(September 19, 2014 at 8:29 am)Esquilax Wrote: Why on earth is abstinence a virtue? And what's remotely virtuous about the notion that we're all pre-guilty of sin?
As for the others, the virtuous components of those qualities existed prior to religion, and don't require religion to work. The religious elements are merely the shell on the nut, something to be peeled off and discarded. Meanwhile, theists pretend, and their religions assert, that the shell is actually some integral part, that in fact theists invented those virtues, and claim ownership over them.
That's the problem: religion merely dulls and dishonors good human traits, it doesn't add anything of its own. It's a parasite.
Abstinence doesn't mean refraining from just sex, it simply means to refrain from indulging in something, it could be smoking, alcohol, drugs, overeating, etc.
When I listed sacrifice as a virtue I meant the sacrifice of the self for the sake of others, and not of the sacrifice of others for the sake of the self.
Sinful concepts not such as original sin but rather gluttony, acts of unjustified violence, apathy, etc.
Yes I agree that these virtues existed long before religion, however, religion for quite a lot of people was the only source where they might observe and discuss these virtues. Granted there were some secular schools as well especially in ancient Greece, but the majority of the people did not have such privileges.
As atheists shall we not herald these virtues of humanity separating them from religion to make them more noticeable?
