Could there be moral obligation from empathy, another god, loving and obeying your parents, loving your children...?
If morals can't exist outside God's rules, why do we have two terms for them instead of just "God's rules"?
2006-12-28 06:35:30 · 15 answers · asked by vehement_chemical 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Yes, there is moral obligation without God.
If you tie it to religion, you get an "or else" component: "Treat others as you want to be treated, or (Insert Deity's Name Here) will be irked."
Morals on their own work just fine. I don't have to obey my parents, and that's a bloody good thing too. One of them is significantly off the beaten path, behaviorally.
I think it takes more strength of character to adhere to a conventionally moral path if you're not religious. No eternal reward in it for us heathens. We do it just because it's the right thing to do.
I've done scary, hazardous but optional things because I saw no other ethical choice.
"God's Rules" implies that we buy into the whole package. All the commandments, graven images, coveting, etc. Morals can vary, but I think mine stack up against most pillars of the church where it counts.
2006-12-28 06:42:36 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 0⤋
Men according to their natures are amoral...they do what they wish for their own prosperity and entertainment. What, without God/religion, defines morality? Is it just an agreed upon social contract? Agreed on by who? A simple majority of the people involved? Most people feel empathy for only those they have a personal connection to...the history of mankind is a testament to this.
There may be a moral tradition passed down from generations, but indeed there is no "obligation" to do what is right, other than to avoid punishment from the community at large in the form of legal action or vigilanteism.
2006-12-28 14:47:25 · answer #2 · answered by Krys Tamar 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I believe that, as a human being in the richest 10% of the world's population (as is everyone on here, most likely, if they own a computer) I have a moral obligation to help the other 90% as much as I possibly can. This has no basis in any religion whatsoever, but instead is pragmatic on several levels: If this life is all we have, it is better to make the world a better place since it's the best we'll ever get; as a humanist, I believe all people are truly equal in humanity if not in money, and as such should all be given equal opportunities as much as is practically possible; and, given all that, if I am truly human as I claim to be, it's to my benefit if the species as a whole benefits.
2006-12-28 14:44:54 · answer #3 · answered by angk 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Moral obligations do exist with or without a knowledge of God. God is larger than human belief and He does not require this belief for existence.
ie. Greek philosophy had glimmers of Christian morality within their perspective centuries before these virtues became unified.
Pagan though they were God used Truth to reveal His purpose and reason to the world.
2006-12-28 14:39:38 · answer #4 · answered by Lives7 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Yes. At the basest level, we derive moral obligation from a need to preserve our species. Secondly, as we have formed cultures, we derive moral obligation from a need to live in a collective harmonious to one another. And finally, as we have formed societies we have a moral obligation to one another as a part of our shared social contract. All morals are cultural - "god" is merely the hammer of the enforcer.
2006-12-28 14:38:47 · answer #5 · answered by texascrazyhorse 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Of course. Morality derives from evolution, which applies to societies as well as to species: a society which adheres to a "correct" moral code will survive preferably to one that does not. Hence, the proper test for morality is: how will the proposed action affect society as a whole? Religion claims to be the moral repository, but such claims are specious.
2006-12-28 14:53:49 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Moral obligation is knowing right from wrong and doing the right thing. Athiestsdo this, hopefully. Amazing how close they are to doing what God demands of us.
2006-12-28 14:40:24 · answer #7 · answered by julie 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
There is a spark of divinity within all humans. This spark can be extinguished or it can be fed and nurtured. This is the origin of morals. God always exists. You may not believe in Him, but He is still your Father and that is where morals come from.
2006-12-28 14:38:38 · answer #8 · answered by Answergirl 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Commandments of the Lord are NOT morals. They are guidelines that show us just how much WE CAN'T do it ourselves.
The point is, whether you believe or not, the choice is still there. Your excuses and lame judging will do you no good.
2006-12-28 14:40:20 · answer #9 · answered by watcherd 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
morals and ethics are whatever you make them for yourself. If you need a god's threat of punishment to have a moral obligation, that's your fault.
2006-12-28 14:38:25 · answer #10 · answered by Kutekymmee 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋