Quote:
Originally Posted by DJRR
Perhaps the religion provided a foundation for morality and prosperity and now people can claim the moral code even though there is no inherent logical reason to do so without the religion. For ex. it is wrong to murder because God said "Thou shalt not kill". This is now accepted law, but absent Gods command there is no inherent reason to forbid or allow the murder of humans.
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I think that's overstating the matter, unless you mean there is no inherent reason for an absolute prohibition on murder. That absent God murder could be justified because the person is "a parasite on the welfare state" or something, but even then I think a reason could be found.
There are some things that are almost universally seen as wrong that I think might be hard to justify without religion. In particular issues of sanctity or purity. This is going by a psychologist who studied conservative and liberal culture, the conservative cultures he studied were mostly religious. I have some problems with his theory, but I'll leave that for later)
For example
If a person is dead, and no one claimed the body, why is it wrong to eat him or her? There is no issue of forcing someone to do something as the person is dead so consent is irrelevant.
Outside my town there is a mass-grave for Indians who died of influenza or smallpox or something. As none of the bodies are clearly identified is it wrong to take the skull of one and use it to make a cup holder? I mean if done right no one will know and the person is dead so they won't care.
An adopted man searches for his biological mother, but instead finds that woman's biological mother. She is a widow, post-menopausal, and he is an unmarried in his 30s. After they get to know each other they become consensual sexual partners. If God or tradition is irrelevant why is this wrong? (There was an actual case like this)
A gay couple has sex on the altar of a conservative church while no one is around. (Also based on an actual incident)
A man has orgasm into a Butterball Turkey and then eats it. Is that wrong, why? (I think any disease will just be diseases already in his body)
A person grabs an ant out of an ant farm and swallows it while it's still alive. Why is that wrong or is it?