Why do Atheist act religiously?

Question

What I'm getting to is why do atheist act in a moral way? I'm not saying that atheist do not have the capacity of being moral, what I am saying is what is the reason? No one is governing the way atheist act or live. Why not live in a Darwinian manner and kill all others atheist see as weak, such as religious people, in the survival of the fittest. So this rises to another question. Why stand idle about your disbeliefs? Isn't that a contradiction?

do recognize that I'm being serious. I'm not trying to be a rassler.

Answer 1

The morality expected of us by our secular laws is not the same as the spirituality expected of us by the Lord.
"Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to God what belongs to God." -- Jesus Christ

Answer 2

What do you mean by acting religiously ? I know very few Atheists who make the sign of the cross whenever they attempt anything . I know no Atheists who spend any time praying .
If you mean following a strict moral code , yes you're right . Atheists are , on the average , far more moral than Holies . Morals were not invented by any of the modern churches . They come to us all the way from the stone age . Morals were the beginning of law and civilization .
Sure , the churches may preach morals , but they did not originate there . The churches also preach that the greatest laws are the Ten Commandments . One " Thou shalt not steal " , is exactly what churches do when they attempt to steal credit for morals .
You question why Atheists stand idle about their disbeliefs , while every day dozens ask why Atheists are here on R&S .
If you must ask the reason for being moral , then you are not moral . If you walk the straight and narrow because you're afraid of the hell fires , you are not really moral .
A really moral person is such because it's his character and personality to be such . He needs no threat or promise .

Answer 3

You don't have to believe in god to know what you, or society, is right and wrong. Just because you're not living out of a book doesn't mean that you're going to go on a killing religious people. It's an insult to our intelligence to say that atheists act "religiously", when they are really acting morally. The reason that atheists have morals even though they aren't religious is that they are not insane, and have no reason to do such a thing. I, at least, act the way I do because I was raised to know what is "right" and what is "wrong", and because I want to live in a peaceful society and have a good conscience.

Answer 4

You are confusing morality and religion. They are not the same.

Generally, atheists will behave in a moral fashion because they understand that such behavior is necessary for the proper functioning of their society.

Most atheists would prefer to live in a modern, peaceful society. If everyone behaved in a completely immoral way all the time, then society would eventually disintegrate into anarchy. Everyone would constantly have to worry about defending themselves and their loved ones against lawless mobs of strangers.

Anything you wanted or needed would have to be made or grown yourself. Almost all education and higher skills would be useless without a functioning societal infrastructure. Mankind would begin to move backwards towards the stone age.

No sane person, atheist or non-atheist, wants to live in those kinds of conditions.

In the end, morality has nothing to do with God and everything to do with understanding what is necessary for all of us to live well and prosper.

You might notice that atheists will often behave in accordance with some rules from the bible, and completely ignore other rules from the bible. This is because some of the rules of the bible were sensible rules needed to keep a society functioning. Other rules in the bible are absolute nonsense that have no useful purpose and no relationship to morality at all.

The rules in the bible were probably originally written by rulers that knew that certain rules were needed to keep their people cooperating together in a beneficial fashion. These rulers apparently didn't feel comfortable reasoning with their followers and showing them the benefit of such rules. Instead, they decided to use fear and superstition to convince their followers that if they didn't follow the rules, they would be punished by supernatural forces.

The fact that the rulers were Machiavellian and used deception to promote their rules doesn't mean that all the rules were actually bad rules. Some of their rules were necessary. However, once the rulers started controlling their people this way, they apparently abused their power and made some completely ludicrous rules that did nothing to help their societies.

Of course, our society doesn't suffer from all of the same problems that a bronze-age tribal society would have. We have some of the same problems, but we don't have all of their problems. We also have some completely new problems as well. This is why our country has to use a legislative system to create our own laws rather than just using the rules created thousands of years ago.

As for standing idle about disbeliefs, I have no idea what you mean by that. Do you mean that you think atheists should be forcing disbelief on others? Or do you mean that atheists should be somehow more actively disbelieving than simply passively disbelieving? Or something else?

Answer 5

The common laws of their own countries govern how atheists act and live. Perhaps they don't acknowledge that there is a deity promoting morality, but certainly, the justice system and law enforcement of their nations can.

Aside from that, there is an objective right and wrong that does not depend on a deity to promote it. In fact, the Ten Commandments are pretty much that--the common sense of man set into a religious framework so that morality could be enforced during a time when there were no police forces.

Answer 6

As others have pointed out, being moral is NOT acting religiously.

Mainly, I have no reason to want to run around killing or bashing people. Why would I? It's disgusting.

Humans (and to some extent other critters) have evolved as social beings; it's to all our benefit to get along with each other, help and be helped by each other, and so on.

Furthermore, I want to see myself as a good, not a bad person; I naturally value goodness and dispise its opposite in others, and I know most others feel the same about me.

Not that I consciously refrain from committing mayhem for these reasons; it just doesn't ocur to me to run around with an ax, chopping people's heads off.

Of course, there's also the law. But, again, I don't obey it out of fear of punishment, but have no DESIRE to do wrong. That's how humans evolved.

You misunderstand Darwinism, as others have pointed out. It's our capacity for cooperation and our compassion that have enabled us to thrive as a species.

What you say also makes no sense on the grounds that being religious is NOT a genetically inherited trait. Besides, it would require murdering the vast majority of people, to kill off the religious.

Why would I want to, anyway? Just because a lot of people believe in crazy things, doesn't make them horrible people.

I don't know what you mean b y "stand idle about my disbeliefs". I come here and answer questions; I've argued my position with those who disagree with me; I've made blog entries about my disbelief.

But there's nothing I can do; believers are not going to be persuaded by me.

My morality has much to do with how I vote, which isn't "standing idle".

Answer 7

Kill Goblins, sure, many individuals Atheists have been raised in a non secular kinfolk, that's unusual through fact religious people many times declare that we've not examine the bible. Morality is tricky through fact each faith has this is very own set, or maybe interior the comparable faith there is not any a hundred% settlement on what's and is not any longer ethical. you in basic terms could desire to verify them debating gay marriage, women individuals clergymen and so on and you will quickly recognize there is not any absolute ethical rules that are sparkling. And why are maximum folk of prisoners religious? If religious people are greater ethical than atheists then shouldn't there be often atheists in reformatory?

Answer 8

"survival of the fittest" is an oft-misused term. Biological variety and adaptability favors life forms best suited over time - long time- not merely a human lifetime or even a few centuries/millenia (except in rare circumstances). Moreover, religious people are not a seperate species from the atheists; what you propose is a sort of "social Darwinism" that racists originated (and Darwin disfavored).

You write, "No one is governing the way atheist act or live." Have you ever heard of civil law? Believe it or not, we have things like cops and courts that do not just apply to Christians.

Atheists do not need an evil mind control scheme to behave themselves; nor do many of the rest of us.

Answer 9

Morality has always existed outside religion. People have always thought for themselves what is right or wrong. Just because some religious nut claims to have a monopoly on moral behaviour (and yet may be nothing of the kind) doesn't mean the rest of us have no reason to try to get along, be good, and make the most of life.

Answer 10

This is how moral the buybull is.

Disciplining Your Children

We live in a world where children have more power than their parents. "Go ahead and spank me, I'll call the cops". And Christians today feel that spanking is wrong, it's this whole "time out" thing... ugh. Well, the Bible tells a little bit different story on how to handle your children. Check this out.

Exodus 21:15, 17 both say that if a child hits or curses his father, he is to be killed.

Leviticus 20:9 says that if a child curses his mother or father he is to be put to death.

Deuteronomy 21:18-21 requires stoning to death any child who is stubborn or rebellious.

Proverbs 22:15 says you should beat your foolish children with a rod.

And for those who are saying "those are Old Testament laws that no longer apply"

"Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited of me; he shall be set free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered" -Jesus Christ, as quoted in Mark 7:9-13.

Abortion

Abortion has been the number one war cry for family values by Christians recently. Followed closely by homosexuality (which is covered in the "Laws" section). What does the Bible really say about abortion? It's kind of hazy, but those who have been consulted by BibleBabble.com (which are either doctors of theology or pastors) have said it sounds pro-abortion. Not pro-choice, mind you, because the woman never is given a choice.

Number 5:11-31 says that if a woman cheats on her husband, he is to take her to the priest and he will give her "bitter water". If the woman didn't cheat on her husband her pregnancy will continue as it should. But if she did cheat on him, then her belly will swell, her thigh will rot, and she will be a curse among her people.

When this was brought up to a professor of religion (Ph.D. in theology and practicing Baptist) he was very intrigued and said it was a "voodoo like abortion ritual". He then laughed and said "and we Christians bad mouth voodoo" and laughed a little longer.

Hosea chapter 9 is chock full of God inducing miscarriages and other abortion like activities.

So when we hear all of these Christians talking about family values, we should remember these teachings they hold dear. It amazes me how people can preach the exact opposite of the Bible, then say that the Bible backs them up. It's just proof that these people don't even know what they believe.

Answer 11

When you see a group of Chimpanzees, do you see them reciprocating to help one another? Yes, of course they do and thereby increase their chances of survival as a species.

Our morality evolved.

Darwinism is much more than "survival of the fittest."