High Morals, Low Morals, No Morals?

by AlmostAtheist 17 Replies latest jw friends

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  AlmostAtheist

  A comment by FunkyDerek really hit my like a lightning bolt. He said of a Christian's morals, "your morals are not high. They are among the basest, most nefarious morals I have ever encountered. They are founded, not on any understanding of human nature, or on concern for individuals or society, but on the mythology and law codes of ancient barbarians."

  I know my morals changed after I left JWism and Christianity, but I really thought they "lowered". It never even occurred to me to question who decides what is "high" and what is "low" in terms of morality.

  I thought I was amoral -- without morals. But that just isn't true. I don't follow an external moral code, but I surely have things that are right and things that are wrong. Or at the very least, actions that are good and actions that are bad.

  I act with the intent to hurt no one. I'll generally sacrifice my own happiness to avoid inflicting unhappiness on someone else. When I see a need, I feel an obligation to assist. On the whole, these feel like high morals to me. I don't hesitate to teach them to my children.

  Have you ever batted this high/low thing around before? Do you think you have high morals? Low morals? No morals?

  Dave
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  mrsjones5

  how 'bout middle morals?
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  hillbilly

  Kind of like being "legal or ethical" aint it?

  ~Hill
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  AlmostAtheist

  Kind of like being "legal or ethical" aint it?

  Bingo! Another Lightning bolt!

  You guys are great!

  Dave
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  joelbear

  morals have come to mean socially standard sexual conduct.

  one man one woman, married in sight of god, missionary position.

  in 2004 Bush was elected because moral concerns were the highest goal of the electorate, coded to mean, no gay marriage.

  killing, lying, cheating, stealing are not what they meant by moral concerns. an immoral person sexually (by their definition of moral) is the most offensive

  to the christian right.
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  daystar

  I think you might give thought to why you might consider one set of morals "high" and another "low".
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  trevor

  AlmostAthiest You have hit on a very important point. Morals are subjective, contradictory and usually decided by those in authority.

  My own father was a classic example of this. Although a Jehovah’s Witness he was fascinated by war films. His hobbie was making model World War Two airplanes and he took me to see The Battle of Britain. He also love Westerns. No amount of murder, killing or blood and guts troubled him.

  But at the slightest suggestion of sexually activity on the TV, he would leap from his seat and turn of the TV, then lecture us about the evils of sex.

  Even as a child I struggle to see how making love to someone was wrong while blowing their brains out was OK!

  You can work the rest out for yourself.
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  AlmostAtheist

  I think you might give thought to why you might consider one set of morals "high" and another "low".

  Dude, because I was TOLD which ones were high and which ones were low. See? Doesn't that makes sense? :-) Dave
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  Tuesday

  That is a rather great point. I think as a JW (especially toward the end) I had horrible morals. I mean I didn't care if someone was gay, a smoker, an atheist, I would talk to them and treat them descently. I didn't judge people just by what they were, but who they were.

  My morals now, I'm pretty highly moral I would say I'm married and haven't cheated on my wife or anywhere close to it. I do believe it's best to wait to have sex till you have some sort of feelings for the person. I just can't imagine having sex just for the sake of having sex, but I don't look down at people if they choose to do that. I mean that's my personal choice, why put that on someone else you know.

  I'll say stop me now before I start talking about the travesty of the last election, I'm wearing a Bush International Terrorist shirt right now.
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  seattleniceguy

  I know my morals changed after I left JWism and Christianity, but I really thought they "lowered". It never even occurred to me to question who decides what is "high" and what is "low" in terms of morality.

  Seriously? I realized about a month into it that, being released from the legal shackles of religion, I was free to actually be a good person. I am convinced that JWs, try though a few might, are simply not allowed to act as good humans in the fullest sense. I know for a fact that I am a much better person now than I was before.

  SNG