Doug Giles: Hey Atheists ... Get Your Own Moral Code

Townhall ^ | 5/26/07 | Doug Giles

[annalex]

I will remember this. Thank you for the laugh. Happy Pentecost.

[windsorknot]

Atheism is the perfect venue for moral relativism.

[Oztrich Boy]

Basically the atheist moral code can be summed up as “Might Makes Right.”

Whereas the Biblical moral code is the there is no inherent moral code that can be derived, but rules laid down by the All Mighty.

[yankeedame]

...Judeo-Christian derived ethics and morality. Even language itself is bathed in religious message. Likewise, contemporary stories are largely inspired by this history. The cultural fruit of Judeo-Christian morality permeates all of society, exposing theist and atheist alike to biblical morality from cradle to grave...

If I may add, the Judeo-Christian theology introduced to the world, and to world history, two previously unknown, unimagined, and unimaginable concepts:

• The right of private property -- esp. the most valuable of them all: the right of a man to do with his body what he wishes, [a.k.a. personal freedom] Hence the Founding Fathers statement re: "life, liberty..."
• The worth of a man in the eyes of God. What does that mean? It means that with the ancients deities were of time and place: A god of the river; a goddess of a spring; a goddess of the city,i.e., Athena/Athens; the god of a mountain, etc. The God of the Cauterization believe was/is everywhere and for all time. He travels with you from birth to death and beyond. He isn;t just in a cave or a steam or sky, He is everywhere, He is always with you, because you --as an individual -- are worth His time. That you --as an individual-- are important and are worth taking into consideration.

You wouldn't find these tenants in any other religion. (Naturally, this isn't saying that nowadays other religions haven't nudged around to these believes, but...)

[yankeedame]

The God of the Cauterization ...

...what the heck?? How did I get that mixed up with "Judeo-Christian"?? It was one of the choice on the spell checker (don't as my why) and I guess I must have hit it by mistakes. Well, I guess that's what I get for trying to pontificate which eating a plateful of cheetos! (and they were stale, too!)

[LeGrande]

Categorically, an atheist telling me I am immoral is no different than any preacher or rabbi saying I am a sinner.

Are you delusional? I never called you immoral.

The Prisoners Dilemma basically demonstrates that it is in everyones best interest to work together and not betray each other. There is no need to call on a higher authority to decree morality. Enlightened self interest works very well. Religion tends to work against fundamental moral principles.

[Diamond]

Ergo, enduring civilization without the Jehovan god’s morality, is perfectly achievable.

Confucius say, "Is there moral duty for civilization to endure?"

Cordially,

[Tribune7]

Nietzsche understood that we can either have God and meaningful morality, or we can have no God and thus, all life is meaningless and without any trace of hope . . . it officially sucks.

And Nietzche of course was insane.

The problem I have, however, with the atheists and their goodness and their morality claims is that all your ethical codes of conduct sound strangely similar

Well, Marx cooked up something original also.

[Tribune7]

And many more brutal things

And why exactly do you think they are brutal?

[wagglebee]

Good points!

[Tribune7]

I am an atheist, and am not at all bothered by what other’s say about atheists, or about me—ever. But for Christians, I am ashamed that this smut-mouthed pile of hubris, Giles, is tolerated for moment as a representative of Christianity. I would not allow anyone to us the kind of language and expressions used by this vile writer around anyone in my family.

You sure sound bothered. What specifically do you find vile? The word "sucks"?

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

The Prisoners Dilemma basically demonstrates that it is in everyones best interest to work together and not betray each other.

Arguments from analogy are inductive. It is also an informal fallacy...

(That is also a collectivist argument.)

---

There is no need to call on a higher authority to decree morality.

Morality and all of its associated ideals are rooted entirely in the presupposition some higher power defines what is correct for human behavior.

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

The very idea that human beings have individual rights not subject to the whims of an earthly monarch, but subject to the laws of Yahweh, is directly from Moses.

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

Atheism is the perfect venue for moral relativism.

Most of them just want to play "God."

Cultural Marxism ultimately leads to economic Marxism.

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

Marx cooked up something original also.

Cultural Marxism ultimately leads to economic Marxism.

[gcruse]

Confucius also said, about 500 BC:

The Master replied: “How about ‘shu’: never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself?”
Analects XV.24, tr. David Hinton

The golden rule, it turns out, is not strictly of Christian heritage. You could look it up.

[Tribune7]

How about ‘shu’: never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself?”

That translates to don't do unto others what you wouldn't want happen to you. It's not the Golden Rule.

[darkangel82]

“How about ‘shu’: never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself?”

Too bad our politicians don’t live by that rule.

[gcruse]

No, it’s not literally the same, but the sentiment and reprocity are the same. Yet it arose from an entirely separate tradition from the Christian one. My point is that supernatural fundaments are not necessary to arrive at morality.

[Tribune7]

No, it’s not literally the same, but the sentiment and reprocity are the same.

But there is a very significant differance. "Do" is the opposite of "do not".

My point is that supernatural fundaments are not necessary to arrive at morality.

I'm no expert on Confucius. Some quick checks on the web seem to show him to be a wise an decent fellow.

And I think he might disagree with you:

Confucius said: A virtuous man has three awes:
1- Awe for Heaven’s decree,
2- Awe for great men.
3- Awe for saints’ words... When worshipping God, one must feel as if He were visibly present.