Comments on: Atheism and Morality

By: Nurse Louise

Nurse Louise — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 13:05:33 +0000

I know an atheist who is very moral and ethical. I asked him what is his basis for his ” goodness ” . He said that he just asks himself what is the beneficial thing to do ?

By: mahatma1and1raguel

mahatma1and1raguel — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 13:41:44 +0000

moral ,,ethics,..,,.spoken by atheists….even God believers have a hard time fallowing them,..what is to be said about the ongodly other that they behave ongodly…anyone leaving in a “modern!” state which by law rejects a belief in God. can see what is happening to the youths especially, and this is not the first generation to act like this in most of these countries. so we must not wonder why things happen the way they do as people become more and more cruel and frozenhearted in every aspect…this is the reason why people act like animals because they are taught from school onward that they are merely that, and as the children grow up in such a sick world they are ripped off their humanity and become bitter adults with no moral core and spirituality to satisfy their soul who is becoming trapped in this wicked babylon

By: REB

REB — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:17:12 +0000

I’ve been working to get a handle on the doctrines of Gnosticism and how they’ve influenced churches down through the years. The Gnostics, such as Marcion, never really gave up Platonism. Several of the “orthodox” church fathers, like Justin Martyr, held on to platonic ideas. Philosophers, like Tolstoy and Kierkegaard, added their own brand of leaven to the mix. Theologians, like Bultmann and the Jesus Seminar kids, decided to study the Bible by tearing it down (form criticism). The goal of religious postmodernists seems to blend it all together with pagan religions and call it Church.

I’m not surprised that Hitchens can’t keep it straight.

By: Chip Bennett

Chip Bennett — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:03:13 +0000

Morality: absolute standard of right and wrong (implies existence of Omniscient Being to define the standard).

Ethics: relative standard of right and wrong, defined (de facto or de ley) by those to whom the standard applies. This standard may or may not depend upon the moral (absolute) standard.

By: Timotheos

Timotheos — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:48:11 +0000

How do you see the difference between morality and ethics?

Thanks,
Tim

By: Chip Bennett

Chip Bennett — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:29:06 +0000

Great post, Timotheos!

Sounds like Hitchens is confusing morality with ethics. Morality *requires* some absolute standard of right and wrong, by definition.

Atheists cannot live a “moral” life because morals are not applicable to their belief system.

Christians cannot live a moral life because we are incapable of doing so, due to our own inherent failures and faults. It is the fundamental basis of our belief system.