Why do so many Christians seem to believe that they invented 'morality'?

Question

Have you chaps noticed that almost always, when a Christian person speaks of atheism, the words "morals" or "morality" float to the top? Many of us, perhaps most of us live quiet lives in which we embrace a high degree of day-to-day behavior which could only be described as "moral." For example, if I may, I married only once and my beautiful wife (who passed away in '03) and I were devoted to each other. I paid, and I pay, taxes; I never struck one of our kids; I vote; I participate in anti-war and human rights demonstrations in my city, I read books and write plays, I enjoy the company of gosh knows how many friends and colleagues in the classical theatre around N.A. and in Europe, I speak and read in three languages, I neither steal nor pointlessly lie. At age 9 I put away belief in a primitive god. Though I am now 71 and disabiled, I remain in the warm embrace of my life's work, the professional theatre. Ask 800,000 atheists, and to you would come parallel answers.

Answer 1

You seem nice... but to the point of your question-
The social pact requires a common moral code to some degree. That moral code being handed down over the centuries came from Christianity in the western world, and various other sources in the eastern.

To claim God as that author for the moral code that is "standard" should not strike you as unusual. But more the Judgementalism of those who hold it to be true.

You must admit that there has to be a standard in order for there to be a deviation... yes?

Answer 2

The short answer is they have already deluded themselves into thinking the Bible contains a moral high ground. Once you believe that, anything is possible. The fun fact is that there are far more believers in prison than non-believers. If you look at the population of the federal prison system, which only hosts serious felons, you will find less than 1% are Atheist. In the general population we represent from 8-16%. If we were less moral than theists the percentage of Atheists in prison would be higher than in the general population. In reality the percentage of Atheists in prison is barely a blip on the radar. To me this show a clear conclusion that Atheists break fewer laws at the very least. How could one explain this if Atheists are less moral?

Answer 3

Christians are completely delusional, and think they invented morality because they don't realize that other religions that pre-existed their religion, is still prevalent today.

They seem to be under the belief, that their's is the only and oldest living religion today.

Buddhism has a great sense of morality, and a great code of ethics to apply your life to. But they receive no credit. I am sure Hinduism also has their own set of moral codes to live by, (I have never studied them, but it does not mean it doesn't exist).

Christians, are ignorant to the other religious beliefs around them.

They do not understand the concept, that if human's didn't have morals (for morality sakes), then we wouldn't even be here, because we would have killed each other off.

Besides atheists account for less than 1% of the prison population, what does that say?

Answer 4

Good question. My answer is...carefully constructed propaganda. People don't separate morality and Christianity anymore. Lately, media, religious, and political groups seem to hinge morality on emotionally charged topics in the political arena, for example, the never ending abortion debate. The religious right has polarized the debate into an amoral vs. moral issue. This is just an example, but it is certainly one way to demonstrate the thoughtless righteousness.

Answer 5

This is the lie that has perpetuated their religion, and gives them justification to "hate" nonbelievers.

To those wrapped up in the Christian cult, they see non-believers not as people that simply don't believe, but as people that are AGAINST wholesomeness, and morality, and everything that they consider good. This is a lie of their dogma, and I've come to realize that it's the biggest reason why they can't, and don't want to, understand non-believers.

They actually think that we actually want to be evil people, and we want to thrive on hate, and "wickedness", and basically want to be despicable people, and that's why we've "turned our back on" their god.

Due to this brainwashing, it is very difficult to make them understand the true definition of atheism... that you are a person who simply CANNOT believe in their god. It's not a choice, either, as they are fond of believing. Atheists CANNOT believe the unbelievable. That is the only difference between a believer and non-believer. Morals play no role whatsoever. Yet, they still feel justified in hating us.

Answer 6

I'm a newbie on this group and I've just read Christopher Hitchen's book, god is Not Great and I'm now in the middle of Richard Dawkin's, The God Delusion.

I'm also happy to learn that there are many atheists out there who are responding to both author's call to resist the power of the "religious right" or whatever title we might give them, or they to themselves (e.g., the "moral majority").

My answer to the question above is informed by what I've learned from studying sociology. Among other things, this discipline studies power and how those in positions of authority create legitimacy, especially an acceptable story for the masses which justifies the unequal distribution of wealth and power. The earliest Christian fathers enslaved their parishoners with threats of gory death and everlasting fire, the latter now being one of the most effective means for getting people to shell out dollars to support evangelicals today, among others.

Christianity claims a morality (and designated moral leaders such as the pope) to keep people's attention focused on individual morality, and not the higher questions of "who benefits" from the perverse effects of this same morality. The Whitehouse benefits from Christianity, as do all of those conniving Republican presidential hopefuls who endorse creationism.

US Soldiers fight an illegal war in Iraq because of some misguided notion of "manifest destiny", with the support of millions of Americans who are "praying for them". Another monotheistic religion, Islam, says much the same to its suicide bombers. The real evil for all humans from the Abrahamic-derived religions is their demand that the natural, rational, inquiring, evidence-based search for truth be suspended by faith in a god. Judiasm, Christianity and Islam demand adherence to a code of behaviour which invariably benefits those in positions of religious and/or political power.

Christians fight for access to oil, Jews fight for real estate and the Iraqi factions fight for political and economic control of their country's assets. Rather than question the material conditions which benefit a few at the cost of many, we are instructed to pray for a victory in Iraq.

I don't know if I've answered the question, but it's an interesting one to think about. In a nutshell, religious morality is a veneer to mask the material conditions and class relations of a capital society.

Answer 7

If you are grasping at straws and promoting fantasies, you have take what you can get. I have found that most of the priests I was raised around and the nuns who taught at my school are less 'moral' than me. They were some of the most perverted people I have ever known. They may have been a minority, but then why was it that I was subjected to them. There has to be many more out there.

Answer 8

God made us all from the comparable blueprint; we are designed for occasion the numerous effective features which you show. the sole difference between genuine Christians and atheists is that Christians realize Gods marvelous to direct our steps. i comprehend many that declare to be Christian yet who show that their faith is fake with the aid of their habit. in assessment to you, they are immoral. I commend you to your loyalty to your costly spouse - it brings a tear to my eye, you may have enjoyed her very plenty. I savour which you have led an entire and friendly life yet all of us have a spiritual choose, according to hazard yours is satisfied with the theatre? yet this won't be able to provide you what I think of may well be your very dearest choose - to work out your beautiful spouse lower back? You look a fine looking guy, please evaluate talking with Jehovah's Witnesses on the subsequent hazard and learn whether there basically may well be some evidence for the life of a God; it won't be able to harm you however the possibility of destiny happiness is enormous :)

Answer 9

Because, according to the Bible, all mankind is sinful because of the actions of Adam and Eve disobeying God and eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil and therefore Something must be done to recover from this state of Sin. Judaism has one answer, Christianity others, and Islam even more. Depending on your liberality, so do other religions, because the idea that man must be flawed and appeal to the God(s) is common to most religions. If man is flawed, then nothing holds a man who does not believe in God in line other than his own flawed sense of values - no final judgment. Morals is not behavior as we have seen repeatedly in failed Christian leaders who are loud in condemning voice while deeply sinning in their soul.

Answer 10

morals have been around forever.

it is not something christians created, its what they like to emphasize and think they created.

if morals only came about when christianity was invented or discovered then the world would have been a wreck before it really started to grow.

its not like in ancient Egypt if a kid stole something they were congratulated. of course they were scolded.

morals.