My debate in Christian Forums in full swing

[greneknight]

If the same me were born 500 years ago, I would probably think that beating a runaway slave to death is the right of any slave owner. I would have thought that was objectively moral.

Maybe or maybe you would not. Maybe deep down inside you would feel it's wrong or you would feel in emotional turmoil over the issue or maybe you would be against it.

Morality today is different from morality 100 years ago and very much different from morality 1000 years ago. What appears like objective morality to me today is actually an illusion.

Exactly what do you mean by morality? Everyone knows humanity have different views of what is moral and what is not, but what is actually moral and good or what is unmoral or evil, has that really changed?

This is what I'm asking. How do you believe in goodness now, if you believe it has no objectivity at all?

If you believe it's totally a delusion, why do you say you believe in goodness at all?

Your "maybe or maybe you would not" is incorrect. There was a time when EVERYONE thought it was ok to kill a runaway slave or at least a huge majority thought it was ok. If what you say is even remotely correct, the abolition of slavery would have taken place earlier. The FACT that people didn't think anything about slavery can be seen even in what Jesus said. He used parables that had stories about slavery in such a way that it leaves one with no doubt that Jesus was ok with slavery. St Paul was not just ok with slavery. He encouraged slavery and supported it in his Holy Epistles. Let's not have this willy-nilly attitude towards morality. Your "maybe yes and maybe no" is so typical of fundy Christians. Oh, I just checked - you are a believer, most probably a Christian.

Your confusion is again typical of fundy Christians. I have never said morality was a delusion. I said objective morality was an illusion. That doesn't mean I don't believe in morality. Oh, you are so typically fundy in your writing!!!! I'm sure you are a Baptist or one of these. When I said OBJECTIVE morality is an illusion, you say MORALITY is a total delusion to me. Of course I didn't say that. Of course there is morality. Didn't I just explain what morality is and how it changes?

Let me explain one more time. I believe in goodness and in morality but I am AWARE that it may change with time. I'll just give an example. My family has servants and this has been a tradition in my family. We treat them very well of course. But there may come a time when egalitarianism has caught up and having servants may be considered immoral. I don't know if that will happen but it may. Supposing it does happen. I live by my morality today and I have servants to attend to chores and that's ok. But if I were born 200 years from now in a time when morality says servanthood is a crime, of course I would be appalled that I used to have servants some 200 years ago. Do you get this? If you don't please tell me and I will think of another example to explain this to you.

EDIT: Sorry, I just found out you are an ex-Muslim in another thread. I have a high regard for ex-Muslims because they are the most persecuted people on the planet. Ex-Christians are ok but ex-Muslims face the barbaric evil of the Muslim world. There should be a law to compel everyone to draw every morning a cartoon of Muhammad and Allah. That's sure to make the Muslim terrorists change. They can't kill everyone so they become nicer. That's greneknight's recipe on how to stop terrorism. They should allow me to address the UN.