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I've always kind of thought that we can figure out "morals" on our own. I mean eventually we should be able to figure out that without restrictions to say murder, the human race might face a bit of a problem when it comes to propagation of the species. Without something against theft, no one would work, progress would halt and we would still be beating our dinner to death with a stick...
These things really are much more simple than we imagine them to be. It baffles me that a god would create humans with the capacity for thought that we have and then spoon feed us morals because we couldn't get it ourselves.
In my anthropology class we covered a whole section on a Neanderthal skeleton that they discovered had a broken arm or leg (can't remember). No surprise there. But the Neanderthal had lived for quite some time AFTER the arm was broken. this would mean that another Neanderthal would have had to have taken care of the injured one. They would've had to have got food and prepared food for him and helped him out till he got better.
I don't mean to get into evolution here, (actually even if we pretend that evolution had nothing to do with it it would enforce my point even more) but if a Neanderthal can have that kind of capacity for empathy, sympathy and so on, surely we can figure something out on our own.
The dilemma of what's good if there's no God used to torment me greatly. Not anymore!
For me, "good" is causing as little suffering to others and myself as possible. Since we're all interconnected we really should strive to make each others' lives as painless as possible. That comes from human nature, it just make sense. And what consitutes suffering is pretty universal among all human beings so there's no need to some authoritative book to tell us that.
How would I answer them? I'd probably make some remark to the tune of "It's okay. I only go into rampant homicidal rages on (insert day of the week)." I have a weird sense of humor like that.
The question reminds me of one of those word-play church signs I saw a few years ago. "GOOD without GOD is just O" Never have I actually been bothered with a church sign until that one. That one just frosted my cookies, though.
How do you answer when "believers" claim that if you are an Athiest, then you have no foundation for moral behavior.
Instead of calling them naive or throwing a ( very) heavy history book at them, I'd rather smile and say nothing.
Like I'd imagine Jesus would smile at the children.
One of my friends posed an argument about morality that I have always found interesting.
Imagine that God tells you to murder an infant. Regardless of whether or not you would do it because God told you to, would you think murdering an infant is wrong?
The average rational individual would say yes, thus proving morality without God.
One of my friends posed an argument about morality that I have always found interesting.
Imagine that God tells you to murder an infant. Regardless of whether or not you would do it because God told you to, would you think murdering an infant is wrong?
The average rational individual would say yes, thus proving morality without God.
Oh, but that would just be a test, saying no would somehow prove otherwise....
One of my friends posed an argument about morality that I have always found interesting.
Imagine that God tells you to murder an infant. Regardless of whether or not you would do it because God told you to, would you think murdering an infant is wrong?
The average rational individual would say yes, thus proving morality without God.
Nah, hardcore believers would defend it. Remember the story of Abraham and Isaac?
I had a thought. Next time that theists say that atheists have no foundation or standards for morality, just ask them this question - "How do you explain the people who lived in ancient times?" From what I have studied, those peoples worked in cooperation with each other, developed specialties ( such as toolmaking, crop propogation, animal husbandry, arts and sciences, homemaking, food preparation, hunting strategies, and studied the seasons, and the skies, etc.), and developed social norms, and behavior standards - all without fearing retribution from a Diety. In fact, most of them worshiped animals like the Cave Bear, because they feared and respected them.
If not for their foundation of group dynamics, religion would never have been able to steal their ideas AND TAKE CREDIT FOR THEM! Human kind got (and would get) along just fine without religion, thank you.
Well, I think the bigger question is why do they believe in a giant man with a beard in the sky, as opposed to santa claus or unicorns?
Their entire faith system is ludicrous, thus it's not crazy to think that as a result, they will have ludicrous thoughts.
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very) heavy history book at them, I'd rather smile and say nothing.
People who lived BEFORE organized religions.
