RootsBooster Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 A claim that pops up now and again, made by theists, is that without the bible (Jesus' teachings, biblical parables and the 10 commandments) we would have no morals. This argument is easily dismissed but that's not the point... Many atheists think that the world would be a better place without religion but if it were to happen immediately, would it be such a good thing? Imagine those people (the ones who literally believe that without the Bible we would have no morals, not all theists) suddenly losing their faith and realising that their moral compass is based on nonsense, how would they cope? Would they remain "moral", would they decide they had wasted their lives subscribing to a load of guff, them go on a rampage (ie current movie "The Purge"), or something inbetween? EDIT: I mention the Bible because I've only ever heard the morality claim from Christians EDIT#2: Added a 3rd option to the last question Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marx Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 I have had this argument with theists. The OT is full of bad stuff. Slavery is condoned, women have to marry their rapists and people can be put to death for working on the Sabbath. The 10 commandments are mainly about false gods and property and only two of them are deemed illegal. Then Jesus comes along and it's all revoked (except the commandments). We just have to love him or we burn in hell for eternity. Theists will hang on to their warped belief system because they need to. I don't know if that is because it is a key part of their life or they need a friend in Jesus and the next life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEDROCK Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 Religion cannot exist without faith and faith cannot exist without religion. But on the other hand, you can still have faith in things like being superstitious without ever believing in religion! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootsBooster Posted June 1, 2013 Author Share Posted June 1, 2013 I have had this argument with theists. The OT is full of bad stuff. Slavery is condoned, women have to marry their rapists and people can be put to death for working on the Sabbath. The 10 commandments are mainly about false gods and property and only two of them are deemed illegal. Then Jesus comes along and it's all revoked (except the commandments). We just have to love him or we burn in hell for eternity. Theists will hang on to their warped belief system because they need to. I don't know if that is because it is a key part of their life or they need a friend in Jesus and the next life. Religion cannot exist without faith and faith cannot exist without religion. But on the other hand, you can still have faith in things like being superstitious without ever believing in religion! Both missing the point of the thread by quite a wide mark... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XXTickerXX Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 Well it could never happen overnight. It would take generations of teaching to get rid of religion. Your morals, the same as religion is mainly taught by the parents. If your parents are Christian its normally the children are brought up with their values. Someone brought up on a farm could easily slaughter animals without a second thought and still be very religious. Someone who buys the meat could be a complete Atheist and would turn vegetarian if they had to do the slaughter themselves. Your parents are your moral compass or whoever brings you up. If they don`t have any...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootsBooster Posted June 1, 2013 Author Share Posted June 1, 2013 Well it could never happen overnight. It would take generations of teaching to get rid of religion. Your morals, the same as religion is mainly taught by the parents. If your parents are Christian its normally the children are brought up with their values. Someone brought up on a farm could easily slaughter animals without a second thought and still be very religious. Someone who buys the meat could be a complete Atheist and would turn vegetarian if they had to do the slaughter themselves. Your parents are your moral compass or whoever brings you up. If they don`t have any...... A) In this case, loss of faith is immediate, as stated in the OP B) My parents were alcoholics who didn't teach me any morals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phanerothyme Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 Institutions like religion stabilise moral drift to a degree. But there are no absolute morals. Quite how quickly morality can shift, I suspect we'll discover as religion becomes a minority interest and loses its influence upon the people. I don't sense a massive amount of confidence in the church or politicians for moral leadership, so I do wonder who will take on that role. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootsBooster Posted June 1, 2013 Author Share Posted June 1, 2013 Institutions like religion stabilise moral drift to a degree. But there are no absolute morals. Quite how quickly morality can shift, I suspect we'll discover as religion becomes a minority interest and loses its influence upon the people. I don't sense a massive amount of confidence in the church or politicians for moral leadership, so I do wonder who will take on that role. Any direct answer to the question posed in the OP ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marx Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 Both missing the point of the thread by quite a wide mark... Sorry. ................. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 I think they'd immediately realise that their morality need not be determined by their chosen book, and they'd carry on life being normal moral people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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