Athiest Morality

[Givemeareason]

Since atheists no longer have religion to tell us what is moral and what is not we have to decide for ourselves.  We could continue to borrow religious morals but I see no reason to do so.  So taking this to my most fundamental premise I can say, "I must be moral.".  If that were not true, I would be a sociopath.  Why is another question but not now. So taking that premise I then have to build from that.  I recently experienced a moral dilemmas which has forced me back to this premise.  So taking this premise I have built this statement.  "I cannot willfully nor directly harm another person without just cause."  I don't think I need elaborate on the possibilities that are allowed.  The dilemma is this.  I was placed into having to choose between two people that I love.  They each wanted to have things their own way.  I was forced to choose which brought me back to having to formulate that statement.  What I ended up doing was explaining to them that I could not morally make the choice they requested.  To do so would violate my most basic requirement of remaining moral.  I then said things are to remain the same.  The situation is not resolved.  They are both still unhappy.  But I remain moral.  Did I handle this correctly or how could I have improved this?

[sasuke]

Since atheists no longer have religion

Buddhists can be atheists.

"I must be moral.".  If that were not true, I would be a sociopath

More precisely, I have empathy, so I try to act in ways that do not break some variation of the silver rule.  Otherwise, I'm probably a sociopath.

I then said things are to remain the same.  The situation is not resolved.  They are both still unhappy. 

So you're bedding two women at the same time. Awesome!

[Jason78]

You could have chosen to do nothing, and avoided the conflict altogether.

[Termin]

 Or told them the simple truth.

  You love them both and you don't want to get in the middle of this.

[Munch]

I want to know why it is you keep placing a generalized blanket term for anything atheists do as a generalized rule.

Morality comes from experience, growing up in a good enviroment, good people teaching us right from wrong, and figuring out for ourselves by empathy how not to be a dick to others, but also not taking shit from people that treat you like shit.

Why is what you did considered to be a 'atheist morality' question, its an invigivual question, and if you can't figure out for yourselves what happened or how you could improve it, its not on others to figure out for you.

[Givemeareason]

Buddhists can be atheists.
More precisely, I have empathy, so I try to act in ways that do not break some variation of the silver rule.  Otherwise, I'm probably a sociopath.
So you're bedding two women at the same time. Awesome!

No, they are two of my well grown children who are still behaving like less grown children.  Perhaps I should have said that but I did not want to color the idea I was trying to convey.

[Givemeareason]

You could have chosen to do nothing, and avoided the conflict altogether.

I could not avoid the conflict and I view it as an experience I should not have avoided anyway.  We would not be having this discussion if I had avoided it.

[Givemeareason]

Or told them the simple truth.

  You love them both and you don't want to get in the middle of this.

That would have been avoiding the issue and I am glad it was not an option.  What I did was to engage the issue and it seems to me all three of us have benefited and hopefully enhanced the prospects of it being resolved.

[Givemeareason]

I want to know why it is you keep placing a generalized blanket term for anything atheists do as a generalized rule.

Morality comes from experience, growing up in a good enviroment, good people teaching us right from wrong, and figuring out for ourselves by empathy how not to be a dick to others, but also not taking shit from people that treat you like shit.

Why is what you did considered to be a 'atheist morality' question, its an invigivual question, and if you can't figure out for yourselves what happened or how you could improve it, its not on others to figure out for you.

I am doing that not because I want to generalize atheists but because I do not want the tinted perspectives of those who are not atheist.

If morality comes from experience, that would seem to lead to a very diversified set of morals which maybe it is.  I am inclined to think it is more than that.

It is an athiest morality question because we don't have a guidebook to go by.  And since I wanted atheist feedback I posed it in that manner.

[Givemeareason]

I am doing that not because I want to generalize atheists but because I do not want the tinted perspectives of those who are not atheist.

If morality comes from experience, that would seem to lead to a very diversified set of morals which maybe it is.  I am inclined to think it is more than that.

It is an athiest morality question because we don't have a guidebook to go by.  And since I wanted atheist feedback I posed it in that manner.

Suppose you were placed in a position where you had to choose between two people whom you were very close to in which one of them had to die?  Keep in mind you are an atheist so there is nothing beyond death.  I am not sure how a theist would handle that.

[Termin]

No, they are two of my well grown children who are still behaving like less grown children.  Perhaps I should have said that but I did not want to color the idea I was trying to convey.

  Ground the both of em :)

[Givemeareason]

  Ground the both of em :)

If I were to do that, I would have to ground half the world along with them. :-)

[Johan]

Since atheists no longer have religion to tell us what is moral and what is not we have to decide for ourselves. 

No one, atheist or otherwise has ever required religion to tell them what is moral and what is not. Everyone, including theists, makes up their own minds about what is moral and what is not and always has. If this weren't the case, we would today be living in a world where it was completely ok to sell your own daughter as a sex slave, or completely ok for any man to rape a young girl so long as he then purchases that girl from her family for about $850 and marries her. We would also be living in a world where any man considered to be righteous would offer his own virgin daughters up to be raped by an angry mob if said mob was intent on having gay sex with that man's house guests.


This religion gives us our morality myth is bullshit and it always was. We all choose our own morality. Even if we choose to align our morals with the parts of the bible we've decided we like, we're still each of us making up or own minds.

[Givemeareason]

No one, atheist or otherwise has ever required religion to tell them what is moral and what is not. Everyone, including theists, makes up their own minds about what is moral and what is not and always has. If this weren't the case, we would today be living in a world where it was completely ok to sell your own daughter as a sex slave, or completely ok for any man to rape a young girl so long as he then purchases that girl from her family for about $850 and marries her. We would also be living in a world where any man considered to be righteous would offer his own virgin daughters up to be raped by an angry mob if said mob was intent on having gay sex with that man's house guests.


This religion gives us our morality myth is bullshit and it always was. We all choose our own morality. Even if we choose to align our morals with the parts of the bible we've decided we like, we're still each of us making up or own minds.

Let's narrow it down to just Christianity.   So if you think
Christianity never needed to tell us about morality, why do you think they spent so much time doing it?  You are clearly right their morals were pretty screwed up but I assume they were acceptable back then.  And I don't think many Christians are running around wanting to rape you or your daughters today.   So indeed times have changed.  So why are you referring to morals back then to degrade the need for morals today?

[DeathandGrim]

I make myself moral.

I decide what's good or bad and it's subject to change. My views generally align with the society I live in.