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.
Are the moral views of atheists more beneficial to society than those of religious people?
It seems to me that religious people restrict their moral values within the confines of human sexual behavior. They vigorously condemn virtually everything other than sex in a male/female marriage. But what benefit will society have if all other sexual types of relationships are discontinued?
As opposed to atheists...
Are religious people more likely to cheer for wars? Or to strive to accumulate wealth? Are the religious people more tolerant of torture? How often do you ever hear a religious person criticizing social problems such as poverty, lack of healthcare, and discrimination.
It seems to me that religious people are more likely to excuse and justify the above mentioned.
What's your view?
Well, with all the other evils of the world, at least I have never heard that homosexuals are responsible for the global overpopulation problem, christers will blame those poor folks for all sorts of other ills.
I think the moral views of atheists are more beneficial becaise they emphasize ethical behavior for its own sake, without hope of reward or fear of punishment. There are no supernatural carrots and sticks to dilute the worthiness of acting with consideration for others and behaving well.
When I take the time to really think about what it means to be moral, or a good person, I find myself thinking mostly of my fellow man, and how my actions/world views may or may not effect them. But it goes much deeper than this, and I find that i am always learning. I have often found that just when i have figured out that one part of myself that is "good", it may not be so in every case. This too gives me something else to think about: is there one true morality?
If it is possible for one to answer that question, then I would say no, no there is not. What you consider to be moral and right, most likely is not the case for every one else. But i digress.
Do I think the morals of an atheist are more beneficial to society than those of the religious? Absolutely yes.
I have found that the morals that religion instills, instills them as absolutes. The morals of the religious can and never will change. Despite the fact that every day society is outpacing religion, every day humanity is out growing the religious taboos. The morals that religion instills do not have the ability to evolve, or take in consideration that what is true for one person may not be so for another. That their was is the only way. This is not so.
Society changes with every new generation, probably more than that. Religion, and the morals that it instills, cannot survive in such an environment.
I am in no way saying that everything about religious morals is wrong or outdated. I am trying to point out that when it comes to morals, the religious willingly choose ignorance. They choose not to think about why they shouldn't kill/steal/rape/etc... because god told them they shouldn't do such things. They willingly choose to ignore that the world around them is changing.
Philosophically I would say Atheist morality is more meaningful as it relies solely on morality for its own sake rather than because of the pressure of a supernatural entity.
Atheists like Religious people always have a choice in life regarding their behaviour and the moral standards they adopt but the ones made by Religious people are often based on fear of Godly retribution such as going to hell or displeasing their deity. Guilt is drilled into Religious people from an early age. Not the guilt freely acquired by free human behaviour but one instilled because of the possibility of the Wrath of God.
Atheists make a choice based on a deeply personal sense of values.
Whether it is more important or not is a different matter though, in purely practical terms a Christian who does not rape/murder/steal etc... and an Atheist who does not either are having the same effect on society.
Society benefits from common decency and humane behaviour regardless of the motive. I believe there is far more hypocrisy in Religious Behaviour as human nature is by its own animal nature weak and prone to moral "lapses" but I find most Atheists far more honest about their own failings and more willing to accept personal responsibility for their actions.
I also find it a bit dubious that many people will commit terrible crimes and find absolution in their God. That to me reeks of having it both ways. "Sin" and then be absolved. How very convenient.
Atheists have to deal with reality and look themselves in the mirror every morning and anyone with a conscience but no religion can often face far more guilt than someone religious who only has to confess their sins to their creator and receive full absolution for it.
Funny that a lot of religious people will commit terrible atrocities under the banner of a God , what an easy way out of personal morality. One gets absolved for any wrong doing simply by committing it in the name of religion. Also rather ironically those who preach that only God is Judge of all things, are also those who seek to judge others.
And yes a lot of Religious values are based on a very narrow sexual motif. I think sex is such a primal instinct, the closet reminder of our Animal Nature that Religion has seeked to "elevate" us by self denial and a bigoted version of what acceptable sexuality is.
Religion is to me primarily about control and what a better way to control people than by harnessing their sexual nature and trying to make what is a perfectly normal act into something dirty and repellent outside the confine of Religious control. In essence Religion is brainwashing its followers not to think as individuals but to become slaves to dogma without too much questioning.
That I find terribly dangerous and a bit pathetic too. Having no deity to fear, no after-life retribution , no possibility of hell is to me very liberating.
No because I can or want to commit murder, steal or behave like an animal but because my choices are all mine. The moral decisions I make every single day are mine and mine alone. I find freedom in being as moral and decent human being as I can by being allowed the Freedom to make those choices on my own without a supernatural go-between.
Based on personal experience I would say most Atheists I know behave in far more moral a way than many Christians. Atheists do not have to feign piety and there is no need for us to adopt such judgemental sanctimonious drivel as I often see exhibited by some posters.
Like everyone else I have a moral compass and boundaries, lines I will not cross. I need no divine intervention to make the right decision. My heart and my brain are sufficient tools in the moral maze we call life.
There is no God to judge me and yet I am perfectly equipped to deal with life in a logical, reasonable manner and feel empathy towards others which to me is one of the key-stones of any moral system.
In my view the atheist values relate to Secular law, and thus are broader, and equal. I see no other existing system with the ability to handle laws in a fair and just manner.
I think it really depends on the teachings of a particular religion vs the moral compass of any individual atheist. Certainly, there are atheists that are sociopaths, but then there are more sociopaths who are religious.
What appears to be completely false is the assertion that religion promotes morality. The actual numbers just don't add up. I read recently about the numbers of high school kids who cheat comparing those who are religious and go to church regularly compared to those aren't - no difference in the rates of cheating. (And the numbers of cheaters are staggering.)
I think that some religions are neutral because they promote personal responsibility over guilting for control. Many, tho are very negative and as Moose so eloquently described, give the believer a pass on the most atrocious crimes by just being sorry.
A belief that a lot of fundamentalist religions promote and hold as the most important thing is to believe in the religion above all else. The teaching is that if you just really believe, then nothing else you do really matters, no matter how heinous the crimes. You are never really held responsible for your crimes because you believe and you can blame the devil for what you do.
The ethical atheist has none of these excuses. The atheist must face his/her own behavior straight on without any excuses or outs. The atheist formulates his/her code of behavior based on what is a good outcome for the life he/she lives now and considers relative benefit vs costs. It is easy to decide not to steal or murder because a society without these boundaries is one that is dangerous and unpleasant for the atheist as well as any other. We don't need some fantasy to tell us that our current life will be much worse if we don't act in an ethical manner. So in that regard, the ethical atheist is a grown-up who takes responsibility for his/her actions and their impact on the world.
Atheists don't share the same set of morals at all, but I can say that an atheist would probably make a more moral decision if being told by a voice in his head to kill his son than Abraham did (and Dena Schlosser who cut off her baby's arms). Nearly everyone believes that murdering children is wrong, and an atheist wouldn't have the "influence of god" there to convince her otherwise.
This makes me think of the conversation my husband told me he had with his foreman at work (they clear trees out of power lines) recently. My husband (an atheist) said his foreman (a christian who says he's called to preach) was talking about things of a religious nature one day while they were working when suddenly the foreman said, "Well, if it weren't for God and my religion I would be out there murdering, raping, and stealing all while thinking it was perfectly okay!"
My husband shut his saw off, and said, "Do me a favor, then. Don't lose your faith while you've got a chainsaw in your hands."
Using the views of atheists I've heard expressed on this forum for the last couple of years I can honestly say that the great majority of them are very positive and beneficial to society. Rather than state that atheists have stronger morals I would rather say that they're every bit as beneficial as those of well intentioned individuals are who religious. However, when it comes to issues such a the treatment of gays and lesbians I find that atheists are far more rational and I do believe that we represent a higher standard of morality on that subject.
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.
