It seems to me absurd to think that our morality is not innate within us but requires the threat of divine retribution... but I seem to be the minority... what are your thoughts?
2007-10-31 09:51:25 · 14 answers · asked by Jesus Cake 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Morality and Ethics are not created by religion, rather we use religion as a way of reinforcing them where and when it works. They are something we learn through life from our family and friends. Right and wrong is innate to all people, but most choose to ignore it when it suits their purpose. We have all done something wrong, known it was wrong, but still found a way to justify it by saying something else caused it.
The threat of divine retribution only works if you believe in the divine. Rather than fearing what will happen to us at the hands of someone else, we should fear the day we look into the mirror and dislike who we see because of their actions.
I work with teens and tell them that the most important person they have to impress and earn the respect of is the one who looks back at us from the mirror because that is the one we cannot lie to or keep secrets from. That's also the person who will cheer the loudest for the good things we do.
2007-10-31 10:01:41 · answer #1 · answered by The Cat 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Morals without religion is pretty easy. Here's an argument for that point:
It seems a lot of religions around the world, while not having an identical set, have very similar morality when concerning things like lying, thieving, murder, etc. etc.
If morals were a requirement of religion then wouldn't the religions be closer in theory? I mean the morality/religion combo would have had to start somewhere and to break from the religion would have been to become amoral.
How could morality be that closely tied to religion? Now I know this argument isn't very good and has lots of discussion points, but I think it illustrates an issue with irrevocably tying the two together.
2007-10-31 09:58:49 · answer #2 · answered by Chris A 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think slavery in the U.S. is a good example of how our society trains us how to think. Certainly, the morality of slavery was not innate.
Our society trains us from infancy using praise. We're praised when our behavior is acceptable and scolded when it is not. We love praise so we're trainable.
But when we grow up, we hate the thought that we've been trained like animals so we come up with this self-delusion that our morality is innate. It feels good to say that I'm naturally a good person.
But even criminals plotting their next crime think themselves to be basically and naturally good. So we know our judgments of our own morality are highly biased.
God does not serve as a source of divine retribution. God is a moral authority Who can hold us to the standards that we already profess. The great majority of us profess to want to treat others as we ourselves wish to be treated (The Golden Rule). We need a moral authority who sees through our self delusions, and our self justifications and our rationalizations.
2007-10-31 23:31:27 · answer #3 · answered by Matthew T 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Morality is a social contract. Think about different cultures, they often have different views on what is moral and what isn't.
Like all social animals, humans have social rules to be a member of the tribe. The rules may differ, but the need to create them is innate.
2007-10-31 09:55:17 · answer #4 · answered by atheist 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There are enough child molesting, fornicating, fraudulent priests to prove that religion and morality have nothing in common.
"In Christianity neither morality nor religion come into contact with reality at any point"
- Friedrich Nietzsche
2007-10-31 09:57:32 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
You are right. Morals existed long before Christianity came to be and will exist long after Christianity becomes accept by the majority as a myth. Empathy and consciousness are what cause us to have morals. There is no god behind it.
2007-10-31 09:59:14 · answer #6 · answered by Biggus Dickus 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
WHAT!!! BLASPHEMY! Atheist are the reason the world is the way it is. With God, the Atheist would destroy the world. Religion teaches people how to value the life of others and live for others. Atheism is a plague on the world. RELIGION SAVES SOULS!=
This is all B.S. Religious people are mindless tools that blame things on some evil being. "I murdered 17 children yesterday because the devil made me do it. Today I'll repent for my sins."
Sad thing is its true.
2007-10-31 10:00:10 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
I absolutely agree with you.
Humans can be kind, help their neighbors, and live good, moral lives without the promise of eternal reward or threat of eternal punishment hanging over their heads.
2007-10-31 09:55:53 · answer #8 · answered by War Games AM 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Of course you can have morals without religion. Otherwise, all athiests would be without morals and horrible people - which is not the case.
2007-10-31 09:54:23 · answer #9 · answered by CBD 1 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I agree with you. It seems far more plausible that morals give us an evolutionary advantage.
2007-10-31 09:57:59 · answer #10 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋