How can a none-believer know what is bad from what is good?

Question

How do non-belivers know that lying is bad or cheating while married is bad. Who says it's wrong? What are the references? Values passed on by parents? Where did the parents get that stuff from?

Society is influenced by religion. Whether it likes it or not. I ask questions and try to go as further back in my questionning as i can. Like why do we have a conscience? If you weren't taught by anyone that lying was bad, no one could tell you you were wrong.

All of you have proven that you are belivers!!!!

Answer 1

Same way that believers do, of course.
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"All of you have proven that you are belivers!!!!"

Pfft. If you'll say that, you'll say anything.
That's just plain obviously ridiculous.

Answer 2

You're kidding, right? Do you really mean that if you didn't have a book or a pastor to tell you that something was wrong, you wouldn't know?

Morals come from what will ultimately serve a society.

Early on, stealing food could cause the death of the person food was stolen from. Stealing is bad.

Having sex with your neighbor's spouse gets you killed. Illicit sex is bad.

Lying gets you caught in a lie. Lying is bad.

Stealing your neighbors horse means they can't work. They come and kill you. Stealing is still bad.

It's not that hard to figure out. You don't need the Bible to do so.

Close inbreeding causes birth defects ... don't do it.

Honor your father and mother ... they'll smack you if you don't. (The Bible has a better cure ... see below)

Now, the Bible does tell us useful things that we didn't know was bad... Cotton / Wool blend clothes are bad. I wouldn't have known that without the Bible.

We are supposed to kill, rather than correct unruly children. Thank God that's written somewhere.

Don't work on the Sabbath ... which ever day that is supposed to be.

Don't eat pork. (Ok, there was a good reason ... it was hard to preserve safely .. )

Don't have sex with animals. (No immediate consequences other than people thinking you sick, but it's good advice.)

Answer 3

I can be a good person without buying into the thought that an eternal god is looking at every action and saving or destroying with "his" judgment.

Let's flip the scenario around: Is the only reason you are not hacking up babies due to your belief in god?

Sometimes religion even calls for atrocities against children. Here is an example from the bible, of the same topic from above:

""Happy shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!" Psalms 137:9

I don't need to believe in religions to realize that this biblical passage supports something wrong and that ancient beliefs (notorious for violence, sexism, and government tyranny) should never be used to control modern life.

Answer 4

Because God has given man a conscience and he has also put his laws in the hearts of man, just like he said he was going to. That is how I knew before I was a Christian that I was doing wrong by having sex before marriage, but by the time I had did it so much my inhibitions had dropped so much that my sin became natural. Just like any sin that people commit...they know before they do it is is wrong but they want to do it and so they do and after the initial guilt wears off and they do it again it becomes that much easier until soon they don't even see what was so wrong with it. Now you know Peace.

Answer 5

It's from society...and that little voice in the back of your mind that says it's bad or good! Like...helping out an old lady cross the street (cliche but deal with it) that's good. Cheat at poker, not only is that bad but you won't live long enough to regret it usually. So it's based on society and what your own conscience thinks. Hope this clarifies it...

Also...*DRINK*

Answer 6

Do you mean a non-believer of any religion? We are born with instincts. We feel happiness, sadness, pain, and pleasure from the beginning. Lying causes pain and mistrust when the truth is revealed, it has nothing to do with religious beliefs. Cheating on your spouse may or may not cause heartache, as there are some people who believe in polygamy. You don't need to believe in a god to know that fire will burn you.

Answer 7

Trough ethics, culture and society. And I guess mostly from natural law. By nature man seeks good. Good may not equal goodness, but at least what it is good for himself. There's also cause and effect. Everything we do reflects on us and has a consequence. And by nature, we know when something is right and can tell it from wrong. A non-believer is still human and abides by natural law. And most important, since non-believers don't follow a doctrine that tells them what not to do, or what's good or evil, they act more from heart following their principles. Which are usually more humane.

Answer 8

The dictionary says "good" is to be "morally excellent." Let s look at God s moral standard the Ten Commandments, and see how we do. Is God first in your life? Do you love Him with "heart, mind, soul and strength?" Have you made a god to suit yourself? Have you used His name in vain? Have you always honored your parents? Have you looked with lust and therefore committed adultery in your heart? Have you lied (including "fibs"), stolen (the value is irrelevant), or coveted other people s possessions? If you are honest, you know you will be guilty on the Day of Judgment. God, however, doesn t want to send you to Hell. Jesus Christ suffered and died on the Cross, so you could go free. That s how much God loves you. We broke God s Law, but Jesus took our punishment and died on the cross. He then rose from the grave defeating death. If you repent (turn away from all the things you know are wrong) and trust in Him, God will forgive your sins and grant you everlasting life. Begin by reading your Bible daily and then obey what you read. God will never let you down.

Answer 9

Your question seems to imply that we know good from bad because of our belief...otherwise, why single out non-believers for this question.

However, if you want to believe the bible, you have to believe that we are all born with the knowledge of good and evil...isn't that the reason we don't live in the garden with God any more...because Adam and Eve chose the knowledge of good and evil over trusting God's judgment? Isn't that the essence of "original sin"...that we are all aware of what is right and what is wrong and thus, are forced to choose?

Answer 10

two words.

common sense.


edit: dreamdress, we do not "follow the 10 commandments" because they are from the bible. the commandments agree with what many of us consider to be common sense, etc, and we would live by them with or withought the 10 commandments/bible present. this is the one thing i agree on with relegion- the 10 commandments. honestly, if everyone in the world lived by all of them (minus the first 3) the world would be so much of a better pace, don't you think?...

:) cheers. have a good one.

Answer 11

Are you really that stupid?

"Duh,... I don't believe in god, so I can kill anyone I want... duh..."

Do you really believe people think like that?
Where were Ted Haggard's morals when he was banging some gay guy for drugs? He's married... did that that stop him?
What about that psycho and his girlfriend... he put the baby in the microwave oven and TURNED IT ON!!!
Now they have the NERVE to blame it on Satan!!!
Yeah,... there's some good ol' fashioned religion for ya!

What the hell makes you think that your fake god gives you more morality than the next person???
What an imbecile.