Morality...........

Faith, evidence, "proof", and falsifiability

Note 1. That

is a claim of faith...it is an article of faith, and in that sense it is a coherant statement in the context of that particular faith position. Whether that claim supports, with any credible evidence the notion that "moral" behaviour requires a belief in god is entirely a different matter altogether.

Note 2. You're entitled to the opinion, but it does not do your argument any favours by resorting to appeal to ridicule to make your point. Evidence throughout history may be adduced to support the contradiction of the claim that "a belief in god is required for moral behaviour", but let us not get into the morass of "proof". Not even scientists, if they adhere to the scientific method, admit to certainties and absolute proofs. Such conclusions that they do come to are provisional, subject to falsification, not withstanding that some scientific propositions have been provisional for a very long time. The problem with many faith claims is that they are not falsifiable.

Falsifiability - RationalWiki

Falsifiability - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

I think it is time to clarify. I believe in god, Having said that I dont think that is required to be a moral person. The ten commandments are the rules necessary for an organized society to exist.

Morality comes for within regardless of what your motivation is, be it religion, or just a belief in proper conduct. I have met too many Christians who failed to live up to the expectation to believe it is all god.

 

I take issue with your reference to the crusades, They were a response to an incursion into Europe by the Muslims. Granted there were many excesses by the church but I believe that was called the Inquisition.

 

Just a thought here:

Most people do not *choose* their "religion." It was passed to them by their parents. Sure, you can opt-out...but I'm saying if you're religious, you are so because of your parents. Put another way, it is a rarity to find a very religious person who has atheists for parents. Put a third way, how many people undertake a comparative religion analysis and *choose* which offshoot of Christianity they ascribe to.

Now, let's shift gears to another country: same goes for there. You are of the religion of your parents. There is no more choice for a Muslim to convert to Christianity than a Christian to become Jew or a Jew to become a Buddhist (in general).

Let's switch back to the U.S.: Are there any Southern Baptists in Minot N.D.? Why is the greatest concentration of Mormons in Utah? Catholics in N.Y., N.J., R.I, and CT? Protestants in the Dakotas? In general, generations don't disperse geographically (although that is changing).

The point is that your religion is determined by where you were born. Knowing where you are born allows me to "guess" with a high degree of certainty what your religion is (lambda -- a proportional reduction in error statistic). We are fortunate to be born in a country where you won't be stoned to death for opting out. Regardless, however, the parents/caregivers are the ones who pass these morals down--where ever they come from.

Parents are the primary method by which morals, values, norms are passed to future generations. If your parents are Muslim, you are going to get a dose of those values (which allegedly come from God too). If you were born in the Middle East, you are much more likely to be Muslim...there is no choice in who your parents are.

 

I am not a religious person, yet i am very devout. I believe that what created the smell of a rose, the flight of a bee and it's product, the cleansing of water, the nourishment of sunlight is called god and it doesn't matter if god is upper case or lower case because god created, or is life and the forces , chemical, evolutionary, and miracle, that propagates life and challenges evolution and therefore is not cognizant and does not care about my meager opinion of it since I require it to live and have only one choice other than accepting it and that is dying. Life is energy and there-by cannot be destroyed, only altered and stored elsewhere, maybe collectively, maybe scattered as like poles and fueling something we don't understand. Everything else about it smells like man and his vested interests.
oh? And Larry? I wasn't calling you an asshole, merely pointing out that just about every time I hear the thump of a bible, some asshole is there to tell me why it was God's will.

 

RH is game....

Head's up - never challenge RightHand to a debate of the theoretical - I'm always game

• Read more: http://www.survivalmonkey.com/forum/faith-religion/33003-morality-4.html#ixzz1vkzCrlFG

• RH is not only game, but able too....if you'll pardon the pun.

 

Man made god into the narcissistic collector of souls. Ultimately what is the plan? Collect souls and have them worship...the concept of worship offends me. I understand the love of god, I understand the awe of creation.
I tried to express the beauty of a god that creates rather than man's idea of one that is so damned narcissistic.
I saw evil one night in a teenager that had a circle of friends that were mesmerized by his satanic ******** and sat in the trees and watched and listened while he convinced his followers that he was the reincarnation of Charles Manson and they should listen to Helter Skelter and go murder a family.I was deeply depressed after my wife had left me and hadn't shaved or bathed or done much sleeping in weeks, my hair and beard were long and i looked like a wild man. I walked out of the shadows and into their circle and stood for a moment looking into Charlse Manson's crazy eyes and everybody was silent to see what was going to happen. Then I saw the fear and bluster begining to creep into his eyes so I slapped him across the face with my open hand and knocked him to the ground and said" You stupid ****, Manson is still alive so you can't be a reincarnation of him."

 

I think he changed his name and moved to Alabama. Larry something or other...(Just Kidding , Larry).