Is There a Point To Living a Moral Life?

[Whateverist]

Christian - I'm moral because it's my best chance of acquiring the carrot while avoiding the stick in the afterlife!

Atheist - I'm moral because it's my best chance of acquiring fulfillment and reward in life and posterity.

What don't believers understand?

Fixed that for you.

[loganonekenobi]

If I am guilty  of necro posting It is only because I don't fully understand what that is.  I even looked it up but still made no sence to me.

Posting to a thread that hasn't had any activity for more than 30 days. There used to be red letters at the top of the page warning that a user was about to do this. I'm assuming this survived migration.

strange because i only look at the "todays post" or "new post". I'dd be happy with some advice on how to avoid being a cyber undead. In other words which posts i should focus on.

[robvalue]

Well, "today's posts" certainly should never contain anything older than even one day, let alone thirty

I'm surprised even anything from "new posts" would go back that far. Not sure what's going on there.

It's only discouraged because you may be trying to discuss things with members who are no longer here so you won't get a reply. You can always check the date of the last post.

[KevinM1]

Posting to a thread that hasn't had any activity for more than 30 days. There used to be red letters at the top of the page warning that a user was about to do this. I'm assuming this survived migration.

strange because i only look at the  "todays post" or "new post".  I'dd be happy with some advice on how to avoid being a cyber undead.  In other words which posts i should focus on.

It could be that those are bugged.  If so, make a post in our Bug Reports section.

Beyond that, visit the various sub forums directly and pay attention to the Last Post column in the tables.

[Longhorn]

Oh Jesus Christ on a fucking stick, just a necro...I thought it was another 'why be good' thread

[Randy Carson]

Christian - I'm moral because it's my best chance of acquiring fulfilment and reward in heaven!

Atheist - I'm moral because it's my best chance of acquiring fulfillment and reward in life and posterity.

What don't believers understand?

Nestor-

I have gathered from your posts, that you read more than many here. Perhaps you are a college student?

At any rate, have you ever actually read any Christian book or articles explaining why Christians find fault with the atheist explanations of the source of morality?

I'm not looking for a fight; I just want to know what you know about our point of view.

Thanks.

[Randy Carson]

Christian - I'm moral because it's my best chance of acquiring the carrot while avoiding the stick in the afterlife!

Atheist - I'm moral because it's my best chance of acquiring fulfillment and reward in life and posterity.

What don't believers understand?

Fixed that for you.

I openly confess that I desire to go to heaven and avoid the fires of hell. I'll gladly accept Purgatory if I can have heaven in the end.

Now, how is it exactly that we Christians are STUPID for that?

[Mudhammam]

Christian - I'm moral because it's my best chance of acquiring fulfilment and reward in heaven!

Atheist - I'm moral because it's my best chance of acquiring fulfillment and reward in life and posterity.

What don't believers understand?

Nestor-

I have gathered from your posts, that you read more than many here. Perhaps you are a college student?

At any rate, have you ever actually read any Christian book or articles explaining why Christians find fault with the atheist explanations of the source of morality?

I'm not looking for a fight; I just want to know what you know about our point of view.

Thanks.

Fight? Me? Never!
I think I'm pretty familiar with some of the problems Christians have alleged against morality from a secular perspective. But I don't think they can adequately address Euthyphro's dilemma, though they seem to make an attempt by simply asserting that God = the Good. And that, to my mind, is quite question begging. It grants one assumption --- that the Good is an intrinsic property of some thing(s) that exists independently of us, and then asks to be granted another --- that the some thing is a deity whose origin is traceable to an Asian or Middle Eastern tribe of, at most, a few thousand years ago. I don't really see why either assumption should be granted, but I sure as hell don't need to ascent to the latter if it is merely the Good that we're after.

[Brian37]

...for an Atheist that is?

Good question! I know how Dostoevsky would have answered.

... I figured you'd all want to wish me a Happy Anniversary!!

I remember when you joined. I thought it great to have a representative from the Whore of Babylon here (wink, wink).

Given the natural cynicism and nastiness of Atheists [here] in general... is there any reason to live a "Moral" life?

Evolution! Its all evolution! Hip Hip Hurray! Random chance has given us reason, values and brotherly love.

Yeah, yeah....I know you would say that Christians are doing the same thing....And they are!

Those vile hypocrites. How dare they HAVE beliefs to violate. At least if you don't have any values you cannot violate them.

As an observation as a Christian... Your words are pretty mean spirited to any religious. And I've witnessed a lot of hate here.

Atheists don't hate believers. They just think they are stupid bigots. Don't take it personally. (And they all know a gay couple that's so much nicer than any church-goers.)

Honesty in general... where is the line drawn, and how?

I TOLD you! Evolution, man.

I hope you take this thread seriously!

You've been here and still haven't learned that anything a believer says is just a big joke to most of them?

---

We're pack animals. We need others to survive, and not just to protect us from other packs. Morals are different from society to society, but we all have rules of conduct for living in the pack. Is there a point? Yes. To be able to live with the pack.

And they call us "sheeple".

---

I do hate people claiming that humans can survive death ...

That's a lot of people and a stupid reason for hating them.

If you claimed the Yankees won the Superbowl I would hate that too. Humans have rights but claims do not deserve blind value.

I can like or love an individual without liking everything they may claim.

[Randy Carson]

Nestor-

I have gathered from your posts, that you read more than many here. Perhaps you are a college student?

At any rate, have you ever actually read any Christian book or articles explaining why Christians find fault with the atheist explanations of the source of morality?

I'm not looking for a fight; I just want to know what you know about our point of view.

Thanks.

Fight? Me? Never!
I think I'm pretty familiar with some of the problems Christians have alleged against morality from a secular perspective. But I don't think they can adequately address Euthyphro's dilemma, though they seem to make an attempt by simply asserting that God = the Good. And that, to my mind, is quite question begging. It grants one assumption --- that the Good is an intrinsic property of some thing(s) that exists independently of us, and then asks to be granted another --- that the some thing is a deity whose origin is traceable to an Asian or Middle Eastern tribe of, at most, a few thousand years ago. I don't really see why either assumption should be granted, but I sure as hell don't need to ascent to the latter if it is merely the Good that we're after.

Well, you are the philosophy student, not me.  

But take a look at this, this, and this, and let me know what you think.

For the non-readers: