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by MoZamboni on June 13th, 2006

MoZamboni

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In pure atheism, how would society determine morality or law?

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  • by MoZamboni on June 14th, 2006

    MoZamboni

    To all the atheists/agnostics who answer this question: IT IS HYPOTHETICAL!!!

    If you breakdown my question, and breakdown her answer, she didn't answer me at all. Case in point, she basically took out the most important part of my question early in her "answer", and I quote:

    Suzanne: "There is no such thing as 'pure atheism'..."

    I realize that! The combination of HOW & WOULD in the body of a question signifies that it is HYPOTHETICAL! Everyone in the world knows you can't just pick parts out of a question if it suits you! If this were a scientific test, and you took out one of the parts of your hypothesis to validate your answer - YOU KNOW you would have voided the results!

    In any case, here is the breakdown:

    TheWormSAF) In pure atheism, how would society determine morality or law?

    Suzanne Lanoue) There is no such thing as 'pure atheism'

    RESULT: My question is effectively removed from her answer.

    ---------

    TW) What inevitable punishment would you face?

    SL) a) People don't avoid breaking laws just from the fear of punishment. b) They also do it because they feel it's wrong (for whatever reason) or c) they have no need to commit the crime in the first place.

    COUNTERPOINT: Parts a & b are related. Wrongness is defined by the fear of negative consequences that come from an act. You will always be punished, whether you make yourself feel guilty for stealing a cookie from the jar all the way up to murder, where you are put in jail/executed. And part c is just absurd, just because you have NO NEED 'to do it' doesn't mean anything. Not being put in a situation, NEVER EVER factors in to a persons morality, in fact that's why we have morals, to help us act correctly in situations, and decide if we have no need!

    3) Then, there is the last part of the question, which Suzanne completely contradicts herself, and makes this answer fundamentally useless:

    "No one needs God or religion to define their morality."

    Which is followed later by...

    "Atheists live in this world the same as anyone else, and the world is dominated by religious people, laws, and culture. Religion used to dominate even more than it does now, so of course it has influenced many things. Just because you don't believe in God doesn't mean you don't have to follow the rules."

    Suzanne, I thought you said in the first sentence of your "answer" no one needs God or religion to DEFINE morality. Well in the third paragraph, you seem to disagree with yourself!

    You said you didn't need God or religion to DEFINE morality for you, but later in the "answer" you seem just fine and dandy using the morals and rules DEFINED by the same God/Religion that you admittedly don't need!!!

    So, to all who are going to attempt to answer this question, answer it! Don't justify your personal beliefs and don't give me your agenda. Tell me how atheism -WITHOUT- religion/God would decide morality, since all morals and rules are made by Religions everywhere, or are based on them. I want to know how it could happen!

    So, answer the question, don't give a long drawn out book report on how YOU or AN ATHEIST ARE MORAL!

    ANSWER THE WHOLE QUESTION!

    Comments

    • Whoa- calm down! Moral absolutes are common to religion, but that doesn't mean they can't exist without it. Many of the basic moral tenets of the major religions are also held by atheists, just without the God proviso. See my answer above.

      Anonymous

      by Anonymous on August 8th, 2006

    • "Wrongness is defined by the fear of negative consequences"?? Defining morality only by the existance of authority reduces humans to the level of dogs. That's scary! This logic excuses murder and crimes if you think it pleases your God. Ugh.

      lizvelrene

      by lizvelrene on August 17th, 2006

    • Just because a rule is part of a specific religion, doesn't mean that its exclusive to that religion. Most religions have basic moral principles (not to kill, for example) in common, so why should they not also be common to the non-religious?

      Anonymous

      by Anonymous on August 23rd, 2006

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