How can you be moral and ethical without religion to guide you?

"How can you be moral and ethical without religion to guide you?" Perhaps theists consider themselves too dimwitted to sort out right from wrong, but I don't feel that we humans really have that problem. More seriously, ethics and morals are very easily proven to be man-made - societally driven, in fact. That's precisely why ethics and morals differ between cultures and groups. We can see, as communications become more global, that morals are becoming more similar around the world. The United Nations is a good example of politics trying to keep up with societal mores. We don't do 'bad' things because 'bad' things ultimately make our lives more difficult.

Written by Carol Roper via: http://www.philosoraptor.com/sickntired.html

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• Ethical
• religion
• moral
• theists
• societally
• cultures
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[matthewtaylorbrown]

We get our immorality from religion.

[petehjr1]

If god is the moral law giver and god can command people to do immoral acts. Then god must be immoral too.

[matthewtaylorbrown]

@masterplano There are no gods, it is all within us.

[masterplano]

@matthewtaylorbrown Humans are immoral, moral, ethics and values are God given...and God is not religious, religions are immoral rules created by man.

[FallingSkywards]

We inherently know the difference between a mother lovingly picking up her child and a stranger raping and harming a child. This is obvious. However, in the wilderness where morals are not found, this we do not see.

[FallingSkywards]

False. Morals exist, this is widely accepted. However, from an atheistic point of view, which naturally tends towards and, in the vast majority of cases, supports the theory of evolution (as do I), morals should not appear. We see, through the success of psychopaths in the business world, and in primitive societies in the past, that they do very well. Morals, then, must have an exterior source. Similarly, morals cannot be considered to be subjective. (cont in next comment)

[q1000101]

@Mostafaqasemdarx You seem to have a misguided impression of what an atheist is or isn't. Just because I do not believe in a god does not mean that I place materialistic things like money above happiness and serenity and doing the right thing. And it doesn't mean that my entire life is guided by stone-cold logic either. Believe it or not, an atheist can be a loving, caring, and spiritual person as well. You could even call me an illogical atheist, and I'd be perfectly content with that =)

[Mostafaqasemdarx]

@q1000101

How is this possible? Dude it's money, do you know what money is? Stop speaking from your emotions and try to speak from your logic, since you're an atheist you should be speaking from a materialistic point of view. Extra money is more intresting than a compliment; in other words, 1,000,000 is more valuable than just "thank you", don't you think? you don't have any valid reason to why you shouldn't steal that money, don't tell me "because it feels good" that is NOT logic.

[q1000101]

@Mostafaqasemdarx No, I don't know what you're saying. Because I don't believe that finding and keeping someone else's missing money would make my life easier. On the contrary, I would gain more by going out of my way to return that money back to its owner, which is exactly what I'd do. I would get more benefit in the long run by knowing that I was doing the right thing than by whatever short-term gratification that money might be able to buy. And I didn't learn that from religion.

[Mostafaqasemdarx]

@q1000101

No don't worry my friend, my morals don't allow me to steal.....but if you follow that rule, then i'm the one who should be keeping a close eye on my wallet whenever i'm around you......you know waht i'm saying.

[q1000101]

@Mostafaqasemdarx Sounds like I'll need to keep a close eye on my wallet whenever I'm around you, my friend.

[Mostafaqasemdarx]

@q1000101

"We don't do bad things because bad things ultimately make our lives more difficult."

What if I saw a wallet filled with money on the floor and nobody was watching, what would prevent me from stealing it? what......morals? but in this case i'm doing a thing that will make my life more easy..........think about it, that's a dumb statment my friend.