Atheism and morality

[Inigo]

Well, just look at that last line. A code of conduct is a set of instructions. And 'put forward by all rational persons' is just another way of saying that the instructions are inescapably rationally authoritative.

And once again, instructions can't just exist - they need to be issued by someone. And to be inescapably rationally authoritative the person issuing them would need to have control over our interests in an afterlife and be vengeful. A person like that is what's known as a 'god'. Deal.

Why would the person issuing the commands have to have control over our interests in the afterlife?

So that we'd always have reason to comply with the commands.

If I tell you to do something you don't necessarily have reason to do it. If morality tells you to do something you do, even if you don't want to.

I assume we have reason to do what is in our interests. If there is a god and an afterlife and the god has control over our interests in that afterlife - and is vengeful - then her instructions to us are instructions we all have reason to comply with, even if we don't want to.