Where do you atheists get your morals?

[TM99]

202. We agree much more than we disagree

I am a firm believer in the separation of church and state within any country or political system. I accept the necessity of 'congregating' with those of like mind, and you are quite correct that this can and often does lead to provincialism.

I am a pragmatist in many ways and recognize that even if all of humanity were willing to face the fear of the unknowable without resorting to god and even if all of humanity were willing to accept that we as sentient beings have created and continue to create systems of ethical action, i.e., morality, we would still form social groups. It is inevitable, laudable, and quite often terrifying. Religious groupings and secular groupings ultimately tend to look and act the same. They just seem different on the surface. Just look at the provincialism of political parties in America and the us versus them of Democrats and Republicans. How like 'religion' has that become?

And I agree, even Buddhism has been used by cultures to wage war, though historically, it has been far less often than the revealed religions of Abraham in the West.

Thank you for the compliment. I have many to thank for who I am today and how I communicate. I was fortunate to have college English professors for parents. An undergraduate degree in Philosophy taught me how to reason and argue. My profession is the 'talking cure' so words and how they are spoken are both fascinating and important to me. I suppose I also just enjoy a good conversation and the chance to teach knowing that what I say affects others. I piss off as many as I please these days.

Very nice chatting with you and look forward to more here in the future.