Atheists: is there an objective line that divide right and wrong in terms of moral values?

Question

or is everything based on one's own opinion and how much he can sell it to others?

Answer 1

Morality is self evident and requires no interpretations.

Answer 2

Oh no! It should be that easy, that would be great. There are basic guiding principles, and most moral questions are simple and obvious. In all things you should consider the impact of your actions on all parties.
However, while most moral questions are simple, such as whether slavery is acceptable *COUGH* *COUGH*, some can be quite difficult, whether or not you have a book from the bronze age.

Here's an example of a simple moral question. Some dirty old man rapes a twelve year old girl. Acceptable? Of course not. What to do about it? Most of us would agree you either lock him away for life or a long time, and make sure he is not given the opportunity to do so again. Or if you subscribe to biblical law, he must buy the girl from her father and marry her.

Here's a more complex one. A mother of three has lost her job, hopes to have a new one soon. While waiting for unemployment to kick in, she accepts food stamps, but they have nothing to cover the medicine her youngest son needs. She is still getting the run around from charity and government agencies. It is late in the evening and he has run out. She steals some from the local pharmacy.

Answer 3

Well our ancestors, the Israelites, you know the whole exodus story?

They escaped from egypt and ran to Sinai.

There a burning bush gave Moses the Decalouge.

Ask your self this question.

"Did the Hebrews think that it was ok to rape, murder and steal among other things before God told them it was wrong?"

I sincerely doubt it. There is no way they could have co-existed.

The Old Testament didn't invent these ideas, they were already in place, for untold centuries, but the writers of the Old testament saw that these weren't just good ideas but rather universial truths. With out them no organization would be able to function, a small family, a villa or even a country.

I hope that answers you question.

The writers of

Answer 4

Nope.

If it is good for society and civilization as a whole, then it is moral.

If it impedes on another's ability to live, or have freedom, then it is immoral.

It is really as simple as that, Quan is exactly right.

Different Morals apply to different societies because of the world around them. In New Guinea it is immoral to wed a girl without providing an offering to her parents.

Those morals don't apply or make sense to us, but that is because we don't live in a society where women are commodities and ensure that a village is provided for with food and shelter. New Guinea does.

The morals there are self evident because of society.

Answer 5

Atheists aren't the ones trying to "sell" anything. That would be Christians. The laws of Man tend to go hand in hand with the laws of G-d; stealing, killing, adultery, etc. So, I would say that right and wrong that the Atheists go by would be the law.

Answer 6

Biology + Philosophy = Laws.
If you don't 'believe' me, ask Plato, Socrates, the ancient Greeks, the ancient Egyptians, the Romans, Buddhists, Mayans, Aztecs, any Native American, the Celts, Wiccans, Norse...there are tons of others...after all, what do you think Christianity is based on? If we followed the Bible, we'd allow polygamy, incest, slavery and we'd murder some and say 'God told us to' and that wouldn't be considered insane.

Answer 7

Neither.

"Good" and "evil" are relative terms. They're statements of the relation between things, but they aren't "things in themselves." Hence heat is "good" for hot dogs but "bad" for ice cream.

In consideration of morality, imagine how the invading army of Israel must have appeared to the innocent children of Jericho.

"Thou shalt not kill," thundered IHVH from Horeb - and then proceeded to prescribe death as the penalty for disobedience of practically all His other injunctions.

Besides, one man's meat is another man's poison. "Christians" are hung up on the idea that homosexuality is inherently wrong, but for homosexuals to either feign heterosexuality or condemn themselves to celibacy is to blaspheme their own nature.

Answer 8

A sense of right and wrong are normally transferred by culture. What your culture values, you will generally value as well.

Answer 9

We atheists are above the need for a book to tell us right from wrong...

Morality is above religion.

Answer 10

If one's actions actively victimizes another individual, then those actions are wrong.

Laws should be based on the concept of victimization. Victimization, in any fashion, of any person by another person is wrong.