Can a person be "moral" without being religious?

Question

Is it possible to be a good person without having a religious basis for your life?

Answer 1

Human beings EVOLVED in groups. We are social animals, at least that's how we got to where we are today.

Morality is the concept that we put to the way we relate to others as social animals.

Therefore every society has morals, with or without religion.

Morals are BUILT INTO OUR genetics, otherwise we're simply eat each other!

This may not be obvious at first, but consider the following:

Treat others how you wish to be treated.

The so called "golden rule" is the ONLY concept that all of the world's religions share!

Ever wonder why? It is because, on the average, on the whole, most of the time, most of us do treat others the way we wish to be treated, naturally.

We didn't learn that in church. We "know" it, because we born to be socially acceptable animals.

I can carry the thought to the idea that, being social animals, we have evolved to respect authority!

So the idea of beliveing in a "higher level" is also built in, which is why it is so hard to be an atheist in any society!

But that's a whole nuther answer.

Answer 2

It is possible to behave in what might be viewed as moral behavior but not possible to be moral without a belief in a higher moral authority than ourselves.

Morality has to include motive and neither motives of fear of punishment nor hope for reward are acceptable motives. The good feeling we get (self esteem) when we help someone is a reward and the bad feeling we get (conscience hurts) when we do something bad is a punishment. So feelings by themselves are just part of rewards and punishments.

Morality has to include the idea of a real moral obligation to a higher moral authority, i.e. God. Without God we'll just do what we feel like doing then adjust our standard for morality so that we fit the standard. Just like we don't allow judges to rule on cases where they have a personal involvement, we can't be our own impartial judge. That is why even criminals plotting their next crime think themselves to be basically good.

Answer 3

Yes. Without a doubt. Place a human in a social vacuum from birth, teach them nothing, and you will still see evidence of a conscience. The ideas of right and wrong are inherently within us all and they have nothing to do with religion. There are many good people in the world that do what is right and live good lives that care nothing for religion. Morality is not something that we find in ancient books written by long dead "prophets". It is something within ourselves that we choose to accept or deny.

Some argue that their religion is the basis for morality... If this is true, then why are there so many immoral (or amoral) religious people in the world?

Answer 4

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Answer 5

No. Can you define "good" without contrasting it to "evil?" If good and evil are valid complementary categories, then there exists a universal basis for the presence of those categories. Is that basis really no more than human survival? But human survival is not, in itself, a universal value. The spotted owl doesn’t care if we survive or not. Then how can "good" be nothing but a checklist of "positive behaviorisms" that promote human survival? "Morals" that have no universal basis of appeal to the categories of good and evil are just behaviors, nothing more than descriptive properties of active matter. That is all. If they happen to promote human survival, so what? What makes surviving "good" and not surviving “evil?”

Part of the problem is that "good" is a concept woven so deeply into our moral reasoning we cannot define it without ending up in a circular definition. That means something. Religion solves the problem by positing a ground of universal truth, a primordial “good” emerging from a universal, infinitely rational Creator, that makes some act of the creature intrinsically "good" and its moral counterpart intrinsically "evil." Atheism attempts to evade the universality requirement because it cannot tolerate the presence of a universal arbiter, but in the process breaks the definition of “good” versus “evil” as moral properties. Because morality, by definition, requires the making of choices between good acts versus evil acts, if good and evil cannot be proven rationally to exist, then morality cannot exist. If good and evil are not universal categories, then they cannot inform moral choices. If there is no God, there is no infinitely rational, and therefore universal, basis for the categories of good and evil. Therefore, without God, morality cannot be.

Answer 6

There can be wide variations in the moral standards when viewed from a religious angle and from ethical considerations. A religion binds us but freedom of choice gives us power to choose and be answerable.All things being equal,morality minus a religion is superior as it embodies a deep sense of commitment and responsibilities.

Answer 7

Yes.

I'm an atheist, and I feel that I've got better morals than many in this world, even some of the most religiously motivated.

In reality, morals and religion don't have anything to do with each other. You can derive morals from religion, but that's not the only way to get them. They're completely different things.

Answer 8

A non-religious person has the potential to be moral in as much as a religious person has the potential to be immoral.

Answer 9

Of course it is.
My boyfriend isn't religious and he is one of the most moral people I know, thank you very much.
Religions help people derive morals, but that's not the only way to obtain them. Morals come from a variety of things and a variety of experiences, not just religion!
But I have to disagree with what lb_centa said...
I'm Christian and I guarantee you my morals don't come just from the Bible (and Book of Mormon in my case, because I'm Mormon). And scripture isn't the only thing I point to for my beliefs.

Answer 10

Yes, look at Buddhism, it's more of a way of life than a religion. It's all about morality based on Karma not God's 'divine word'.