Attention Atheists.. since you don't believe in any god how can you tell right from wrong?

Question

aside from generic answers such as common sense, rational, etc be specific.. i really would like to know how you guys tell right from wrong..

and if you do say common sense, where did common sense come from?

Answer 1

precisely......atheist take the christian god as an example of what is wrong, totally wrong.

any thing else is right !

oh...and to fully answer your question: common sense comes from a little part of the brain christians do not use....or maybe were born without, who knows!

Answer 2

Evolution has graced every social mammalian species on the planet with two social instincts: altruism and empathy.

Altruism is the ability to give up from one's self for the good of other. A wolf may give its life to save a group of puppies or the rest of the pack. This is a genetic benefit because the survivors are closely related to the one who sacrificed, so despite not directly breeding, the genes are propagated more than if the sacrifice was not made and one survived while many died.

Empathy is the ability to recognize the mental state of other. In canines, this can be seen by quietly sitting down and very softly whining -- all but the most aloof of working dogs will come over as if to comfort you or be present with you even in non-understanding of why you are whining.

These two instincts, when processed by abstract logic, derive the fundamental rule of ethics embedded in every human culture known: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (common), Do not do to others what would be unpleasant done to one's self (negative, classically Buddhist), or Do unto others as they do unto you (reactive, classically LeVayan Satanism).

Since the interest of the species is for the majority of the species to hold these instincts, the gene becomes common but very few variant genes (those that do not directly define a species or metabolic pathway) ever reach 100% penetration. Thus, some individuals will be born lacking one or the other, sometimes both.

In humans, this is the genetic foundation of sociopathy and psychopathy.

Thus, the majority of humans are born INCLINED towards goodness, though they are imperfect and other inclinations can tend them from time to time away from good, but there are also those who are born INCLINED towards badness, though with proper environment and education they can strive to tend towards good despite the inclination.

Answer 3

How do Christians tell right from wrong? Burn witches, torture people who disagree with them (i.e. Heretics) to death. One sickening (and there are many) aspect of 'Christianity' is the ability of people of that religion to commit the most outrageous and despicable acts and then presume to teach athiests and others the difference between right and wrong. The self satisfaction of taking the high moral ground becomes ridiculous when assumed by those who perpetrate atrocities.

It must be such a comfort to be totally evil and then get one of your number to give you absolution. As Christ said take the plank out of your own eye instead of pointing out the splinter in someone elses eye. I know that Christ's words are an inconvenient to many Christians but it would be appreciated if hypocrites would stop irritating the rest of us.

Answer 4

I am a Catholic, but that was a decision I came to on my own when I was well into my 20s. Right and wrong do not need the threat of divine retribution.

My parents were nonreligious, but they were good people. They taught me that it was wrong to lie, cheat and steal. They taught me respect and that there were consequences for my actions. This was reinforced in school and in every social interaction I ever had with another human being.

Just because you think that your own religious beliefs are correct, don't be foolish enough to believe that you are better than others that don't share your beliefs. The biggest sinners I know are sitting in church every Sunday.

Answer 5

Religion is not a prerequisite for having good morals. This is a common misconception that often shows up here on Y!A.

I would say the answer is both a nature and nurture. Growing up in a loving and safe home is a great start to a kind and moral person regardless of a deity.

Answer 6

I have to give my 2-cents worth on this one even though I am a Catholic.

All people, no matter what faith, culture, race, sex knows right from wrong. This isn't a lesson learned from God. Now some people with severe mental problems might have trouble understanding that stealing a candy bar from a store is wrong. Without our parents and others teaching us morals, a child would still figure out the basics. Animals know right from wrong. It's been proven. They may sneak food from another animal hoping not to be seen. Why would they sneak if it wasn't wrong? They might try to kill a baby and the adults protect they baby. Why? They natural know that they are to care for that baby. If it wasn't wrong to kill their young, they wouldn't try to protect it. You see dogs and cats being sneaky to steal food or hide their poop from their master because they know it's wrong & fear punishment. It's the people that don't fear punishment that decide that they have the right to do whatever they want, even if it hurts another person.

IF we evolved from animals, and animals know right from wrong, then we 'inherited' that knowledgeable trait. And according to God, animals weren't created in His image. They have no soul or spirit. They are just animals and they don't have to know their Creator, worship their Creator and try to earn Heaven after they die. Yet they steal, hide and sneak. You know they know it's wrong by the way they act while doing something and the way the react after being found out.

One doesn't have to believe that God exists in order to understand morals. The one difference I can think of regarding morals is that we tend to argue about morals. Men in NAMBLA believe that having sex with an 8 year old boy is okay as long as you love them. But most people believe that sex with children is morally wrong. Some think making porn movies and watching them are fine because they aren't hurting anyone. Some think that all forms of porn is wrong because it exploits women and some women are actually forced into it.

My question to you about right from wrong is why did dozens of Catholic priests molest altar boys? Why are some Christians having gay sex? Why do some Christians beat their wives and children? Why do some Christians drink excessive amounts of alcohol and/or do illegal drugs? Why do people from every faith sin at some time in their lives? Aren't WE that ones that should definitely know right from wrong? And always do the right thing?

Answer 7

We think for ourselves . . . I'm trying to think of how to be more specific. I'll give an example.


Say that there is a wallet lying on the sidewalk. You open it up, and it has an I.D. and $400 in there.

What would happen to me if I took it?
What would be the consequences if I was caught?
How would it affect the owner of the wallet?
Would I feel totally guilty afterwards?

For me, asking myself these questions help me solve my problem. God isn't the answer to everything, and atheists like myself just use the same thinking that you do on stuff where God can't help.

Good luck.

Answer 8

Learning right and wrong comes from how your parents raised you.
Most people understand laws and rules in life and know how to follow them. They don't need a religion to tell them how to do this.
The only thing religion is good for is the weak minded people in life that need someone else to tell them how to live. How to donate their time and money to a MAN MADE church. To make excuses for why bad things happened in their life (IE: "It was god's will the baby died......." instead of just admitting it was the crack-whore mother that neglected the starving baby.......).
Common sense is nothing we need a religion to teach us.

Answer 9

Attention Christian...
I was raised by great human beings who taught me right from wrong.
I live each and every day here on earth as a positive, loving person who respects nature and good people.
Your question almost sounds as though you believe that The Bible or your Church raised you. MY PARENTS TAUGHT ME RIGHT FROM WRONG, AS WELL AS THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMON SENSE. Thank you though, I'm going to e-mail my mom right now and remind her of what a fantastic job she did raising her children. Take care...

Answer 10

I'm an atheist.

I get my sense of right and wrong from logic, and from personal experience.

When somebody hits me, it hurts. I don't like being hurt and I don't want to hurt other people, so I don't hit them. Why should I hurt other people when I gain nothing out of it?

When somebody offers to help me out without expecting anything in return, it makes me feel really good. It makes me want to be altruistic and to help others without expecting anything in return. Why shouldn't I help other people when I lose nothing out of it?

If you want to get really cynical about things, maybe I try to be nice to other people because I hope that this will make them more likely to be nice to me.

I guess that I think something is "right" if it makes people (not me, but people in general) feel good, or feel pleasure, or feel more connected to other people, and I think something is "wrong" if it makes people feel bad, or feel pain, or feel disconnected from other people.

This means that things in the "good" category include charity, altruism, love, politeness, modesty, masturbation, humor, and acceptance of others. (I'll admit I threw one of those in there partly for shock value, and I don't consider it to be nearly as "good" as the others, as it has no real lasting "good" effect.)

Things in the "bad" category include sadism, being too self-centered, murder, rape, insulting people, tyranny, and intolerance.

The above criterion does not encompass my entire moral code, but I think it is the most significant criterion I use to decide whether something is "right" or "wrong."

The way I see it, the best way to improve our world is to help other people out and connect with them, and if everyone did that, the world would be a great place.

I assume that the way you see it is that it is certainly better to follow God's plan than to try to figure things out for yourself, since God is omniscient and knows what the best way to do things is, and knows right and wrong. This is certainly a reasonable belief; if I believed God existed, I would feel the same way. However, I don't so believe, so I have to try and do the best I can with my view of the world.

Answer 11

Are you joking or are you really as stupid as you appear? We are social animals and compassionate also, that has nothing to do with god or religion. Do you need someone to teach you right from wrong? Get Falwell to help you, perfect example of a believer.I think one of the best teachers is to watch what the devote Christian,Muslim Or Jew does in the name of their God, and then do just the opposite.