Atheists/Agnostics: Do you believe in eternal judgement?

Question

or the Ten Commandments?
Where do you think our knowledge of right and wrong comes from?
I am not being hateful...just wondering what you think.

your.mom,my daughter did ask this question but your answer leaves much to be desired....ppppplllleeease

Answer 1

Oh no, not again!

I have always been an atheist. OK, that is not completely true. I am not an atheist. I am not a believer. I am not an agnostic. I am none of these because the answer to god's existence is unimportant.

People ask what would convince me that god truly exists. While I am not sure, I am certainly open to any tangible evidence. I do not know what evidence would convince me because I believe it is impossible to prove the existence of god. What evidence would convince you that god does not exist? See the conumdrum: it is difficult to answer their question! See falsifiability (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falsifiability ) for an explanation of theory and the rules of evidence.

Do not quote bible passages as evidence of god's existence. This is my standard of proof, not yours. However, if proof were proffered that convinced me god exists, I would change absolutely nothing in my life or my behavior. The existence or not of god does not matter. Like many humans I live a purposeful life and god does not add more purpose.

What if evidence were produced that convinced you god does not exist with certainty (evidence according to your standards of proof)? What would you change in your life?

- Would you stop evangelizing?
- Would you start sinning more?
- Would you stop helping those less fortunate than you?
- Would you feel that life is meaningless?

Let us examine one area Christians think about atheists. Christians seem to think non-believers hope that their good deeds will get them into heaven, should heaven really exist. The Torah (Old Testament) has a word for this: mitzvah (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitzvah ). Many athests such as myself perform mitzvahs not for the sake of getting an admission ticket into heavan, but because performing good deeds and helping those in need is the right thing to do. In other words, selfless acts.

Christians sometimes proffer Pascal’s Wager (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal%27s_wager ) suggesting to non-believers that they should accept Jesus (per John 3:16) as some sort of insurance policy against hell, just in case it turns out god really exists. The fallacy with this line of reasoning is that faith in god for some reward or to avoid punishment is not faith at all. It is a selfish act to receive something in return for a belief. The point of religious belief so that one can beome a better person, not to receive a reward or please a spiritual being.

Even the Torah talks about sacrafices (or any other act in an effot to please god) displeasing god.

So why do you believe in god? If it is to enter heaven, that is very selfish. If god, heaven, and hell do not exist, would you still perform mitzvahs and follow the Golden Rule or would you say what is the point? Mitzvahs are not meant to please god.

Many Christians also claim that only those who believe can live a moral life and those who do not believe in god have no moral compass. That implies that one lives a moral life, not because it is the right thing to do, but because god expects us to be moral. Again, the fallacy with this reasoning is that mitzvahs and morals should be followed for personal philosophical reasons, not because some god or holy book dictates rules to us.

In summary, I have no stake in god's existence. I do not see existence of heaven or hell as a reward and punishment system. If the whole purpose of the Golden Rule preached by Jesus was to treat others and I would like to be treated, I can follow his philosophy without believing in god. What type of god would want me to pledge my fealty to him or her simply for the sake of believing or proving my allegiance? I would expect god is beyond pride and the need for some following.

For all those thumbs down votes, I ask you to examine your personal motivation for believing in god.

Why is the concept of selflish mitzvahs so difficult for many Christians to comprehend?

Answer 2

No.
There was right and wrong before the Ten Commandments.
The ancient civilisations of Egypt , Mesopotamia,Greece and China all needed a code of ethics and laws in order to have a civil society which produced great architecture, art and philosophy.
Social order and personal responsibility were necessary for life to function in a safe environment.
They did not need the input from some primitive desert tribe which is what the jews were at the time of the Ten Commandments. It was probably necessary for them but a little basic for most other societies.

Answer 3

No, we do not. No, we also do not believe in the Ten Commandments. Knowledge of right and wrong varies from person to person, but it comes from the conscience, which was developed as a empathic tool to allow for humans to better interact with another in a community.

Answer 4

The Ten Commandments are a religious Christian beliief
Therefore Atheists don't believe in them
silly

Whats even sillier is that you think Christianity dictates what is right or wrong. Morals are not based on religion.

Answer 5

No, why would we believe in eternal judgment? (Just speaking as an atheist) Who's doing the judging?

Some of the ten commandments are common sense, the rest apply to your particular religion.

People are animals, mammals, primates. We have a code of behaviors that is based on what is beneficial to the species...this is what we know as right and wrong.

Answer 6

No. Human beings are classified as great apes, and are innately altruistic. It's a survival mechanism. Biology. Not religion. Just biology.

"Eternal judgement" is a myth...and a pretty twisted one at that. Not an attractive worldview as far as I'm concerned.

The "ten commandments", by the way, existed long before the Bible was written, long before Moses is said to have existed, as laws already in place in ancient tribes.

Answer 7

I don't believe in any of that.

Our knowledge of right and wrong is never absolute. What's right for today may not be right for 10 years from now. Rights and wrongs are created so we can survive by living a pact, that later became a society.

Answer 8

Of course I don't believe in eternal judgment. I believe that once you die, you're worm food.

The Ten Commandments is just one of many, many statements of correct behavior that humans have written over the millenia.

Our sense of right and wrong is an evolved trait we have because we're social animals who need our group to survive, and our group needs us to be restrained and caring in our behavior towards others.

Answer 9

No.

Knowledge of "right" and "wrong" (which I interpret as helpful and unhelpful) are simply interpreted by the person, the family, and the community. There are certain things that are considered unwelcome in most societies, but almost every society allows some form of murder (in war), stealing (via taxation), lying (to preserve someone's feelings), etc.

The sense of right and wrong is relative, based on where you are and who you live among.

Answer 10

No, we don't, duh

The 10 commandments are social rules (except for 2 of them) that most normal people will respect anyway, if they don't want to be excluded from society, if they want a life, friends etc.

My knoledge of right and wrong comes from common sense. It's obvieus that hurting someone is wrong, isn't it? Or would you hurt people, if the bible wouldn't tell you not to?

Answer 11

No I don't.By knowledge of right and wrong,you mean morals?
They are not exclusive to people with a religious belief,in fact I would go as far as to say that people without a religious belief tend to have more morals than those with