(April 16, 2015 at 5:33 pm)Mezmo! Wrote: That's what you believe and beliefs often influence behavior, for better or worse. I think failure to recognize a moral foundation beyond one's own whims and habits leads one only toward the worse. But it does seem that you and Kevin have confirmed the truth of my initial assessment. The atheist rule is why not if no one's watching and there's not much harm.
IMO, we all have standards for ourselves - even when nobody else can hold us accountable to those standards. When I do something wrong, I feel a guilty conscience and ashamed of myself. Our standards are often taught by our parents instead of a religion. I suspect these standards must be taught when we are very young. I suppose some people can learn new standards as adults too.
This is an interesting topic. Now that I am an atheist, I am probably more willing to accept that I can't meet certain standards. Sometimes I must make compromises. Atheism helps me to accept that reality without beating myself up for the limitations of my character and my circumstances.
