Here is an article discussing the source of morality for atheists and others who might reject old-line, fear-based religions: Do Atheists Get Their Morals From the Bible?
Many believers argue that atheists really can’t have any morals, since all morals come from the Bible in their view. The fact that moral codes predate the Bible usually doesn’t enter the discussion. Certainly we wouldn’t want to bring up the fact that much of the great moral code of the Bible contains, 1) Many rather immoral things such as slavery and the right to murder your own children if they disobey you, and 2) The fact that the 10 commandments parrots much older writings. But that aside…
The unspoken and rather obvious point is that morality is an instinct. It competes with other instincts, of course, so that is why morality is always relative (and nowhere more so than in the Bible). Nevertheless morality is as genetic and hard-coded as the mother cat who knows to care for her kittens or the worker bee that feeds the growing larvae. In fact, it is exactly the same.
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Reason
Christians are fond of calling themselves an oppressed minority. It’s part of religion in general; it enforces the group-think. In order to keep people in line, you have to remind them how everyone else is out to get them. But who is really oppressed here?
Cenk Uygur: The Silent Minority
“There is a minority group in America that is a bigger percentage of the country than blacks or Hispanics. But they are often ignored or derided in public. Almost no politician would ever admit to being one. And they are given no voice in the public arena. ..the non-religious.”
In addition to enforcing group-think, religion also needs to view itself as being under siege to stifle criticism and prevent its members from seriously considering any contradictory information.
In other words, just believe what we tell you because everyone else is out to destroy you. Science? Oh, it might SEEM like it is only investigating and documenting natural phenomena, but the fact that such evidence contradicts religious explanations is proof that science is really out to get us. So now just investigation of evidence and even nature itself is out to get the poor believers. And so it goes….
The non-religious people aren’t trying to enforce group-think or prevent rational investigation so they don’t complain enough about being the real oppressed group, which is what they are.
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Reason
