Athough Atheists don't follow a religion, don't they adopt morals from other religions?

Question

For instance, an atheist does not believe in sexual abstinence till marriage - but would he be ok with murdering people for money (there is no religious teaching that tells him to be a good person)?

Answer 1

no its common sense not to kill people

Answer 2

Personally, I think it is a good question. Religion basically had two functions: To explain how the world works, and as a vehicle to work through moral and ethical behavior. Notice, too, the Church puts out mandates as well, so finding a moral code based just on whichever scripture you use is actually quite rare. We have obviously worked through the same to issues without the need for God or using God as the starting point- hence philosophy. What I object to about almost all religion is that they make a claim they can't possibly confirm- the existence of a metaphysical world. Religiosity is further hampered because certain tenets have to stay true, and even if they are debunked, the power of belief commonly overshadows logical thinking. At this point the religious individual tends to get very hostile and defensive, because if they don't grave disillusionment sets in because they realize the fundamental tenets they use to explain how the world works are no longer valid. That's a bitter pill for anyone to swallow.
But we, as self-aware creatures possessing a higher intellect, can work through the implications of living in a societal context versus a natural context (i.e. living in nature without the rule of law).
An athiest can make it a part of his personal pphilosophy to stay abstinent, you can't simply make the assumption- from what I can tell, the reverse happens quite a lot, with people in America professing a belief and God and still having sex out of wedlock like they did nothing wrong (despite Church doctrine to the contrary). To wrap it up, the overriding mandate is to seek the truth, no matter where it takes you, versus the religious error to accept pre-made answers that already exist and forcing our perception of reality to fit the beliefs.

Answer 3

You obviously are extremely naive. Do you need religion to tell you not to murder someone? Obviously in your case and that of many other religious people you do. The rest of us use something that is called common sense, however from your question not sure how common it is. Why is it that atheists have that ability within themselves to know right from wrong, but the obviously weak minded people need a religion? So what we also can infer from your question is that if you did not have religion, you would be out killing people. Try therapy if you lack that moral compass.
Amazingly as well, there have been so many people murdered throughout history in the name of religion, so much for your religious morals. Give me an atheist any day, at least they do not need some religious leader or contradictory book to tell them how to think or what their morals should be. Oh, and love the Roman Catholic morals of telling people in Africa, where the spreading of AIDS could be slowed and reversed with the use of condoms, not to use condoms. Those are great morals from their religious leaders, let people die from telling them it is against God's will that they use condoms. We all know that they are making that up, God never talked to them or told them anything, since he does not exist. But it is their morals that let them rape boys and stop people using condoms which could save their lives.

Answer 4

Knowing right from wrong isn't a religious issue. It's a humanity issue. You don't have to believe in God to know that killing and raping people are wrong. And not all religious people are good or following the "rules" either.

And I'm not sure why you think atheists don't believe in sex before marriage. That's not true. Being married is a religious thing. If atheists don't believe in religion, they don't have any "spiritual" reason to get married, tax breaks, spousal rights, and benefit issues are another issue.

Answer 5

Why wouldn't an atheist believe in abstinence until marriage? There are a lot of good reasons for people not to have sex too early -- disease, pregnancy, reputation -- and none of these are based on religion.

It's quite humorous that you think "goodness" can only be achieved through the threat of eternal hell fire.

And as far as religion is concerned, where in the Bible do you get your moral authority? Is it the part where God tell the Israelites to capture all the virgin little girls in neighboring cities so they can use them for sex slaves? Is is the part where Jephthah sacrifices his daughter to God (and God does not object)? Is it in Leviticus where God instructs the Israelites on the practical benefits of slavery? I'm really lost here....

Answer 6

We don't adopt morals from religions, we adopt morals from principles like the Golden Rule and social contract theory.

Where do theists' morals come from? Well basically they take the same sorts of theories we use, use them to form a series of specific rules (which, for all major religions, are now ridiculously out of date) and add a system of reward and punishment so that followers don't actually need morality. If you're only good because you want to go to heaven or avoid hell, then you are not a moral person.

Answer 7

All religions are man-made, so all religious rules and moral tenets are man-made. Some are based on outmoded and mistaken concepts, and atheists try to rise above those. Some are based on human experience and empathy; we try to support those. Rules against murder fall into this second category. It's not arbitrary or based on superstition. There is a sound reason why atheists consider murder to be immoral.

Answer 8

I have never been able to understand why anyone would think that not believing in the existence of some mysterious invisible superbeing has anything even remotely to do with knowing instinctively what is good and decent and honorable behaviour within society as opposed to behaviour that is wrongful, and harms others. It is a matter of common sense, that anything you do not want somebody doing to you, you should not do to anyone else.
Having sex outside of marriage is something that we each of us have to make a personal decision about. What I do together in private, with another consenting adult in the course of a good and loving relationship, does not hurt me, or that other person, and quite frankly, what anybody else happens to think based on their personal religious beliefs has nothing to do with the case. Their opinion, their religion, not mine.
To try and make some connection between that, and actually murdering another person is ridiculous to the point of insanity.
When I was a child, I quickly learned f rom my parents, family members, in school, and within the society in which I was growing up, that there are certain behaviours that are absolutely inappropriate, and wrong, and cannot be tolerated if I want to be accepted and respected within that society. I learned that if you play by those rules you WILL be respected by other good people, and those who do not respect you for your good behaviour are, themselves, seriously wanting. They are not to be emulated.
Would you really like to live in one of those places in the world where there IS no religious freedom, but rather the State legislates what you are allowed to think and believe, and what kind of "god" you worship - and that you MUST worship, or damn well better pretend to? I don't think so. Fortunately we in the West live where there are laws that protect our democratic and commonsense right to be the owners of our own mind, and the masters of our own thinking and believing. You may disagree completely with another person's religious convictions, and practises, but if you seek to take that right away from them, then sooner than you know it, your own will be in jeopardy. You cannot have freedom of Religion unless there be also freedom FROM religion. The prisons are full of people, including those who have committed the most heinous of crimes against Society, a nd yet they claim to be devout in their belief in God. How come their devoutness didn't keep them from committing the "sins" they knew their God would gravely frown on? Clearly, claiming belief in a Deity doesn't always cut it. By the same token, why should admitting that you do NOT believe in any such entity automatically ensure that you will be incapable of living a good and honorable life? Just because I question the existence of such a deity, does that mean I feel no conscience about hitting the next old person I run into over the head and stealing their pocketbook? Of course it doesn't. But you know what? I do not refrain from doing such a thing out of fear of enraging "Almighty God" and being doomed to eternal damnation. I don't even think about the consequences of being caught and tossed in prison for it. I do not do that, or any other such thing because the very thought of it sickens and appalls me. I don't have to be "threatened" into behaving in an honorable and compassionate way. I AM that way because that is how my healthy mind works, and my good sense, and my common decency, and my desire to be a part of the brotherhood of humanity in every good sense of that meaning.
No single group of human beings has a lock on good or evil. Right behaviour or wrong behaviour. There are wonderful, right thinking, right acting, law-abiding people, and there are dirty rotten scoundrels, all across the whole spectrum of humanity, irrespective of where they live, what their circumstancs of life are, whether they are rich or poor, or what religious beliefs they personally espouse. I do not decide what kind of a person I am dealing with based on what his skin color is, his social status, or his religious convictions. What kind of a person he is, has nothing to do with any of those things, and it will be a sorry world if we ever should decide to make these factors the determining criteria. I have absolutely no doubt this will never happen.

Answer 9

some follow 'laws' of the land they live... some don't follow any laws or morals... some have more morals than people with religion. so i think generalizing as to 'where' they get their morals or lack of, depending on the person would be unfair...

people of all beliefs seem to adopt ideas from all different walks of life or religions... it isnt just atheists

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Answer 10

I am an atheist and I think abstinence is a good idea. You don't really know anything about Atheism do you? Atheism is not a religion and does not require any additional beliefs except one: there are no gods. Other than that, an Atheist can believe in anything at all.

Answer 11

Genesis 9:6 Whoever sheds mans blood,by man shall his blood be shed;for in the image of God He made man// i believe if it were me i had rather keep what blood i have,there is an innate understanding that comes from God of right and wrong these guys know it there is few that has no conscience but there is some //atheists is of the world// they say hey if it feels good do it -lets do as we want- we dont want to we dont