Replacing Religious Morality

[henryp]

Hi!

Your concept of what constitutes morality doesn't necessarily have to change just because you no longer feel there is an invisible hand guiding you. That same hand still is there...just instead of it being called 'god', you now call it 'wallym'. Don't let the realization tie you in too many knots. That said, 'don't be a douche' is a pretty good compass.

Welcome to AF!

If my religion happened to believe it was immoral to live past 50, should I still commit suicide at 50? That's an extreme example, of course, but I think it shows that creating a new belief system/retooling the current one to account for the absence of the alleged rules being set down by an all-powerful being is probably in order.

Things like "Care about homeless people" aren't as extreme as "Kill yourself at 50," but they are both things I don't really want to do. I did before, because I believed all humans had intrinsic value. You switch that idea out with "We're just fancy animals here for a short stay," and there are going to be some repercussions to a belief system.

Thanks for the welcome! I look forward to participating.