Atheist Morality

[Patzak]

I assume you mean God. Actually that is not the Christian view. There are two views of a Christian person, firstly the worldly in which he is entirely influenced by natural factors, of the same nature as every other person, and under sin, as regarded by the second spiritual view in which he is declared forgiven by God and endued with knowledge of God which is entirely spiritual and not involving any natural factors.

I'm not sure I know exactly what you're saying here. But what I meant was only that a christian's moral sense (which is in all people shaped by their upbringing, the society they live in and other factors) also includes them having read the Bible and accepted it as an ethical guide.

Also, I would ask this: can your morality be wrong? If so, why don't you ascribe God as the author of the right morality? Why (if so) do you make the semantic decision not to?

As I don't believe in a god, I'd have to say that the question of right/wrong (in the correct/incorrect, true/false sense) isn't applicable to morality, since I cannot judge it by its conformance to any absolute principles.

 

[AphraB]

I remember having read about a Chinese example... Confucius (if memory serves) stated that leaders are responsible for acting in the best interest of the led, something I didn't find in the bible so far.

Pro bono publico?

Well certainly it can be argued that leaders should be responsible for acting in the interests of the led but what happens when the leaders distort the basis for their actions? The Nazis believed they were acting for the good of the rest of German society.

 

[Multi-Elis]

Thanks Patzak and rational thought for your reply. It does clear things up. I've been getting interested in evolutionary explenations for psychology, moral develpment, (and other things--even metaphysics!) and I have been finding out that the steriotypical picture of evolution we are often presented isn't nuenced enough.

 

[tocis]

Pro bono publico?

Well certainly it can be argued that leaders should be responsible for acting in the interests of the led but what happens when the leaders distort the basis for their actions? The Nazis believed they were acting for the good of the rest of German society.

Of course this isn't without problems... but at least it is something.

 

[PKJ]

Does any of you REALLY need a god to exist to act morally? If you answer "yes", please send me your full adress, as I will make sure I am not around if someday, while playing with a M16, you suddenly start to think that god is make-believe.

 

[CSMR]

I'm not sure I know exactly what you're saying here. But what I meant was only that a christian's moral sense (which is in all people shaped by their upbringing, the society they live in and other factors) also includes them having read the Bible and accepted it as an ethical guide.

The best way I could rephrase this is to say refer to Luther and say that the Christian is "simul justus et peccator", at once just and sinful. It is not the case that sin is incomplete in the Christian - which it would be if upbrining society and other worldly factors plus God were the things by which the Christian sees morality - worldliness is complete, and the eternal victory over worliness in Christ is complete, according to Christianity.

As I don't believe in a god, I'd have to say that the question of right/wrong (in the correct/incorrect, true/false sense) isn't applicable to morality, since I cannot judge it by its conformance to any absolute principles.

Yes; you escape the questions in that case.

 

[buffedstuff]

............................................................

 

[PKJ]

And so said many clever people, buddy.