still be whipping women for being adulterous.
I find my relativity much better when it comes to morality. For example, even accepting (which I do most certainly NOT) that using a condom is wrong, my relativity lets me see that it'd be better for people to have protected sex, than die of AIDS. Christian rigid moral values makes Christians blind to the fact that people are going to have sex anyway (even if the church doesn't allow it outside marriage) and this multiplies the risks of AIDS and other illnesses. If you were 'relative' enough, you'd admit that at least they had protected sex, i.e.: you'd admit an 'evil' the way you see (as using condoms) so that at least people didn't die.
In short, relativity saves lives. Rigidity kills.
2006-10-21 19:51:10 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Of course they can be ethical. I follow society's laws. The laws that have developed throughout the ages. They have been tried and tested throughout man's (or woman's) existence. They stand as the various religions rise and fall. They are based on logic not some cult's desires. These are the basic truths that exist no matter what culture or religion you are apart of.
2006-10-21 19:35:17 · answer #8 · answered by zerocommazero1974 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I would say yes, no matter what your religion is I think we all have a set of morals for ourselves. We know right from wrong.
I read another one of your post and understand why people are thinking that you are insulting. I see one of two things, either you really are wanting to know more about the religion or you are trying to insult. If that is all your purpous is to insult than get off the board, you are not the one to judge, that is god's job. That is from christian religion belief.
2006-10-21 19:27:46 · answer #9 · answered by salinas_trt 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
The problem with basing it on "gods" laws, which sounds silly in the first place, is that people still do bad things, and then justify it or excuse it by saying "god will forgive me"
I prefer to be accountable to my fellow human being, if your god concept is wrong, you are screwing the rest of us by hiding behind your god.
2006-10-21 19:44:18 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋