How can an atheist have morals?

[jillian]

"g-d-fearing"

always i'm surprised by that behavior if jews. You miss the letter in the word God to obey His commandment, but write this word in small letters and claim that your are not the believer...

What are you blathering about?

 

[jillian]

furthermore, how atheists could derive the will of living in the face of troubles, when it is much more logically and easier to kill himself and problem is solved. Just like switching terrible movie off or waking up in case of bad dream.

easy normal people want to live. it's an instinct.

bizarre that you think one needs an after life to want to live this one.

very logically, if this life has a great influence on afterlife. What is not logical is that one could fight for living if he knows that he will become nothing in any case.

For the sake of living.

 

[rightwinger]

Straw Man fallacy: you contrive the lie that those free from faith “have a strictly materialist view of the world, and typically say that man is no different than an animal,” when in fact nothing could be further from the truth.

I suppose it's possible for an atheist to believe values come from a higher source than the material world, but to me that just seems logically inconsistent.

Atheists are built of a higher class of humans
A class that understands the goodness of man. A class built on ethics, morals and doing the right thing
Religion is built on ignorance and fear

 

[Asclepias]

Straw Man fallacy: you contrive the lie that those free from faith “have a strictly materialist view of the world, and typically say that man is no different than an animal,” when in fact nothing could be further from the truth.

I suppose it's possible for an atheist to believe values come from a higher source than the material world, but to me that just seems logically inconsistent.

How so? What if they believe values come from spirits or mother nature?

That still sounds like a "supernatural" explanation, and an atheist believing in anything supernatural just sounds odd to me.

Most atheists seem to be against supernatural beliefs entirely, not just beliefs in God specifically.

Nope. Atheists dont believe in gods. Mother nature isnt a god.

Sounds like a goddess to me. Isn't nature worship animism, a form of belief?

If it was a goddess then it would be called Goddess Nature. Everything is a form of belief. Some forms such as believing in nature are supported by provable fact. Its a fact that spring follows winter and summer follows spring etc.

 

[Igrok_]

furthermore, how atheists could derive the will of living in the face of troubles, when it is much more logically and easier to kill himself and problem is solved. Just like switching terrible movie off or waking up in case of bad dream.

easy normal people want to live. it's an instinct.

bizarre that you think one needs an after life to want to live this one.

very logically, if this life has a great influence on afterlife. What is not logical is that one could fight for living if he knows that he will become nothing in any case.

For the sake of living.

living for the sake of living. Logic, btw, is about something that follows the deal. The point of living is about after living, if you can't mention it by yourself.

 

[sealybobo]

Most atheists I have talked to in this day and age more or less have a strictly materialist view of the world, and typically say that man is no different than an animal.

This makes me wonder how atheists can logically justify having morals; for example if rape, torture, or murder aided one's own survival or the survival of one's group why should they be off the table?

I was reading up on the age of enlightenment. Back in France and Germany people got sick of the Catholic Church and state abuses. So it was because of the corrupt Catholic Church that people said screw what any church tells us. Let's base our laws and morality on reason. No need for ancient holy books coming from a corrupt church.

And out of this age came liberty, progress, tolerance and a fraternal constitutional government.

We won't forget it was religion that faught this age

 

[Luddly Neddite]

how does rape aids ones survival? Do you mean like when God raped Mary to have Jesus?

That's a dumb statement.

So, Mary consented to carnal union with other than her husband?

You have proof, right?

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Most atheists I have talked to in this day and age more or less have a strictly materialist view of the world, and typically say that man is no different than an animal.

This makes me wonder how atheists can logically justify having morals; for example if rape, torture, or murder aided one's own survival or the survival of one's group why should they be off the table?

I suspect you don't know any atheists.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Most atheists I have talked to in this day and age more or less have a strictly materialist view of the world, and typically say that man is no different than an animal.

This makes me wonder how atheists can logically justify having morals; for example if rape, torture, or murder aided one's own survival or the survival of one's group why should they be off the table?

I was reading up on the age of enlightenment. Back in France and Germany people got sick of the Catholic Church and state abuses. So it was because of the corrupt Catholic Church that people said screw what any church tells us. Let's base our laws and morality on reason. No need for ancient holy books coming from a corrupt church.

And out of this age came liberty, progress, tolerance and a fraternal constitutional government.

We won't forget it was religion that faught this age

Most religions are abusive.

I say "most" but I can't think of any that are not.

 

[sealybobo]

Most atheists I have talked to in this day and age more or less have a strictly materialist view of the world, and typically say that man is no different than an animal.

This makes me wonder how atheists can logically justify having morals; for example if rape, torture, or murder aided one's own survival or the survival of one's group why should they be off the table?

I was reading up on the age of enlightenment. Back in France and Germany people got sick of the Catholic Church and state abuses. So it was because of the corrupt Catholic Church that people said screw what any church tells us. Let's base our laws and morality on reason. No need for ancient holy books coming from a corrupt church.

And out of this age came liberty, progress, tolerance and a fraternal constitutional government.

We won't forget it was religion that faught this age

Most religions are abusive.

I say "most" but I can't think of any that are not.

When the entire premise is based on a lie its at least a racket

 

[Asclepias]

Most atheists I have talked to in this day and age more or less have a strictly materialist view of the world, and typically say that man is no different than an animal.

This makes me wonder how atheists can logically justify having morals; for example if rape, torture, or murder aided one's own survival or the survival of one's group why should they be off the table?

I was reading up on the age of enlightenment. Back in France and Germany people got sick of the Catholic Church and state abuses. So it was because of the corrupt Catholic Church that people said screw what any church tells us. Let's base our laws and morality on reason. No need for ancient holy books coming from a corrupt church.

And out of this age came liberty, progress, tolerance and a fraternal constitutional government.

We won't forget it was religion that faught this age

Most religions are abusive.

I say "most" but I can't think of any that are not.

 

[guno]

This sums it up nicely

 

[Luddly Neddite]

 

[MarathonMike]

Then how do you explain highly immoral people who are "Good Christians"? I've had my fill of them in my lifetime. They use church as a drive through sin wash so they can feel good about themselves. The they head out for another week of being lying cheating assholes.

 

[The Professor]

Most atheists I have talked to in this day and age more or less have a strictly materialist view of the world, and typically say that man is no different than an animal.

This makes me wonder how atheists can logically justify having morals; for example if rape, torture, or murder aided one's own survival or the survival of one's group why should they be off the table?

So, are you saying that it's only the threat of eternal damnation that prevents you from raping, torturing and murder?

No I believe morality can be found in universal metaphysical laws.

If someone believes the physical world is all that exists though where does their knowledge of right and wrong come from?

From Listening.
From Observing.
From thinking and feeling.
From living.

I suggest that no one needs to read a Holy Book or identify with a particular religion in order to know that some things, such as murder and stealing, are just plain wrong. There is one fact that completely destroys the theory that only religious people are moral people and it is this: Atheist – at least many of them – are in fact moral. I have had many atheist friends over the span of my long life and most of them were moral beings. They didn't rape; the didn't steal and they did not commit adultery with their best friend's wife. They were trustworthy and caring; good neighbors and good friends. This I have learned and this I know absolutely: being an atheist does not make one immoral and being religious does not necessarily make one moral.

There are some religious behavioral codes that atheists would find intellectually and morally repugnant, such as the doctrine of “once saved, always saved”. Some Christians who embrace this belief are convinced they will not lose their salvation no matter what they do after acknowledging Christ as their Savior. The following words were uttered by a religious man, the founder of the Lutheran Church:

"Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong, but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world. We will commit sins while we are here, for this life is not a place where justice resides... No sin can separate us from Him, even if we were to kill or commit adultery thousands of times each day” (Let Your Sins Be Strong, from The Wittenberg Project; The Wartburg Segment, translated by Erika Flores, from Dr. Martin Luther's Saemmtliche Schriften, Letter No. 99, 1 Aug. 1521. See, also The Christ by John E. Remsberg, Item 525).

"Sin boldly but believe more boldly. Let your faith be greater than your sin. . . Sin will not destroy us in the reign of the Lamb, although we were to commit fornication a thousand times in one day" (Letter to Melanchton, August 1, 1521, Audin p.178).

According to Luther, the more you sin, the stronger your faith. Only those who were unsure of their salvation would hesitate to sin. Atheist have no deity to make their sins acceptable; therefore it seems they would be less inclined to engage in such conduct.

But this is only my humble opinion (OK, I lied about the humble part).

 

[IndependantAce]

If morality doesn't come from a higher source (God) then it can only come from Satan and the material world, the only morality of the material world is might makes right.

 

[idb]

If morality doesn't come from a higher source (God) then it can only come from Satan and the material world, the only morality of the material world is might makes right.

If that's how people like you think then it's lucky for the rest of us that you do believe in a Sky Pixie that will kick your arse if you step out of line.

 

[IndependantAce]

Then how do you explain highly immoral people who are "Good Christians"? I've had my fill of them in my lifetime. They use church as a drive through sin wash so they can feel good about themselves. The they head out for another week of being lying cheating assholes.

That doesn't sound like a good Christian to me

 

[IndependantAce]

If morality doesn't come from a higher source (God) then it can only come from Satan and the material world, the only morality of the material world is might makes right.

If that's how people like you think then it's lucky for the rest of us that you do believe in a Sky Pixie that will kick your arse if you step out of line.

So how can you get "morals" from evolution? The only law of the jungle is eat, sleep, procreate.

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

If morality doesn't come from a higher source (God) then it can only come from Satan and the material world, the only morality of the material world is might makes right.

This fails as an appeal to ignorance fallacy – the absence of a ‘god’ is not ‘proof’ that ‘Satan’ exists, or that moral tenets can’t manifest without a ‘god.’

Millions of people free from faith lead perfectly moral lives, and theists are capable of acts of great immorality and depravity regardless their religious indoctrination.

The notion that theists alone are capable of being ‘moral’ is as arrogant as it is wrong.