Does Moral Atheism threaten Religion?
367824
I am a Buddhist and believe that there is nothing wrong with your point of view.\n\nI do believe that being Atheist does threaten orginized religion. That is probably why orginized religion attacks people who denounce their faith.\n\nYou end up moving from religions that preach tolerance and peace, toward a religion that preaches blind obedience and resentment toward others.\n\nIt is sad to see that this is such a popular trend amongst the Muslims, Christians, Jews, etc of this world.\n\nBut I mostly blame the mono-theistic religions. Many pagan religions teach tolerance. And Buddhism, of course, has never fought a religious war (so that says a lot).
1178756
No, because the people who cling to a religion are people who need discipline and restraint in their lives. Underneath all that "Jesus loves me!" euphoria they hang on to deep fears of divine wrath. Without their religion to hold them back, I honestly believe some of them would have no qualms about murder, rape, stealing, etc.
921464
Its obviously an appeal to the conservative religious right to say that if you don't believe in God, you must be an immoral person at heart.\n\nThe ironic thing is that we all could name dozens of religious figures who have been anything but moral in their actions.
565477
I am Atheist. Yes, I do not believe in any God(s), But regardless, I do believe that there are consequences for my actions. I do not feel like you have to believe in any particular religion to have morals and values. The difference is that if you believe in God or any other deity you believe that your punishment is coming from that higher power. I believe it is my actions coming back to me, cause and effect. What ever you do will come back to you, so the best thing to do is to treat people how you would want to be treated, regardless of who they are and where they come from or what they believe in.
551548
ABSOLUTELY.  Christians do not have a monopoly on morals.  There are Christians with and without them.  There are Atheists with and without them.\n\nNon-Christians includes Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and well......everyone not Christian!  Absolutely every human is capable of morality.
880458
In short, yes. But it also enslaves people to irrationality and denial.\n\nOne thing I have learned about most religious people is that, facts, reality, commonsense, rational thinking, and the like, have no place in their lives. You can not reason with them - it's the great mystery of human behavior.
145211
Many people don't see religion as casting all humans as inherently bad.  For some of us, for example, our belief in a higher power incentivizes us to do good even when society would permit us not to.  In my own personal conduct, integrity is the hallmark of everything that I do and say.  I trace that integrity to a belief that at some point in the future I will have to answer for (i.e. justify) my every choice, word, and action.  In other words, even when it appears that no one is observing my conduct, I behave because I believe that Someone is.  It has become fashionable in political circles to mention one's religion, and particularly one's fundamentalism, much in the same vein as one lists other credentials (i.e. education, business experience, and political involvement to date).  I am tremendously skeptical that many if any of our political leaders truly believe the faith they profess.  I am convinced that if more of them anticipated justifying their conduct to a higher power, the world would automatically be better and, for example, the war in Iraq might never have begun under such false pretenses.
791767
A person is an atheist based on an analytical view and has therefore settled any questions as to otherwise.  It is not a whim or a notion, it is based on as solid a foundation as any religion, more so actually because it is based on what we believe to be fact.  I would certainly hope that the kind lady would not ask me to change my heart on this matter.  And, in turn, even though I would agree to be the recipient for the kidney that will give her a "reward" from God, I would not ask her to change her view toward God.  Please bear this in mind:  Although it is rare, sometimes people will perform sacrifices for each other with no other motive (i.e. rewards, going to heaven, avoiding hell) than to be good human beings.  That, my dear, is a rare and true sacrifice.
931566
Not necessarily.  I've seen alot with belief who step outside of what is considered moral, even by their own religions standards and then hypocritically justify it with that same religion.  I wouldn't consider that person better for their belief.  Though, on rare occaisions, I do find people with belief who have become better people for it... those are usually the one's who don't pressure others about belief.  Sad thing is, they're greatly outnumbered by those that step outside of the moral boundaries believing they are Better than others.
320036
Absolutely not.  I honestly believe that I am not religious just for any reward of afterlife.  I believe that doing what is right is good for its own sake.  And I believe that being religious in my case helps me to be good.
495006
Of course. It does not take a god to make one moral. Our human minds are capable of knowing what it takes to be a good person in society. Saying it takes a god is weak and it takes away from what a human can do.
616220
While I respect the right of anyone to have a religion, I would like the same respect paid to non-believers. Unfortunately I doesn't always work like that....\n\n\nI will take a stand when dogma overshadows humanity - for example, I will speak out against the homophobia exhibited by some christians.\n\nI used to defend atheism on these boards but now I just can't be ar$ed because there are so many 'atheists are just dumb' comments it bores me.
1054698
Being a n atheist does not mean we have no Morals .+\nAnswer:  About the same as  or a little less than Religious men.
634677
<----spiritual atheist.  \n\nI would not pay any heed to such questions. Atheism the philosophy gets its fair share of "attacks" too.  They are just words.  Your emotional/mental well-being is far more important than allowing yourself to get upset at questions that are more than likely asked by teenagers who do not know what atheism really is about but say they are atheist.\n\nI do agree that attacks on ANY religion or ANY philosophy is immature if one is seeking knowledge and wisdom.  I appreciate your not wanting to point out the flaws of atheism and catholicism, but why did you say catholicism is flawed if you did not like being told that christianity is flawed?  Goes both ways.
335128
For me, and this is just my perception, morals have a basis in religion. The Jewish 10 commandments, for example, constitute a moral code. Ethics on the other hand are derived from sources out side religion. You might derive a moral code from philosophy, science, or any number of other things. I, personally, do not consider myself to be "moral" because I'm not religious. I do however have an ethical standard that I try to live by. I derive my "code of ethics" from what I think of as a simple Universal Principle (This principle also defines the subject for me.) ... Cause and effect. I do a thing. That's the cause. That causes a sort of chain reaction that culminates in the result or effect. So I consider that I can pretty much do what ever I want so long as I'm willing to accept and live with the consequences. Which thing makes me stop and think before doing a thing. So I tend to act rather than re-act. That works pretty good for me. I usually end up treating the other person the way I'd want to be treated, accepting things as they are, just letting some things pass (I mean, how important is it ... Really?), etc. So ... For what its worth, that's my take on the thing. And it works well enough for me. ~ Peace & Blessings ~
1135261
I wouldn't say "down the toilet," but I would definitely say as a society, we are less moral than we were 50 years ago.  God is the source of morality.  As more people turn away from God, more people have an empty pit in their souls, which they fill with immorality.
864351
Absolutely.\n\nReligion and God(s) are not responsible for our development of a "moral compass." Morality is determined by society and as society changes, so do morals.\n\nThe Marquis de Sade stated it nicely, "Moral science is simply geography misconstrued." What might be acceptable in Los Angeles would be considered wrong in Bangkok and vice-versa.\n\nMany have suggested that religion is an invention in order to lay a moral framework. If you think of Santa Claus and the threat of no reward if you didn't obey your parents, you can see the similarities.\n\nAnd to your question of "what's the point of it all?" I'm not sure what you're referring to - but if it's "religion" then you could always go with what Karl Marx said: "Religion is the opiate of the masses."\n\nHe was stating that the promise of a "great reward in the hereafter" kept the worker (proletariat) in line and complacent with their station in life which then benefited the wealthy (bourgeoisie). \n\nDefinitely good stuff to think about and discuss with a group of friends :-)