How do non-believers decide whether something is good or bad if they have no God to tell them?

Question

For the benefit of those who have made an erroneous assumption about me - I am a non-believer myself but I am interested in hearing the opinions of people of all world views on this one.

I'm surprised at the gratuitous rudeness at many of the responses, which seems to be because you wrongly assumed I am a theist. I did not tell you what I thought when I posed the question and by making that assumption you have simply demonstrated your own propensity to believe something without evidence. Shame on you! You each get a thumbs down from me.

Thank you to those who have given more civil and thoughtful responses.

Answer 1

Most of the people who rush to laugh and Criticise the theistic position haven't really given it much consideration. When people say "common sense" . Whose common sense are they referring to? Their own? What about the common sense of those who don't share their values? In Nazi Germany it was the common sense of the Germans to exterminate Jews. Did that make it right? It was the common sense of he communists to have a revolution and slay millions. Did that make it right? And how do you answer if it is the common sense in one country but different in another country? After all different countries have different laws? So whose common sense is the good one and bad one? And what about when a law changes? Does common sense change? If it does how do you know if it became right or wrong. Socrates argued in favour of God being the source of moral law. The non-theistic position also has a problem when asked why we should be moral. An individual may feel he wants to be but there is no reason another individual should share in his compulsion.

Answer 2

Good and bad are very relative terms. I think a better way is to think about what works and what doesn't work.

If you try dealing with good and bad as absolutes you mess up very fast. Something that is good in one set of conditions is bad in another set of conditions. The same with evil or bad. There are no absolutes.
So, how do you figure out what is working is the real question. Do corrupt governments work better for you than honest ones. If so, then to you they are good. If not, then they are bad. If the effect of the government is to make you better off it is good. If another type of government would work better then the first form is bad. But it is still better than a form that gets you killed.
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I did not see your detail before I started to write this, anyhow it is still the same. Absolutes as concepts are dangerous when put into practice. Perfect systems only work in perfect worlds and that is why all utopias fail.
Absolute morality is also a failure. It has been a failure over and over again. Even with the past experiences of failure fresh we are still unable to learn and repeatedly try to achieve those little moral utopias.

Answer 3

By the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

It is the same also with God other creatures, like animal, both for which have foot or which slither, they are given wafting instinct, especial as a means of them in moving and deciding something besides mind and brain which they have.

May be, they are know what their needs for something but usually they do not mind to others need. If is Iucky, possible they are destined to associate with his good people that could assist them or guide them indirectly to God order.

Enjoy it ! Our God is never let His slave gallivante under the sun without His directions.

Answer 4

Does it harm another? Bad.

Granted, good and bad are subjective, but as a general rule, the whole treat others as you would want to be treated thing seems good.

Are you suggesting that without God to tell you right from wrong, you would have tons and tons of homosexual, heterosexual, and self-sexual sex, go out and kill some people, engage in some non-consentual sex, steal some stuff, sacrifice a few children, blame your neighbor for all the stuff you did, have some sex with your neighbors spouse, tell your mom to f off, and then fo worship a poster of a Backstreet Boy?

I think that means that you are a very repressed psychopathic cleptomaniac nymphomaniac, and even WITH "God" telling you what is right from wrong, you belong in an institution of some sort.

Answer 5

For every force, there is an equal and opposite force. When people lie, cheat, steal, etc, they will suffer the consequences. Like the mouse getting shocked, eventually they will learn. There is also the parents to teach right from wrong. Only thing is, when a non-believer screws up, they don't have a minister to tell them that they are forgiven. Forgiveness or not, you will get all the lumps you earn.

Answer 6

How do you decide whether or not to open your eyes while walking?
How do you decide whether or not to chew your food before swallowing?
How do you decide whether or not to lie down before going to sleep?

Some things in life you just have to figure out on your own and hope you're not too stupid.
Morals did not come from the bible; they were put there by the authors.
People are capable of figuring things out without a magic man in the sky telling them everything, especially things that should be common sense.
Use your noggin.

Answer 7

Even the bible and pretty much all other religious works are based on common sense. So if you have common sense and take responsibility for your own actions, you know what's wrong and right. We're built with brains for a reason.

Answer 8

Im a non believer as you so eloquently put it but i would like to add my 2p worth.
Surely if there was a god, he/she would want his 'children' to make their own decisions in life and learn from the mistakes we make and share the good times with others??? Therefore i dont think its a valid question as everyone, Christian, catholic, Muslim, agnostic, atheist, whatever their chosen paths make their own decisions based on their own opinions and morals?

Answer 9

How do YOU know that it's a bad thing when Joe Hovah sends two bears to maul a bunch of kids for making fun of an old man's bald spot? Or for Moses to slaughter all the men and children of a particular tribe, but to leave the young girls alive for raping later? How do you know which parts of the bible to disavow as being metaphor, or outmoded because of Jesus?

We all (psychopaths excepted) have an internal, evolved sense of right and wrong that guides us, and tells us to not hurt others and help each other when we can. If your bible was the only reliable source for morality, then you would have no problem with Mosaic rape camps, filicide, and genocide.

Answer 10

one believes in god is immaterial as god is living in all hunan beings and guides the person, generally we call it voice of soul. while doing wrong allways a message comes from within to stop. it depends on person to agree or not. it is also known as VIVEK in hindi,sanskrit and gujrati. VIVEK helps one in deciding good or bad. in hindu mythology there are lots of stories about wars betwwen DEV and DANAV/ASUR it is nothing but the war of thoughts within us. soul favours good while mind favours bad / evils. mind always favour what your tounge, ear skin, eyes likes. supose you are eating something you like. you will not like to stop but one moment you stop because you know the result. if you wish to pray your eyes will tell you lets see movie, your ears will say lets hear music like that. but soul tells you to pray because it will give you eternal peace and happyness. inshort god is within us is fact no matter anyone believe it or not.