For those of the atheist religion: What is the basis for your ethics and morality?

Question

The Bible is the basis for mine. Do you have a handbook or something? Does court precedent establish your list of do's and don'ts?

If the law were to say that it's ok to rape a woman who isn't wearing a head scarf (like sharia law says), does that make it ok for you?

Is it according to the situation? So if you're in a crashed plane stranded on a mountain glacier, or shipwrecked on a barren island, is it ok to kill and eat the old people?

Does your morality change according to the situation at hand? If you have the opportunity to boink some hot babe, would it be ok as long as your wife doesn't find out?

Is it based on your "feelings"? How do you know what's right and what's wrong?

Agnosticism is a philosophy that asserts "I don't know if there's a God", but atheism is a religion because it asserts "I don't BELIEVE there's a God".

Answer 1

First of the day!

Mint Julep
2 oz Bourbon
1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon water
12-16 fresh mint leaves
float Barbados rum

In the bottom of a chilled highball glass muddle sugar, mint leaves and water until sugar is disolved. Add finely crushed ice then pour bourbon. Garnish with mint and float rum.

enjoy!

Answer 2

First, atheism isn't a faith. this interior of reason sparkling in case you look up the definition of each. 2d, I make a careful distinction between ethics and morality. Ethics are what a guy or woman believes approximately appropriate and incorrect. Morality is what's actual objectively authentic approximately appropriate and incorrect. the relationship between ethics and morality parallels the relationship between ideals and information, respectively. i think of this would be a significant distinction to make, and people who use the words in option techniques that are no longer making that distinction are lacking a needed area of the priority. With that mentioned, i've got faith that the logic of this actuality provides upward push to a needed morality. There relatively IS an objective conventional of appropriate and incorrect, and it substitute into no longer set down via a divine being. in spite of the undeniable fact that, this conventional does not look very much like what you may assume to work out in a holy e book. this is noticeably situational, because of the fact it basically relies upon on outcomes, in preference to strikes. It does not take certainly one of those 'homicide is often undesirable' or 'you may by no ability scouse borrow somebody else's materials' or something like that. as a replace, it demands that we analyze the outcomes and expectancies of our countless strikes, and a sufficiently significant end would justify even the main revolting of ability. it is not plenty approximately what we do, yet what we gain via doing it.

Answer 3

For starters, there is no such thing as "the atheist religion". Atheism is a lack of religious belief.

Secondly, I don't think you're any less susceptible to your own argument than we are. There are many examples in the Bible where rape and murder are put forward as proper actions and even demanded by God as sacrifices. Yet, if these happened today you would condemn them (hopefully) along with the rest of us. Why? Where do you get your morality?

Many postulate that there are evolutionary factors behind the general take on morality (be nice to everyone, hold to your word, don't murder and eat your fellows, etc.) and I personally see the logic behind those arguments. I myself simply try to act in a way that I would like to see other people act. A sort of "Golden Rule" if you will. I can't help but think that if everyone didn't murder or rape or steal and was nice to everyone else we would live in a very pleasant world. With this in mind I live by these rules in hopes that my adherence makes the world at least one six billionth more the way I would prefer it.

My morals do not, as you postulate, come from the immediate situation or the law. As a member of a democratic society I even try to change the law to better fit my views of what it should be, rather than vice versa.

Let me ask you this: If you didn't have the Bible, would you be the murdering, raping, destructive moral-less evil that you describe above? Is all that keeps you from becoming what you speak of the threat of damnation? If so, which of us is the more moral?

Answer 4

First of all, many "Christians" commit terrible, terrible crimes. I am an athiest. I am also a liberal, an existentialist, a graduate student of psychology, and a counselor for people with serious mental problems. I was also raised by a wonderful, loving, athiest family. In other words, my ethics/ morals are derived from the combination of these things. I do not believe in the death penalty, because psychologically, it does not work. I think that being gay is okay because love is beautiful as long as its consensual (I DO NOT consider "love" between an adult and a minor consensual). My passion is about helping people. I am totally against war, and I would rather be in prison than kill someone, even in the name of my country. I believe in human rights (this means EVERY human). I do not believe in god. I do believe in nature and that we should treat it with kindness. I believe that Jesus was a great philosopher, who unfortunately has had his religion ruined by so- called Christians who kill, steal, rape, and support a president that advocates war. Existentialism says that there is no inherit meaning to life, everyone must create their own and find their own passion. This means I accept everyone, even Christians, as long as they believe in human rights and non violent means of achieving change in society. Many people have bad stereotypes of athiests. It's not that we are without morals or ethics, it's just that we are free to choose which path we would like to follow, and we are not bound by the belief in a higher power. From my background in sociology, I can tell you that morals and ethics come from many places, not just religions. I encourage you to think about this, and try not to stereotype people. I do not think badly of Christians just because I know a few who are not such great people.

Answer 5

First off, atheism is not a religion.
Secondly, since your morals come from the bible, then you believe in slavery, and the murder of those who work on Sundays? Or do you just pick and choose which passages you like?

The condescending tone of your question reveals the fact that this is a rhetorical question, only meant to garner favor from the other 'fundies'.

Laws are infinitely more logical than something that comes from a fictional story about an 'invisible man' that lives in the clouds, grants wishes, and performs magic.



EDIT: "Saying atheism is a religion is like saying NOT collecting stamps is a hobby" unknown author
The delusion prevents you from seeing an alternative.
We reject the idea of any 'creator'.
Atheism has no dogma, no rules, no meetings, or secret handshakes.
We are absent of religion.

Answer 6

I behave as I feel will hurt the fewest people that I care about, and will do the most good. Of course my morals change from situation to situation, one rigid moral code is too inflexible to deal with every situation.
The bible is the basis of your morality? Then how do you even out the contradictions? And it's fine for someone to rape a virgin, so long as they pay a dowry to the father and then marry her? You don't realise it, but you work on almost exactly the same morality as I do, it's a social thing, not a religious one.

Answer 7

I thought the Bible says not to lie. You lie all the time. What's to keep you from breaking other rules?

You can cast your aspersions, but atheists are far more moral and far less hypocritical than you are. They know the difference between law and morality. There are numerous ethical bases that let them do better -- empathy, honor, greatest good, and respect for others.

Answer 8

Nobody needs the Bible to teach people that it isn't ok to murder and rape or whatever. There are Satanistic cults that don't murder each other, and they sure as hell don't respect what's in the Bible.

It's because atheists, as humans with minds, have empathy towards other humans, and through empathy, guilt. Everyone has their own moral compass.

Just as there have been people who are fervent believers in the Bible, who go out, and murder people, there is a huge, overwhelming majority of atheists who, without the Bible, don't do bad things, just because they inherintly know not to do it.

And no, I'm not atheist.

Answer 9

The short and simple answer is; Do not do to others what you don't want others to do to you. Be good be nice.
Being ethical is doing those things even when nobody is watching you. Harming others -physical or mental, low term or short term- is wrong. No gods needed to follow these rules, we all know that this is right.

Answer 10

In fact, I think there actually is some sort of atheist manifesto, but I don't believe its too widely accepted (or even acknowledged), especially at the level of the Bible...

Mostly because we don't need one. We have this lovely device called a brain (conscience included).