Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Justice is a moral concept, we cannot talk of justice without morals being involved.
And what do you mean by "believe in justice?" Believe that it exists?
If you mean believe that it is a good thing, well, of course. It is a necessary tool for having a lawful civilization.
If you mean justice in the form of personal revenge, then no, that is not something I regard as an especially good idea. Seeking revenge is emotional indulgence and it extends the impact of the original offense and does not restore you to the situation which prevailed before the offense.
Justice has to be meted out by some sort of agency. The only justice that actually exists, imperfect though it is, is meted out by society in the form of the legal system, judges, penal institutions, and the like.
Justice meted out, or promised, from imaginary entities does not exist.
I assume you are asking if atheists believe in some form of fairness inherent in the fabric of reality, and the answer there is, first, the only thing you can be certain about an atheist is that they see no reason to believe in the existence of any deities. Secondly, with that understood, I'd warrant that most atheists, like me, believe that there is no such thing as guaranteed, ultimate, eventual justice at some level other than society, where it is not guaranteed and sometimes doesn't happen at all.
This response should not be construed to mean that atheists have no hope or some such. Basically it just means that we are realists. The existence and availability of justice is what it is no matter what you or I think it is or should be. As such, Christians have to deal with the same imperfect world that I do. It's just that they have all the cognitive dissonance of having to explain to themselves silly questions like "why me" when bad things happen to good people, and I don't. (I simply ask, "why not me?"). If a believer thinks god has their back, it is a false comfort which may or may not be betrayed by circumstances and dumb luck. It's a nice illusion when it works; it's a horrible taskmaster when it doesn't work.
I say we vote on the next "Do atheists..." thread. Here's some proposed candidates:
1) Do atheists still eat babies?
2) Do atheists believe in purple?
3) Do atheists fart out loud?
4) Do atheists still believe in purple?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
