Our server costs ~$56 per month to run. Please consider donating or becoming a Patron to help keep the site running. Help us gain new members by following us on Twitter and liking our page on Facebook!
Current time: August 10, 2026, 5:00 pm

Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Can Christians be humanists and moralists?
#48
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists?
(September 23, 2014 at 12:42 pm)nalsA Wrote: The only other context for your question is that there is some form of universal law of morality, which would then have to be defined, which you have not done, thereby making the question unanswerable.
Morality is universal in the sense that there are objective conditions (i.e. the world) upon which human beings can increase their sense of happiness, comfort, pleasure, etc., or vice versa, enhance their misery, suffering, decrease their freedom, etc. Of course, particularities will differ but that's where discussions within a framework of rational humanism, along with experience, can allow for a better morality to emerge, as opposed to an absolutist's dogma declared via revelation. Generally when, for example, we see someone stabbing themselves in the name of "pleasure," we agree that they're not a person who is acting rational, so if you want to appeal to special cases such as that, I don't think you'll find any problems in this discussion that are exclusive to moral issues.

Quote:inherent knowledge of what is right or wrong.
Based on a rationale that puts the well-being of persons first or some rash ideal dictated by an imagined being?

Quote:I admit that I have difficulty in seeing the sense of this question, as it is entirely based upon morals, which you cannot judge people upon (let alone whole groups) unless based upon a universal moral foundation, something that I don't see can exist from the viewpoint of an anti-theist, as what is right or wrong is surely by your logic, a matter of opinion.
Once you agree that it's better to exist in a state of freedom, security, and happiness, as opposed to torture, oppression, and fear, then it's really quite sensible to talk about morality in terms of an objective logic in the same manner that one speaks of arithmetic. Of course, if you deny the first premise, and declare your enjoyment for self-mutilation, it's fair to say you'll probably find as many allies as you would if you were to insist that twice two equals five.
He who loves God cannot endeavour that God should love him in return - Baruch Spinoza
Reply



Messages In This Thread
Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by Mudhammam - September 10, 2014 at 9:49 am
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by Dystopia - September 10, 2014 at 10:52 am
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by fr0d0 - September 10, 2014 at 11:36 am
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by fr0d0 - September 10, 2014 at 11:42 am
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by fr0d0 - September 10, 2014 at 11:48 am
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by Bad Wolf - September 10, 2014 at 11:50 am
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by genkaus - September 17, 2014 at 1:31 am
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by Bad Wolf - September 10, 2014 at 11:38 am
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by Bad Wolf - September 10, 2014 at 11:44 am
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by Esquilax - September 10, 2014 at 11:48 am
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by fr0d0 - September 10, 2014 at 11:57 am
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by vorlon13 - September 10, 2014 at 11:52 am
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by Bad Wolf - September 10, 2014 at 11:59 am
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by Natachan - September 10, 2014 at 12:06 pm
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by Mudhammam - September 10, 2014 at 12:18 pm
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by Zidneya - September 16, 2014 at 11:42 pm
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by fr0d0 - September 17, 2014 at 4:19 am
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by jesus_wept - September 17, 2014 at 4:38 am
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by fr0d0 - September 17, 2014 at 7:28 am
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by jesus_wept - September 18, 2014 at 4:13 am
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by fr0d0 - September 18, 2014 at 7:15 am
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by jesus_wept - September 18, 2014 at 10:29 am
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by Michael B - September 17, 2014 at 1:17 pm
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by Michael B - September 18, 2014 at 6:24 am
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by tjakey - September 17, 2014 at 2:01 pm
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by Mudhammam - September 17, 2014 at 2:03 pm
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by Michael B - September 18, 2014 at 2:59 am
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by Bad Wolf - September 18, 2014 at 7:44 am
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by Zack - September 18, 2014 at 11:23 am
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by Michael B - September 19, 2014 at 11:46 am
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by fr0d0 - September 18, 2014 at 12:58 pm
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by fr0d0 - September 19, 2014 at 1:12 pm
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by jesus_wept - September 20, 2014 at 5:30 am
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by fr0d0 - September 20, 2014 at 5:39 am
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by jesus_wept - September 20, 2014 at 5:54 am
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by Whateverist - September 23, 2014 at 11:14 pm
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by nalsA - September 23, 2014 at 12:42 pm
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by Mudhammam - September 23, 2014 at 10:59 pm
RE: Can Christians be humanists and moralists? - by genkaus - September 24, 2014 at 4:55 am

Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Sinning, as Jesus and the church say, is good. Turn or burn Christians. Greatest I am 71 19828 October 20, 2020 at 9:11 pm
Last Post: The Grand Nudger
  Hitler was genocidal and evil. Yahweh’s genocides are good; say Christians, Muslims & Greatest I am 25 7848 September 14, 2020 at 3:50 pm
Last Post: The Grand Nudger
  questions Christians can't answer Fake Messiah 23 7542 October 15, 2019 at 6:27 pm
Last Post: Acrobat
  Christians worship Satan and don't even know it rado84 18 5589 April 15, 2019 at 8:29 pm
Last Post: brewer
  Christians vs Christians (yec) Fake Messiah 52 19809 January 31, 2019 at 2:08 pm
Last Post: The Grand Nudger
  Two audio books for Christians (and, everyone else) Jehanne 3 1323 January 16, 2019 at 12:52 am
Last Post: Fake Messiah
  Christians: Can you see why atheists don't buy this stuff? vulcanlogician 49 12104 August 19, 2018 at 8:03 pm
Last Post: vulcanlogician
  Christians: Does Your God Have Testicles and Ovaries? chimp3 97 35703 April 1, 2018 at 1:37 am
Last Post: GrandizerII
  What I see in the Bible is different then Jews and Christians. Mystic 8 4085 December 31, 2017 at 7:17 pm
Last Post: BrianSoddingBoru4
  Wanted: Christians who reject the supernatural and a literal afterlife. Whateverist 48 21161 October 20, 2017 at 10:54 am
Last Post: Neo-Scholastic



Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)