do you explain the wide variety of detailed traffic laws that most societies have developed? There's no reference to traffic laws in the Bible, and it's not a matter discussed in church, so how is it that most societies have so many specific traffic laws, and why are they so similar across all cultures?
Is it possible that it is our nature as social beings to create guidelines to live by, in the interest of maintaining order? Don't you think that laws against murder and theft (among other things) work the same way?
I'm primarily addressing this question to Christians who think that without religion we'd all be killing and robbing each other.
2007-10-31 06:17:00 · 16 answers · asked by Pull My Finger 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Jack's wasted life: I guess I wasn't really aiming this question at you. Still, thanks for your answer.
2007-10-31 06:23:43 · update #1
Consider also that other social animals, even simple ones with small brain-pans, will always have some analogue of the drive that in us is called morality - even if it's nothing more than a tendency to exhibit a small amount of altruism to others of that kind.
Vampire bats have long been known to demonstrate altruism - sharing blood meals with unrelated unfed bats - in return for which they can expect reciprocal treatment when the situation is reversed.
These classes of behaviour promote group cohesion and foster peace. In high social animals like chimps and us, the simple drive to be nice and fair to others expands to the complex behaviour clusters that are true morality.
Morality is social glue. Without it, any group will sunder.
CD
2007-10-31 06:28:48 · answer #1 · answered by Super Atheist 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Laws are not moral code, though some may address moral or even religious issues, such as abortion.
It would seem a moral code is something you CHOOSE to live by and it is clearly not the unique province of Christians. It may well be something you make up for yourself and not take a 'this is what you should do' from somebody else.
For example, you could say I will only do things that benefit other people more than myself. If you persuaded all the Atheists that was a good thing, then not only would the world be a far better place, but you would be putting a lot of Christians to shame, because many seem only give lip service to their code, but shhh, don't tell them that, they don't seem to have realised it yet.
2007-10-31 07:00:58 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't think I'm one of the Christians you'd be aiming this to, since I don't automatically think without religion we'd be killing and robbing each other... there's plenty of religious folk in the jail house, for sure.
But, I don't think traffic laws are "moral"... I think it's a matter of common sense. And so is murder and theft, I mean, it just makes sense not to kill someone or take what doesn't belong to you. Those should be things ALL humans want to live by. Not just those of one religion vs. another. I agree with your statement about us needing guidelines to live by - it's just common sense.
2007-10-31 06:31:20 · answer #3 · answered by Kiwi 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
As a society, we can develop laws which allow us to maintain order but that is not morality.
If a person had to be threatened with punishment in order to keep them honest, we would not call that person moral. We would call him or her a coward. If a person does a good deed in order to get a reward, we call him or her a suck up. The moral person does the right thing for the right reason and the right reason is neither reward nor punishment.
Most people behave themselves because of the behavioral training that they have received from society since infancy. We're praised for acceptable behavior and scolded for unacceptable behavior. It is in our human nature to desire praise so we are trained. The foundation then of moral action is a set of feelings that we call conscience. We feel bad when we tell a lie and good when we are kind.
But feelings are a very poor foundation for morality.
2007-10-31 23:15:08 · answer #4 · answered by Matthew T 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
While societies develop certain "civil" laws, morality concepts are obviously Biblically based. When did man decide it was wrong to kill another man? That is a question that even evolutionists cannot answer. When did man decide it was wrong to steal? Again, no answer.
If we are to believe evolutionists, then somewhere in the "chain" of life, an ancestor of the human being suddenly decided what was right and wrong? That defies logic. From the time that Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, man has known what was morally right and wrong.
2007-10-31 06:29:43 · answer #5 · answered by TG 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think your premise is off. We assume that you have morals, because of things like this, and bc we got "knowledge of good and evil" when Eve ate the apple. You know right from wrong, and you know what is practical. We've all messed up from time-to-time and we are not more moral or perfect than you, we just have a really good reason to try. The only difference between us is that we have accepted Jesus' free gift us grace bc we want to know and be with God. It's an open-heart thing, not a moral thing.
If any Christian thinks you have no morals, I'm sure I could convince them that you do in five minutes. They just have some misconceptions from their grandparents or something.
2007-10-31 06:21:46 · answer #6 · answered by Mrs. Eric Cartman 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Morality is decided on by society. Murder and rape has been acceptable in cultures before. As we became more civilized we realized that murder damaged our society so we made laws against it. Religious folk choose to ignore basic common sense and tout how morality can only come from a god.
2007-10-31 06:24:32 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Morality is a natural human instinct recognized as our conscience, severely weakened when Adam & Eve ate the fruit of evil knowledge. Every time we act against our conscience it is damaged, becoming weaker each time we violate it until it's gone. Thus becoming criminal minded.
The true religion as Jesus taught, along with the help of the holy spirit, keeps us focused to not going against our instinctive moral conscience.
2007-10-31 09:42:56 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Faith in a higher power is not the sole determinant of morality. You don't have to believe in a higher power to know that hurting yourself, others, or your world are all bad things and you shouldn't do them.
Anyone who says Athieists are immoral need to further their education considerably.
2007-10-31 06:26:54 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
Fool,
Don't you realize that all the traffic laws were written by the pope, having received infallible directions from God?
Expect to receive a new batch of laws on cyber crime any day now.
LOL
2007-10-31 06:24:11 · answer #10 · answered by Simon T 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋