(October 15, 2022 at 4:47 pm)Ahriman Wrote: All morality comes from religion. I base my morality on my knowledge and understanding of religion, even though I don't participate in religion myself.

You have it exactly backward. The inconsistent, self-contradictory nature of religious texts make it impossible to get any moral guidance there. The best you can do is pick a little from here, pick a little from there. In the end, you go with what ever makes sense to you.

Think about it: If any particular text contained absolute morals, every follower of that particular text would follow them universally. But you would be lucky to find all the people occupying a single pew to agree on the meaning of any particular Bible verse. Even if there is some absolute morality to found there, people are obviously incapable of recognizing it.

(October 15, 2022 at 7:25 pm)Angrboda Wrote:

in both cases the concept of right is ambiguous

(October 15, 2022 at 7:25 pm)Angrboda Wrote:

But what if doing what you are told is right?

(October 15, 2022 at 6:43 pm)AFTT47 Wrote:

(October 15, 2022 at 4:47 pm)Ahriman Wrote: All morality comes from religion. I base my morality on my knowledge and understanding of religion, even though I don't participate in religion myself.

You have it exactly backward. The inconsistent, self-contradictory nature of religious texts make it impossible to get any moral guidance there. The best you can do is pick a little from here, pick a little from there. In the end, you go with what ever makes sense to you.

Think about it: If any particular text contained absolute morals, every follower of that particular text would follow them universally. But you would be lucky to find all the people occupying a single pew to agree on the meaning of any particular Bible verse. Even if there is some absolute morality to found there, people are obviously incapable of recognizing it.

Don’t feed it.

(October 15, 2022 at 8:10 pm)LadyForCamus Wrote:

(October 15, 2022 at 6:43 pm)AFTT47 Wrote: You have it exactly backward. The inconsistent, self-contradictory nature of religious texts make it impossible to get any moral guidance there. The best you can do is pick a little from here, pick a little from there. In the end, you go with what ever makes sense to you.

Think about it: If any particular text contained absolute morals, every follower of that particular text would follow them universally. But you would be lucky to find all the people occupying a single pew to agree on the meaning of any particular Bible verse. Even if there is some absolute morality to found there, people are obviously incapable of recognizing it.

Don’t feed it.

I agree, your ego shouldn't be fed.

I would be lying if I did not mention that learning the difference of right from wrong was derived from parental lessons. That being stated, however, I was not the type to entirely mirror my behavior or personality on them, because they had faults I easily recognized and did not want to repeat. Eventually I came to realize that it is best to treat others how you personally want to be treated, and that it is the essential lesson of morality. Empathy, the ability to place yourself in someone else's position.

(October 15, 2022 at 4:47 pm)Ahriman Wrote: All morality comes from religion. I base my morality on my knowledge and understanding of religion, even though I don't participate in religion myself.

I like that idea. But do you believe some religions are better than others when it comes to having a better moral system?

(October 15, 2022 at 8:26 pm)Tomato Wrote: I would be lying if I did not mention that learning the difference of right from wrong was derived from parental lessons. That being stated, however, I was not the type to entirely mirror my behavior or personality on them, because they had faults I easily recognized and did not want to repeat. Eventually I came to realize that it is best to treat others how you personally want to be treated, and that it is the essential lesson of morality. Empathy, the ability to place yourself in someone else's position.

People seem to not realize that the Golden Rule was not exclusive to Christianity. Confucius had his own version, for instance. A few more out there too. I just don't remember which.

(October 15, 2022 at 10:27 pm)Gentle_Idiot Wrote:

(October 15, 2022 at 4:47 pm)Ahriman Wrote: All morality comes from religion. I base my morality on my knowledge and understanding of religion, even though I don't participate in religion myself.

I like that idea. But do you believe some religions are better than others when it comes to having a better moral system?

I think Ahriman is right here, though perhaps in an indirect way.

So for example MY morality didn't come from religion, because I've never been to church, and didn't start reading about religion until well into my 30s. Safe to say my morality was pretty much set by that time.

But history didn't start with my parents. If we're of European descent, the culture we live in was shaped, like it or not, by Christianity. We may have shed the religious justifications, but a lot of our morality is directly descended from religion. 

Many atheists reproduce a specifically Protestant view of society, how it should progress, what responsibilities we have, etc. 

Readable book on this topic: 

https://www.amazon.com/Dominion-Christia...626&sr=8-8

As for whether one religion's moral system is better than another's: that's a tricky question, because we are always judging "better" based on our own set of values. That other religion can just as easily judge us.