Being good without god

[Anymouse]

Because morals are not derived from a book.

Theists don't claim that morals are derived from a book, they claim that morals are derived from god.

The rest of your post seems like little more than a histrionic rant which neither addressed my points nor advanced the original discussion in any meaningful way.
Moreover, it had all the characteristics of a fundamentalist who types things in all caps in the (apparent) conviction that doing so makes his message more persuasive.

And this makes the second time that you've essentially bragged to me about your lack of education. Why you think being ignorant is something you need to advertise is a mystery to me.

If I understood your post correctly, it was essentially "why bother" if morals are derived naturally. As for not advancing the discussion, I went back over the thread and it appears to me the discussion is all over the map. But the subject line is "Being Good Without God." My post is in keeping with that subject, my examples showing why I might wish to act in a moral manner when I have no god to tell me to do this or else.

You are right, theists claim morals are derived from God.

When asked to demonstrate this god, they point to (read from, quote from) a book.

Thus, God is derived from a book, as that is all they have demonstrated.

If you can demonstrate (any) god satisfactorily, then I would readily agree that god existed (but that would still not show that morals are derived from that god). Moreover, that god would cease to be an article of faith (belief without proof), because you will have provided proof. That god will have become science.

I merely pointed to my lack of education because I can figure this out. If I am missing something because I lack that, then please enlighten me, which the other reason I pointed that out. (My education may have caused me to miss some subtle faulty nuance in the argument "God is derived from a book," just as much as my lack of education prohibits me from studying Higgs-Bosons or law or engineering.)

How can one say that morals are derived from a god when one cannot demonstrate the god without the book?

I did not feel that my lack of education rendered me incompetent to ask a question. Thus, I have responded, despite the "tone" (if text can have a tone) of the sentence

If you feel your lack of education might render you incompetent to respond to a poster's point properly, then please don't respond at all.

It is precisely because I am not educated in a matter that I ask questions about it if it interests me. If I were "competent," I would have no need to ask a question.

If I was unduly rough or brusque in my own posts, I apologise, that was not my intent.

I meant my post as a demonstration that my morals are not derived from (any) god, not to pick a fight with you. While many theists assert that "morals are derived from (a/many) god/s, that is all the statement is: an assertion, at least without proof of both the god and that morals are derived from it.

As for bragging, believe me, I am not proud of being unable to attend college.

As for the rest of my post, it was not a histrionic rant. It was a demonstration that I too have morals, and I derive them nothing from more than pragmatism, a desire to live in the community and treat others well because I wish to be treated that way. The examples I gave which you took issue with are "why I bother." (Many religions have some variant of the Golden Rule. My alleged rant is nothing more than that.)

Humans are social creatures by and large. To function in society, individual humans must be imbued with a sense of morals, regardless of religious belief or no. It seems likely that morals are thus derived from evolution.

Moreover, other creatures show morals; we are not alone in this. See the (UK) Telegraph article for more on this: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlif...wrong.html

It thus seems likely that the development of morals is a natural outgrowth of evolution (happy Darwin day, by the way). Unless there are mice and dogs preaching to their fellows from the street corners.

On a totally unrelated note to end, what does your personal note under your name mean? I am lost as to what language that is.