Do you believe an atheist can have ethics and morals?

Question

Theists:
If you found out that there were no God, would you begin to murder and steal? Do you believe in altruism?

Atheists & Agnostics:
Do you believe in altruism (selfless concern for the welfare of others)? Is this what drives your ethics and morals?

The founding fathers were not Christian, do your research. Thomas Jefferson (you know, that whole constitution thing) was far from Christian.

Answer 1

Of course. Atheists simply don't need a god, book, or list to tell us what is right and wrong. We are NATURALLY good people. We also don't believe in magic forgiveness and don't blame our thoughts and actions on a devil scapegoat.

Answer 2

Of course atheists have morals... they may not always be the same ones as theists. Morals are just rules people use to judge what is right or wrong for their own life to be lived by. Just because someones rules are different than yours doesn't mean they don't have them. Of course atheists can believe in altruism... being atheist doesn't automatically make you selfish and heartless.

Answer 3

I'm an atheist, and I do believe atheists can have ethics and even morals. Obviously if we didn't, none of us would be outside a prison wall (unless we were also brilliant).

Altruism does not really exist. Everything a sane person does, we do for personal motive, including altruistic behaviors. We don't always realize what the motivation is - many times it's instinctive - but it's there nonetheless.

Answer 4

EVERYTHING that ANYBODY EVER does is to get a bit of happy as a result.
I first heard this when I was eight and have been observing human nature with that in mind ever since trying to disprove it without success.
I suppose a psychopath is outside of that loop so maybe I could have qualified it with 'sane' people but sanity is such a thin line most of us cross it some times.
The 'happy' I have in mind can be as subtle as being more comfortable doing one thing rather than the other.

I am a good person cos I'm too lazy not to be.
I obey most of the laws I agree with cos not to do so entails time, money and paperwork - I'm too tight and lazy to waste my money and time.

I have heard fundies say they'd be psychopaths if there wasn't a hell to keep them in check.
I suppose that's about the only upside to xianity - the threat of hell if the fundie stuffs up.

I think it bothers fundies greatly that atheists aren't living in the same state of FEAR as they are.
.

Answer 5

I recognize that if others act with concern for the welfare of others, I benefit from that...but unless I do the same, it is not in their best interest to do so. It is not selfless concern.

Also, I like knowing that I almost always have the moral high ground. I am smugly superior.

Answer 6

Wow, I'm offended by your question.

I have morals, thank-you-very-much I have yet to pillage, rape, murder, steal, commit adultery, etc... Surprising, I know. An atheist with morals? And I have them despite not having eternal damnation as a threat... shocker, absolute shocker. Altruism is probably part of that, but I'd like to think it's common sense... pain hurts, so why inflict it on others?

Answer 7

We're all bound by our feelings. We all fear punishment, We all like others to like us, therefore our feelings tend to drive our behavior. We've been trained since infancy that honesty, kindness, friendliness, etc. is to be praised and praise makes us feel good.

It destroys our self image if we admit that society is jerking us around by way of manipulating our feelings so we make up this myth of intrinsic altruism. With altruism, our feelings come from our inner well spring of goodness (very praiseworthy, indeed) rather than having been trained like animals to behave.

Answer 8

That sounds about right, altruism. I am concerned about the welfare of others, mainly with children, because adults can usually lift themselves out of any bad situation if they want.
I just do what I want as long as my actions don't hurt anyone else.
The only person that I let judge me is myself.

Answer 9

Balance of forces of energy, too much or too less is dangerous. being alive is all what matters. i don't try to believe in something, i only seek truth.
Where there is kindness there will always somebody who do the opposite.
Ethics and moral have no effect on the cycle of life. people just choose how to stay alive the way they choses to be.

Answer 10

i do not communicate for all athiests, yet as an athiest i do not comprehend why the perception of supernatural reward or punishment must have a attainable on earthly habit besides. I comprehend that moral and moral habit is an significant area of functioning in a society. i'm attentive to what's incorrect or good, and that i have made the alternative to be a sturdy man or woman and stay a sturdy existence. For inspite of reason i for my area made that decision should be beside the point - be it that i do not go with to bypass to penitentiary in this international, i do not go with to bypass to hell in my next existence, or that I fairly go with to make contributions to society and be a sturdy man or woman. To me, i do not comprehend why non secular human beings see heaven / hell as had to be a sturdy or moral man or woman. I see it like this - if the in simple terms element preserving me from robbing banks or murdering human beings is worry of going to penitentiary / penal complex, am I an ethical man or woman? straightforward reward / punishment habit has no longer some thing to do with being sturdy or moral, and if someone is in simple terms being sturdy because they don't go with to burn in hell and they go with each and every of the rewards of heaven, I heavily question in the experience that they're a 'sturdy' man or woman in any respect. i don't have a situation with human beings utilizing religon as one of those handbook or crutch for his or her morality and ethics. certainly, countless human beings fairly do go with that handbook. although, it really is not any longer the religion that makes human beings moral, it really is the options that man or woman makes...the religon in simple terms supplies them a concept of what are the right and incorrect judgements. It also takes away the abstracts of 'sturdy for society / humanity' and makes it a lot less annoying to assert 'is this incorrect or good' (i.e. WWJD). For me, society purposes spectacular even as all and distinctive is moral, moral, and honest. it truly is an identical element faith teaches. the reason i trust it truly is beside the point, i do not act any otherwise then i ought to if i theory God had a ledger and change into marking down each and everything I did sturdy or undesirable. in truth, i imagine that typically it really is more suitable suitable to no longer have an precis feeling of forgiveness once you do some thing incorrect - in case your blunders are all 'forgiven' you're more suitable probable to lead them to again.