Religion

prole_for_peace

(2,064 posts)

37. A co-worker asked me that question.

Sun Jan 27, 2013, 04:17 PM

Jan 2013

He does not know I am an atheist because I live in SE Texas and have not "come out" to anyone but my brother and his family who are also atheists.

This co-worker probably wanted to discuss with me because I almost always have the opposite view of everyone else in the firm.

Anyway, he says "Since atheists don't believe in heaven or god they should be ok with what Hitler did to the Jews". It took me a few moments to get my brain around that and I told him that you don't have to believe to have a sense of right and wrong and that most people have an internal concept of ethics. And that if a only a fear of hell that stops a christian from murdering and torturing and not some kind inherent knowledge of right and wrong, than I am more scared of that christian than I am of any non-believer

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

203 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Where do you atheists get your morals? [View all] cleanhippie Jan 2013 OP

Joe Pesci. temporary311 Jan 2013 #1

Joe bless you. longship Jan 2013 #2

an amusing baseball bat at that. n/t griloco Jan 2013 #5

Its like I always said..... Motown_Johnny Jan 2013 #17

+1000! Fearless Jan 2013 #24

George Carlin strikes again. sakabatou Jan 2013 #19

The same place anyone gets their morals TM99 Jan 2013 #3

+1 alfredo Jan 2013 #6

Well said ajk2821 Jan 2013 #8

The same place anyone gets their morals AlbertCat Jan 2013 #20

I got mine when they had the Black Friday sale. Had to stay up all night... BlueJazz Jan 2013 #26

You can have mine. It's highly overrated and can be dangerous to your health. nt Walk away Jan 2013 #27

LOL. It's obvious you didnt get "truthfulness". nm rhett o rick Jan 2013 #56

Exceptionally well put RiverNoord Jan 2013 #25

Thank you TM99 Jan 2013 #199

You're excellent at discussing complex issues with... RiverNoord Jan 2013 #200

We agree much more than we disagree TM99 Jan 2013 #202

+2 mr blur Jan 2013 #30

Could not have said it better rationalcalgarian Jan 2013 #45

Thanks TM99 Jan 2013 #134

Fat-fingered me! rationalcalgarian Jan 2013 #144

I figured as much TM99 Jan 2013 #147

And typing in the dark doesn't help, either! rationalcalgarian Jan 2013 #196

+ 450 russspeakeasy Jan 2013 #46

Pretty much sums it up! Starboard Tack Jan 2013 #58

+161 Angry Dragon Jan 2013 #64

That sounds a lot like like Jonathan Haidt. MissMarple Jan 2013 #68

Thank you TM99 Jan 2013 #133

Very true. Humanity has a basic morality, wired in. bhikkhu Jan 2013 #103

K&R from another atheist cheese-lover. beac Jan 2013 #4

eBay alfredo Jan 2013 #7

Actually there is a famous case involving cheese BainsBane Jan 2013 #9

Hmmmmmmmmm... Cheese Nachos for dinner! jbone45 Jan 2013 #10

Cheese is love. Curmudgeoness Jan 2013 #11

"take and eat, this is my body". AlbertCat Jan 2013 #21

Cheesus! ROFL! Curmudgeoness Jan 2013 #31

Can I get a Cheesus sandwich, please? Coyotl Jan 2013 #43

Coming right up. eggplant Jan 2013 #52

Just start with Jesus toast ... eppur_se_muova Jan 2013 #140

Love Cheesus, but love the quote in your sig even more. cui bono Jan 2013 #54

Yes. A keeper of a quote. LuckyLib Jan 2013 #111

Everyone chooses their own morals... NYC Liberal Jan 2013 #12

only to a point and as adults as some one said up thread. Phillip McCleod Jan 2013 #125

Not really. GeorgeGist Jan 2013 #169

Wow, what a convincing argument! cleanhippie Jan 2013 #171

Yes really. NYC Liberal Jan 2013 #172

Ah... the eternal Cheese vs Bacon debate Demo_Chris Jan 2013 #13

I also get morels when I forage in the forest. Arugula Latte Jan 2013 #14

HA!!!!!! pnwest Jan 2013 #23

Blessed are the cheesemakers (with help from Monty Python.) iandhr Jan 2013 #15

Where do you come from... awoke_in_2003 Jan 2013 #40

I got the Moral Value Pack from Sears. nt Deep13 Jan 2013 #16

I got it at my mother's knee needledriver Jan 2013 #18

This could become a cult... Spitfire of ATJ Jan 2013 #22

Costco Duer 157099 Jan 2013 #28

There's nothing in atheism that requires moralty. rug Jan 2013 #29

Yes, but people, including atheists, are moral agents eallen Jan 2013 #32

If they are, it has nothing to do with atheism. rug Jan 2013 #34

"The difference is we know that, and don't spin tales about some god giving it to us." cleanhippie Jan 2013 #91

But on the theist side, it's fucking everywhere tavalon Jan 2013 #35

But it doesn't answer the OP at all. rug Jan 2013 #36

"God" is also not a valid source of morality, and neither is "religious belief". D23MIURG23 Jan 2013 #121

Your statement sums up my thoughts on "morality" KansDem Jan 2013 #165

Valid? What is your standard for valid? rug Jan 2013 #170

Its just basic logic. D23MIURG23 Jan 2013 #181

There's your first problem; logic is not a function of evidence. rug Jan 2013 #189

Daresay tama Jan 2013 #190

No, I'm referring cultural mores and norms, along with all their subsets. rug Jan 2013 #191

Source of ethical behavior tama Jan 2013 #197

Thanks, I never heard that term. rug Jan 2013 #201

By data you just mean premises. D23MIURG23 Jan 2013 #194

Datum, as in a given. rug Jan 2013 #195

As someone said: tama Jan 2013 #198

It seems one of the attrations of religion, amuse bouche Jan 2013 #137

Religions "require" morality and followers do bad things anyway TexasBushwhacker Jan 2013 #38

A criticism of religion, with nothing more, does not create a virtue in atheism. rug Jan 2013 #41

The virtue of atheism is that it enables analysis of moral precepts on their own merits. D23MIURG23 Jan 2013 #128

Correct, as it is a non-belief in gods, not a moral system. Warren Stupidity Jan 2013 #57

Therefore, atheism s irrelevant to morality. rug Jan 2013 #76

Correct, atheism is the non belief in gods, not an ethical system. Warren Stupidity Jan 2013 #93

That qualifier should be in bold face. rug Jan 2013 #95

The OP is a simple question. AtheistCrusader Jan 2013 #141

Cartoons aside, the question has a simple answer. rug Jan 2013 #168

It appears to me that you are making the assumption that atheisim rhett o rick Jan 2013 #59

In that case, the discussion of atheism and morals is nonsense. rug Jan 2013 #74

I agree. The discussion of morals and religion is also nonsense. nm rhett o rick Jan 2013 #77

No, because religion explicitly addresses morality. rug Jan 2013 #79

Indeed, many religions make ridiculous claims about the origins of ethics and morality. Warren Stupidity Jan 2013 #96

Do you enjoy draping yourself in ludicrous stereotypes? rug Jan 2013 #97

Project much? Warren Stupidity Jan 2013 #98

Not me. I'm not going around saying people are accusing me of killing babies. rug Jan 2013 #106

No you are accusing atheism of not doing something it doesn't claim to do. Warren Stupidity Jan 2013 #152

He's not tama Jan 2013 #153

Now who's projecting? rug Jan 2013 #164

Depends. AtheistCrusader Jan 2013 #143

Yes of course. I was being flip. I should have said that the discussion that rhett o rick Jan 2013 #159

Did you read that in the Holy Book of Atheism? AAO Jan 2013 #73

No, Dawkins bores me. rug Jan 2013 #75

Then what resource were you referring to here? AAO Jan 2013 #85

Are you aware of any source that says it is? rug Jan 2013 #86

The fact that you are weaseling out of my questions doesn't startle me. AAO Jan 2013 #88

There's no weaseling at all. rug Jan 2013 #89

I agree 100% with the definition. That wasn't my point, and you must know that. AAO Jan 2013 #90

Adios. rug Jan 2013 #94

Atheism isn't a belief structure. AtheistCrusader Jan 2013 #142

So now this continues with you. AAO Jan 2013 #156

That is not where the burden of proof lay. AtheistCrusader Jan 2013 #176

That's what you 2 don't seem to understand AAO Jan 2013 #177

Atheism. AtheistCrusader Jan 2013 #180

You still haven't explained how atheism could be silent or not silent. AAO Jan 2013 #183

It's a rhetorical statement. AtheistCrusader Jan 2013 #185

'it does not apply' AAO Jan 2013 #187

Maybe this is a better way to put it AAO Jan 2013 #184

He obviously didn't mean it LITERALLY.... AtheistCrusader Jan 2013 #186

Atheism couldn't speak if it wanted to. 'it does not apply' is a better way to say it. AAO Jan 2013 #188

Whereas Christianity often proposes proposes bad morals intaglio Jan 2013 #81

Does criticizing religion make you feel better about atheism? rug Jan 2013 #84

My post merely points out that religion often has little do do with "morality" intaglio Jan 2013 #104

But the question in the OP concerns the source of morality for atheist, not religious people. rug Jan 2013 #105

The answer is not religion intaglio Jan 2013 #107

Nonsense. rug Jan 2013 #108

No, it's not a conclusion jeff47 Jan 2013 #135

Principle intaglio Jan 2013 #146

Oh please. You are implying that someone feels bad about being an atheist. djean111 Jan 2013 #151

Fortunately, morals are inate. nt Deep13 Jan 2013 #114

True. Evoman Jan 2013 #123

Not so sure on that. grantcart Jan 2013 #145

Not necessarily. rug Jan 2013 #167

There are always excepts to any rule, obviously. grantcart Jan 2013 #192

Well, that does not seem evolutionarily astute, does it? rug Jan 2013 #193

Morals existed before religion. Phlem Jan 2013 #33

Given that they both go back to the myst of prehistory, how do you know that? eallen Jan 2013 #39

I was there. It was in Green Bay. russspeakeasy Jan 2013 #50

here's one quick search. Phlem Jan 2013 #60

Bad reasoning, there eallen Jan 2013 #70

I'm thinking more along the lines that Phlem Jan 2013 #78

Yes, but some primates also seem to engage in mourning. eallen Jan 2013 #80

I wouldn't necessarily think Phlem Jan 2013 #92

Depends on what the mourner is thinking. eallen Jan 2013 #99

This doesn't mean Phlem Jan 2013 #101

Yup tama Jan 2013 #82

It's biological, the result of Darwinism. Deep13 Jan 2013 #115

Look it up. Phlem Jan 2013 #55

How so? tama Jan 2013 #67

A co-worker asked me that question. prole_for_peace Jan 2013 #37

Morals are relative to any life. jonthebru Jan 2013 #42

Morals? Rain Mcloud Jan 2013 #44

Some cheese really smells. humblebum Jan 2013 #47

But smelly cheese is the best cheese! stultusporcos Jan 2013 #51

Not to everyone. humblebum Jan 2013 #72

True most people in America think Velveta is Cheese stultusporcos Jan 2013 #100

Try it with beer! Javaman Jan 2013 #162

These days, at the Dollar Store, unless I have a coupon. WinkyDink Jan 2013 #48

Derived from basic Human Rights, just like it always was before some needed divinity to enforce it on point Jan 2013 #49

The idea that humans have rights arose during the Enlightenment... Deep13 Jan 2013 #116

As a named concept yes, but I would argue early morality is human rights in religious guise on point Jan 2013 #149

Mostly I want to be honest and kind because I like people to like me and be happy. brewens Jan 2013 #53

I'm not mean or dishonest because it would make others feel bad AAO Jan 2013 #83

Who would you rather be in charge of the morals department? tama Jan 2013 #109

It shouldn't be us against them, but we should be against those AAO Jan 2013 #126

"Be the change you want" tama Jan 2013 #129

It's difficult to be compassionate with those that want to do you harm. AAO Jan 2013 #158

Yes, it can be difficult tama Jan 2013 #163

I always try to see the other side. The Teabagger agenda is not compassionate. AAO Jan 2013 #166

The agenda is politically and ethically very disagreeable tama Jan 2013 #173

Bing! bing! bing! bing! We have a winnah! nt Deep13 Jan 2013 #117

It's the Great Potato. See the Dinosaurs episode "The Greatest Story Every Sold" (nt) thesquanderer Jan 2013 #61

Star Trek, MASH, Little House on the Prarie & Twilight Zone. Nt Ian David Jan 2013 #62

Golden Rule Angry Dragon Jan 2013 #63

K&R blkmusclmachine Jan 2013 #65

LOL !!! - Perfect !!! - K & R !!! WillyT Jan 2013 #66

I get my morels in the woods.... lastlib Jan 2013 #69

If I told you, you wouldn't get it. nt ladjf Jan 2013 #71

where do we get our morals? 2pooped2pop Jan 2013 #87

Kinda says it all. n/t CRH Jan 2013 #102

That's great Lane1340 Jan 2013 #110

I hear they get 'em from the "Bulk Morals" section at Costco. Ken Burch Jan 2013 #112

And you can spread cheese without pissing people off. JBoy Jan 2013 #113

Vegans will not approve. Deep13 Jan 2013 #118

Schenectady eridani Jan 2013 #119

every comic knows cleveland is funnier. unblock Jan 2013 #127

Brilliant. n/t D23MIURG23 Jan 2013 #120

When I was 6-years-old, Dad took my big sisters and I fishing.... tpsbmam Jan 2013 #122

:) thank you for your post gtar100 Jan 2013 #148

'well for starters, i can prove cheese.' Phillip McCleod Jan 2013 #124

I just assumed everybody got theirs as a Blue Light Special kestrel91316 Jan 2013 #130

When asked this question, I usually respond Mr.Bill Jan 2013 #131

That's Gouda place as any. Laochtine Jan 2013 #132

Hell if I know! freshwest Jan 2013 #136

If my morality came from religion LiberalFighter Jan 2013 #138

LEARNING morals and BEING moral are two entirely different things. rocktivity Jan 2013 #139

It's the Bible that teacher us that peole are 'bad'.. ca3799 Jan 2013 #150

I agree with your last sentence though people are imperfect and may act in unethical ways yurbud Jan 2013 #155

Ethea and mores tama Jan 2013 #157

Oh please. The Cheesists have it all wrong. Morals obviously come from Zorra Jan 2013 #154

You know tama Jan 2013 #160

And let's face it, everyone loves cheese. :) nt Javaman Jan 2013 #161

I got mine at a garage/tag sale, slightly used but still in good shape dr.strangelove Jan 2013 #174

Where do I get my morals? MynameisBlarney Jan 2013 #175

I was raised catholic, but my agnostic husband is more 'moral' than anyone I grew up with Fight2Win Jan 2013 #178

This comic had me until it poked fun at religious belief in general Ian_rd Jan 2013 #179

I like these quotes: Rob H. Jan 2013 #182

Updated to include OP cartoon rocktivity Jun 2015 #203