Acquired morality

by lifelong humanist 2 Replies latest jw friends

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  lifelong humanist

  As a humanist, I meet like-minded people, and accept that they are highly pricipled, moral people, capable of reasoning why they take the stance that they do. I likewise meet religious people that also fit this description.

  Most humanists weren't always that way - probably no more than 25% were members of a religion before abandoning it. Those that had a previous religious belief - like myself for 50 years as a born-in, third generation JW, feel that they are now more 'moral' people, and set even higher standards of being honest, fair, reasonable, decent, non-dogmatic, etc. This observation might well surprise people on these boards who are religious.

  Religious people usually claim that their morals come from their beliefs taught by their respective religion's teachings - a higher source.

  So, why do the non-religious, and atheists like myself, put such a lot of effort into taking a reasoned moral stand on life's complex issues? Does this not show that being a moral person is a learned, natural response acquired by everyday experience of how best to deal with situations in a rapidly changing world?

  I believe that 'doing the 'right thing' makes for good relationships with our fellow humans, and promotes friendships that are not conditional on a set of religious beliefs.

  What do think?
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  WTWizard

  People are never born religious. They are born into a religion, and need to be taught that religion through constant indoctrination. They need to be threatened repeatedly with death and/or hell threats for anyone that disobeys the Lord (Jehovah or Allah), and bribed with permanent life or heaven if they obey. Then they are given a bunch of rules, usually going against the way people were designed and intended to control the members. Often, giving money to the church is part of those rules--along with the rules against free sex, having too much fun, and so much of the inhibited nature of cultures once they become infested with religion. They are impeded from learning science, because they are taught that the Bible or Quran holds the truth while science is from the world (and, they have to suppress the desire to learn their science).

  Some people reject religion when they are young, for this very reason (and they often do well in math and science). Others accept it when they are young, only to see through it much later (that the promises in the Unholy Bible or Quran are false and that the Bible and the Quran lie). Still others never get into religion in the first place, and are very difficult to indoctrinate later (and usually turn apostate if they do join a religion later in life). These people usually, but not always, find that morality in its simplest terms is so simple that it needn't get in the way of fun and learning. If they do what is good for self and society, and refrain from doing what is bad for self and society, they are practicing the simplest code of morality.

  Of course, there are always going to be a few atheists that are bent on doing wicked things. This is true with any group of people--there will always be good people doing good things and wicked people doing vile things. But, throw in religion, and you now have good people doing vile things (in the name of Jehovah or Allah).
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  bluecanary

  I think anything that inspires someone to act in a compassionate way toward fellow humans is good. If people feel like their religion or God does that, then great. It's when people feel like only their religion or God can do that for everyone that I get offended.