If God doesn't exist, who or what decides right and wrong? Does the majority rule? Do I just decide for myse

Question

Do I just decide for myself? What if two people disagree about what is right? Doesn't someone have to be right and the other wrong?

Answer 1

Please read my words carefully:
If you see footmark in the sand, you'll say that someone passed from here...
If you see a piece of dog sh*t on the ground, you'll say that a dog passed from here...
So what about the enormous universe, the sky, stars, planets, earth and all the beauty in it, doesn't it lead to that someone made it?!!!

Some people say that everything is created by itself after the big-bang... I won't ask you about what caused the big-bang, but I'll ask you a simple question:
If you take all the letters of the alphabet, multiples of them, and you threw them randomly on the floor. Do you expect (by a chance of one in infinity) to get a poem like shakespear's??!!

Can't you see how organized our universe is, the planets, the eco-system on earth, look even in your own body... Can you control your heart-beat? Can you control your breath while you're sleeping? Who stopped your eye-lashes from growing after reaching a certain length? Who told the baby turtles to move towards the sea and not to the earth after they come out of their eggs? Who taught the bird how to make nests?

My friend, think with your heart and brain. If you're still lost, think about the following:

Do you know how to play safe?
Your point:
If there's no God and you do all what you want in life, then nothing will happen to you after life. But if there was God and you were mistaken, then you'll blame yourself FOREVER...

Believer's point:
If there's God and I followed His commands in life, then I'll be in Heaven after life FOREVER. But if there was no God and we're mistaken, then nothing bad will happen to us after life...

Now you know how to play-safe, in case you're not convinced?

Answer 2

Monotheism has not helped decide on what "right or wrong" is. If anything, it's caused more arguments in that department than anything else has.

Does the majority rule? Most of the time it seems to. But to me that doesn't justify behavior seen in a riot or lyching where the "majority rule" is hardly pretty.

Being social animals, humans have gotten together in communities and from there on come up with social contracts and other lists of "do"s and "don't"s. We're all biologically hardwired for (in decreasing order of interest) self preservation, care for those close to us (because their welfare does in fact affect us), and a care for our surroundings (same reason). So it's obvious that setting up some rules about "right" or "wrong" are going to come about when people get together. Police should be enforcing the law, not 2000 year-old dogma.

Answer 3

Theory 1:
Everything depends on the person. There is no right or wrong. If you believe something is right, then it is right (to you). If you believe it to be wrong, it is wrong (to you). Because for example most people class murder as wrong, yet others don't. Even though the people that don't aren't the majority in that situation, they still stick to what they believe is right. If someone sticks by what they believe, that is the answer.

Theory 2:
The laws of which country you are in decide what are right or wrong. Yet some laws date back to when some countries were, for example Catholic countries. But some laws do fit with Theory 1. But the laws decide what is right or wrong, no matter what they are the terms of what is right and wrong.

Answer 4

You have to decide for yourself how you interact with others. If two people meet, they have to decide on the rules of interaction before they can work together. Laws and social mores are general rules that shortcut this process so that we can assume a certain behavior.

Morality is a set of things we consider right and wrong to do. We get our morality from society, family, friends, personal experience and even genetics. Humans are group animals, so some of our morals align with group behavior. However, each person has their own character, and how they build that character affects how they interact with other people.

You don't have to have exactly the morals as someone else to work with them. You just have to have enough in common in what you think the rules should be. Of course, how you feel about the other person also affects your interaction with them. It's not a cut and dry thing. Since we're all human, we do have mostly similar experiences in life and, therefore, similar morality. Society gravitates towards moral structures that work in keeping society together. However, individual differences are what drive change. Without such differences, society would stagnate.

Answer 5

This question has been around for ages, and noone can truly answer it, because it all depends on how you see right and wrong. There is so much grey area between those two words; for instance, where I believe abortion is wrong, others believe that it is right. Even though Christians all believe in God, they don't all agree on what's right and wrong. Only you can decide what you believe is right and wrong, and expect some clashes with the beliefs of others. Good luck and I hope this helped.

Answer 6

Each perrson must decide what type of behavior will be acceptable to them!

As a secioty the rules are agreed on collectivly. Thhis is why all cultures have rules like do not kill, do not steal, do not lie. Perhaps that is why it took over 1500 years after the adam and eve story for Laws to be given!

Answer 7

Your question has an obvious flaw. Whether God (and I assume you mean the Christian god, and not one of the other 3,000 or so that have been worshipped) exists or not, its definition of right and wrong should only apply to its followers. Wouldn't an atheist or a member of another religion therefore have no understanding of right and wrong?

Or are you suggesting right and wrong have been built into us by this god and it matters not if we believe? If so, then whether god exists or not is irrelevant as your belief is that right and wrong are part of us.

Answer 8

You decide for youself and the people you live with based on your experience and the experience of those you live with and who lived before you.

Even if you believe in God, this is what you do. You have to decide which rules in the Bible to follow and which to ignore. Unless you are a Hasidic Jew and I'm sure even they don't follow all the laws in Leviticus.

Answer 9

That is what we have been doing all along, we go by social norms. Do you really need faith in God to feel that murder, rape, and hate are all wrong and destructive to humanity?

A perfect illustration of this is evident when you look at homosexuality. Throughout history homosexuals have been persecuted and hated simply for their sexual preference (which they can not help). Now, as society becomes less bigoted and more accepting, these people are more and more accepted by society because of social norms. It doesn't matter if the Bible says it is wrong, society decides what is right and wrong COLLECTIVELY.

Answer 10

definately not. This world would be a boring place if we all thought or believed exactly a like. I relish in the fact that their are so many different opinions and beliefs. I think we can all learn something from each other if we can set our own convictions aside and listen.