If there is no God, then does morality exist?

Question

I don't believe in an angry magical ghost that smites us all when he wakes up on the wrong side of the bed, but I will concede that the above question is an interesting point.

You can do anything you want now, because in the end, there is no real authority. Life doesn't matter, just do what suits you best. Who cares about others?

Is this the kind of reality we have if there is no god?

law enforcement is not a real authority. they just people that hinder your desires

Answer 1

Even if God doesn't exist, a code of ethics still would. You can't just do anything you want, because if we all did that, we'd make each other miserable.

For instance, if I felt like driving somebody down in my car [ALA Grand Theft Auto], the same fate could be awaiting me. God or no, a code of ethics is needed for maintaining civilized society.

Answer 2

Morals and ethics are values shaped by communities and societies, sometimes determined by religion or by themselves as people. I doubt what's morally wrong or right in New York, US is the same in Bujumbura, Burundi ( Africa), yet they both have their number of pious people.
What I'm saying is usually when a community or a group of people live together, they tend to make rules so that everyone gets along and they basically protect each other from each other. Some have a police, some have a small section of elderly wise men who judge on controversial matters, some prefer religious mandates ( no matter what religion), some even follow blindly what a person they consider their king or ruler dictates as right or wrong...
There is always some sense of law and order in different worlds, even animals have their boundaries (which of course some cross just like humans do, although I tend to think that they have more discipline).
Religion can be a reason for morality , but not necessarily.

Answer 3

Even few of atheists have some morals. In fact their only point is “Just do good, be good and forget about God as there is nothing like that”. It’s because humans have intelligence and they can apply this intelligence to decide about good or bad. But mostly the atheistic morality stays only till there are no opportunities. The moment these people get a chance to do something immoral they do it as you rightly said.
On the other hand, persons who believe in a supreme power governing the creation they strictly maintain their moral values not due to fear of punishment but out of love to the God. The God almighty doesn’t like when we do something immoral.
Actually anyone with little common sense can see that the creation works under a universal government just like we have the governments in various countries. But this needs a pure heart and some guidance to understand the same.

Answer 4

Once again, we have here the Argument for Morality... without the Grand Poohbah around, there's no real authority and you can rape and pillage and steal all you want!

It's an ineffective argument, though, because there are plenty of atheists out there who don't pander to a tyrant god, and still manage to be moral, upstanding members of society, even more so than the Christians in his vicinity.

And it's true. There is no real absolute authority (other than, say, I don't know... LAW ENFORCEMENT). Life does matter. It's the only one we've got. Why waste it fearing an unknown afterlife?

And part of life IS caring about others. As humans, we are social animals. Unless you're emo, we need relationships and friendships.

So yes. If there is no god, morality exists regardless. It's dictated by society.

Edit: You pretty much conveniently ignored the rest of my answers, and you made an ad hominem attack. What "desires"? Are you implicating that I have this underlying desire to steal, rape, and murder? Am I really that bad of a person because I don't subscribe to your dogma?

Answer 5

I don't believe in an angry magical ghost either that smites us. I believe in a forgiving and loving Father in Heaven who walks through life with me. Encourages me to do better, to treat folks as I want to be treated. To feed the hungry, care for the sick and follow the laws of the land. Someday what you speak of will happen, its called the Great tribulation. It will be a time of great pain and sorrow. That is the result of no God.

Answer 6

If God does not exists, then what is right and what is wrong?
If it is a matter of Opinion, who's?
If it is decided by society, how?
Take both questions all the way back to the beginning of recorded human history.
If it is as the Darwinist would say, according to the laws of natural selection, that their is no right or wrong, that might makes right, and the weak die off to make room for the strong.
That would mean that Hitler had it right, Stalin had it right, Genghis Khan had it right, Napoleon had it right.
So ...what is right and what it wrong?

You sound like an Anarchist.
What if,,doing whatever suits you..involves taking your life cause it (suits them) or him/her?
Would you think that is right?

Answer 7

I believe in no gods, but your question is not a reality for me. I don't need constant threat of a bad afterlife to keep me from murdering in the streets. My own code of morals and ethics does this for me. Religion and morals are not mutually inclusive. Though a lot of religious people don't seem to understand this. Or maybe they WOULD be out in the streets killing if they thought they could get away wth it. You get plenty of religious people committing crimes. Does that mean that, at heart, they are more morally ambiguous than other people?

Answer 8

Yes. In fact our moral values, regardless of faith, are not derived from scripture.

Almost all people alive today abhor slavery, yet it was common and accepted in Biblical times.

The Old Testament teaches that it is okay for a child (Isaac) to be nearly murdered by his father just as a test of loyalty to God. I would hardly say that nearly murdering a child and no doubt mentally scarring him for life is a good thing to be upheld as high morals.

The Bible suggests it is okay to kill all living things (The Great Flood) just to teach man a lesson, or to stone someone to death for praying to the wrong god. The list goes on and on.

The vast majority know what is right, there is a moral consensus. Man, not God, judges his fellow man through the judicial system.

It is an innate human trait to do the right thing, it is what makes us a very special species.

Answer 9

I've always felt the morality barometer comes from within. You can get away with anything, as it were, so long as you can still sleep peacefully.

Most people have this internal barometer that won't allow for things like raping and pilaging. Likely it comes from upbringing and the fear of making our parents upset.

Answer 10

Yes. Why would you bother to do hold back your own selfish desires if this is only it, why don't you just go about doing what you want and the strongest survive and gets the most or more. Why be governed by rules and regulation if this is it? Why get up to go to school and work?

God is the source of everything good and moral!

God the eternal Father is the Creator, Source, Sustainer, and Sovereign of all creation. He is just and holy, merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. The qualities and powers exhibited in the Son and the Holy Spirit are also revelations of the Father. (Gen. 1:1; Rev. 4:11; 1 Cor. 15:28; John 3:16; 1 John 4:8; 1 Tim. 1:17; Ex. 34:6, 7; John 14:9.)