Is morality possible without God

[Russels Orbiting Teapot]

No. Morality revolves around the idea of a deity. Indeed, you could set your own morality by your own morals, but then again, where do we get morals? Why is murder wrong?

Because the big man in the sky said he would hit us with his stick if we did it?

Or maybe because I, personally, would not like to be murdered, and I recognize through empathy that the vast majority of humans are like me and share this desire, and I recognize through logic that there is nothing that makes me more important than other people, and more deserving of not being murdered.

[Neutraligon]

No. Morality revolves around the idea of a deity. Indeed, you could set your own morality by your own morals, but then again, where do we get morals? Why is murder wrong?

Empathy and self interest.

[Infected Mushroom]

Yes.

It is possible to have a code of honour without there being a God. Whether or not the code is ultimately enforceable or not is a different matter.

[Godular]

Yes.

It is possible to have a code of honour without there being a God. Whether or not the code is ultimately enforceable or not is a different matter.

Technically any morality based on religious authority is 'ultimately unenforceable'

[New DeCapito]

I remember a guy saying once "a deed done out of fear has no moral value", or something like that. That holds with me. If you're getting threatened by a omnipotent guy with a big stick, it's not your choice what you do. You do what the omnipotent guy with the big stick wants you to do, and you become an instrument in someone else's plans.

[Soldati Senza Confini]

No. Morality revolves around the idea of a deity. Indeed, you could set your own morality by your own morals, but then again, where do we get morals? Why is murder wrong?

We get morals out of our own valuations from right and wrong.

Nothing more, nothing less.

The reason why killing another human being is wrong is because you are killing a person. The concept of "personhood" makes us care about other human beings. It is a very much needed concept, as abstract as it is, to not kill each other.

[The Rich Port]

I've literally had religious people tell me that if they thought God wasn't real, they'd be psychopaths.

I don't know whether that's a problem with religion, religious people, or atheism.

But it deeply disturbs me that there's some people in this world that have such little empathy that they REQUIRE coercion at all times to be kept in check, imaginary or not.

[Infected Mushroom]

Yes.

It is possible to have a code of honour without there being a God. Whether or not the code is ultimately enforceable or not is a different matter.

Technically any morality based on religious authority is 'ultimately unenforceable'

it might be if the god exists

and we don't know for sure

[Mavorpen]

No. Morality revolves around the idea of a deity. Indeed, you could set your own morality by your own morals, but then again, where do we get morals? Why is murder wrong?

We get morality primarily from evolution.

[Sociobiology]

No. Morality revolves around the idea of a deity.

no it doesn't plenty of non-human animals have morality, everything from vampire bats to chimps.

Indeed, you could set your own morality by your own morals,

which most people do, including most religious people, and one way you can tell is because modern Christians don't advocate stoning disobedient children or killing nonbelievers.

but then again, where do we get morals?

evolved instincts

Why is murder wrong?

do you want proximate or ultimate reasons, and please note murder has a legal component.

[Russels Orbiting Teapot]

it might be if the god exists

and we don't know for sure

We don't have any more reason to believe that a god who punishes murder exists rather than a god who rewards murder. What, if anything, happens to your consciousness after you die is a complete crapshoot.

[Benian Republic]

Secular morality exists so yeah.

[Grave_n_idle]

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't morality a non physical thing? Yes most of us have a sense of morality, though it usually differs from person to person. I know that is a rather dumb argument, but it's not my point. If it's difficult to even prove whether we ourselves exist, is it possible to prove that certain actions are wrong without belief in a supernatural God?

From my understanding the skepticism around morality boils down to "what authority is there that makes doing x actions bad and others good?" I can't think of anything besides God that may constitute this authority.

What do you think?

(Also it's worth noting that I'm talking about objective morality)

Is morality possible with a god?

If your codes are determined by an external source, it could be argued you're making no moral choices - you're just obeying orders.

[Prussia-Steinbach]

No. Morality revolves around the idea of a deity.

Bullshit.

Indeed, you could set your own morality by your own morals...

Which everyone does anyway.

...but then again, where do we get morals?

Science. Biology. Evolution. Sentience. Empathy.

Why is murder wrong?

If you do not know the answer to this question, you may want to seek psychological help.

[Grave_n_idle]

No. Morality revolves around the idea of a deity. Indeed, you could set your own morality by your own morals, but then again, where do we get morals? Why is murder wrong?

Pragmatism.

If I don't murder you, and you don't murder me - we both get away with not being murdered.

It's in BOTH of our interests to call murder 'wrong'.

But it's a terrifying argument that anyone would need the idea of a 'god' to convince them of that.

[Othelos]

No. Morality revolves around the idea of a deity. Indeed, you could set your own morality by your own morals, but then again, where do we get morals? Why is murder wrong?

Pragmatism.

If I don't murder you, and you don't murder me - we both get away with not being murdered.

It's in BOTH of our interests to call murder 'wrong'.

But it's a terrifying argument that anyone would need the idea of a 'god' to convince them of that.

Also, because murdering someone is taking away their life, which is not rightfully the murderer's to control. Plus harming the person.

[Hurdegaryp]

Secular morality exists so yeah.

You say that, but your signature betrays a strict adherence to a morality based upon irrational dogmas and terrorism.

[The Rich Port]

Secular morality exists so yeah.

You say that, but your signature betrays a strict adherence to a morality based upon irrational dogmas and terrorism.

Also, his signature is so ugly it violates the Geneva conventions on torture...

[Infected Mushroom]

it might be if the god exists

and we don't know for sure

We don't have any more reason to believe that a god who punishes murder exists rather than a god who rewards murder. What, if anything, happens to your consciousness after you die is a complete crapshoot.

it depends on who you ask, some people are convinced of God's existence

[Benian Republic]

You say that, but your signature betrays a strict adherence to a morality based upon irrational dogmas and terrorism.

Also, his signature is so ugly it violates the Geneva conventions on torture...

Terrorism can fit any group or country at times.

And what is it that I wrote that says that I support torture?

[The Rich Port]

We don't have any more reason to believe that a god who punishes murder exists rather than a god who rewards murder. What, if anything, happens to your consciousness after you die is a complete crapshoot.

it depends on who you ask, some people are convinced of God's existence

Some people are convinced UFO's are real.

Why aren't they afforded the same respect?

They have more information than theists do about God.

[Soldati Senza Confini]

it depends on who you ask, some people are convinced of God's existence

Some people are convinced UFO's are real.

Why aren't they afforded the same respect?

They have more information than theists do about God.

Well, you do have Scientologists...

[Russels Orbiting Teapot]

it depends on who you ask, some people are convinced of God's existence

Being convinced does not equal having a good reason. I've yet to meet any theist with a good reason to believe that a particular god exists.

[The Rich Port]

Some people are convinced UFO's are real.

Why aren't they afforded the same respect?

They have more information than theists do about God.

Well, you do have Scientologists...

Hey, give the secular Ufology movement some credit, they at least mostly don't think aliens are God.

They have pictures! So it happened, as per the laws of the Internet!

[Adnan Nawaz And Bureacrats Elsewhere]

There doesn't. Technically, I'm agnostic, but I believe in my own God as a substitute for the one I don't believe exists to everyone. It's more of a personal philosophy than anything else. Then again, I'm scared of there being a morality without some authority, hence why I've made one up as a coping mechanism.

That is both saddening and brutally honest.

Thank you. I pride myself on my honesty. Though, why is that saddening? I am technically agnostic, but I am choosing to still believe in some authority because I cannot imagine a morality with a God, even though I lack belief in the Gods others worship.