Why do some people have trouble with the notion of a moral atheist?

Question

I do not believe in any god(s)
I reject superstition and mythology
I am a good person

Is that so outrageous?

Answer 1

Jesus says only God is good. Any morals that you have has to come from a moral God. Only the creator can set up a moral standard. If you want to set up a moral standard you have to create your own world.

Answer 2

That is not outrageous. I do believe that many atheists are moral good people and I am a Christian (by the way).

Just because they don't believe the same way I do doesn't give me the right to assume they are bad or to judge them.

Are there some bad Christians? Yes
Are there some bad atheists? Yes

But, we should never take a "group" of people and judge them or assume things about them because of a few bad apples. Doing so would just be asinine. Agree?

Answer 3

And, without malice, I ask, where or what do you base your good life on? Nothing? Surely no one can deny that the ten commandments are good and righteous. And the best part is you don't have to be a believer to agree with them. Nothing outrageous about any good person, besides we will be judged by our actions not what we say. And that applies to life, in general.

Btw, you don't say "oh my God" do you? Or "heaven help us?"
Or "God Bless you?" Most Christians don't mind if you use those terms so you are OK, there.

Answer 4

I don't think that it is so much an issue of someone rejecting the notion of a moral atheist that is the case most often, though there are many who do have trouble with the notion altogether admittedly. What is rejected is the idea that such a view is consistent. If one only attends to that which is empirical, than there is a problem with morals.

It is true that morals sometimes help to uphold society, self-preservation, yada yada yada. However, morals do not always hold these, and sometimes they actually act in opposition to them. A moral atheist must make what is called an optimistic leap in order to deal with this.

An optimistic leap is the leap that comes from the position of pure logic/rationalistic thought and move toward a faith based/rational thinking. As a Christian I see moral atheists as a proof of God more than any science that has been devised.

A moral atheist can only remain such as long as he or she concludes that life has meaning. All people who continue their existence search for a meaning to it. We know that from a material point, all matter in the universe boils down to particles spinning in opposite directions around a vortex, but that offers little purpose to life. All people search for a meaning.

A moral atheist is, therefore naturally possible due to the optimistic leap. However, this shows a view of rationalism (which is not to be confused with rational) to fail, for faith comes into the picture in the form of positivism.

Christians and atheists and buddhists and everyone in between all have faith, the question is what the object of that faith is. For the atheist it becomes a circular issue of having faith in faith, with no true object of faith. For this reason, Christians most often are confused by the thinking, since their faith is not IN faith, their faith is in God.

People who have trouble understanding the idea of having faith in faith are the ones that most often have trouble believing in the idea of a moral atheist. I must confess, it is hard for me to grasp myself, but I do at least understand that it exists.

Edit:
And for Adam G, you fail to realize, Christians such as myself find moral atheists to be a glaring evidence for the existence of God, for what instills that nature for having morals. They aren't necessarily beneficial, and neither is needing a purpose for a person's life, thus searching for a purpose seems to be instilled beyond just what atheists can understand.

Answer 5

No, it's not outrageous, just a bit puzzling. If there is a Creator God, and He is infinitely loving and accepting and good, why would a good person reject Him without checking Him out? The Bible uses logic. It says, "Taste and see that the Lord is good." Have you tasted? I used to be a skeptic too, but then I researched it, realized the truth, and became a believer. Check it out -- if it's nothing, what's the harm?

Answer 6

To those who state that their belief in god is the only think keeping them from raping and killing: you scare me.

I'd far far more trust someone who does not do these things out of empathy for their fellow man than someone who thinks they are being watched as the only reason they refrain.

Heck, compound that with the fact that the majority of you think that you just have to ask that god to forgive you and all is well again, and you terrify me. Seek help.

Answer 7

I dont think it is outrageous at all. You have the right to believe what you want and no one has the right to tell you that you are wrong or to ridicule you for that belief. Unfortunately in this forum it seems that it is a very popular thing to ridicule others for their beliefs.

Answer 8

Either ignorance (I mean that in a nice way) or refusing to understand.

I look at it as having a stronger moral fiber. After all, we don't need a scary monster to make us behave. We just do it because it's right.

Answer 9

It isn't outrageous... I think they may just fear that which they don't understand... many when I have said I was moral ask me... How can you be moral when you have no one to answer to? I tell them I answer to myself... I mean isn't it true that Christians still choose to be moral... God can't make them...

Answer 10

Because to them the notion of morality without God is impossible.