Non-theist morality (ritual, morals, reject, homosexuality, blood)

[TurkeyOnRye]

Originally Posted by whereismynotecard

Oh, and stealing is fine, as long as it isn't very noticable. I steal small things all the time, like pens, gum, little trinkets, chalk from class rooms... No one notices that they are even gone, so what is the harm? I like stealing things.

Amen to that. I steal Carmex and Burt's Bees on a regular basis. Why should I support large corporations for such small things? They are not going to miss that.

[yossarian22]

Originally Posted by Rolling_Stone

Tied together as a foundation for values, its arbitrary. Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot (to name a few) didn't get up one morning and decide to perpetuate evil. They rationalized their actions based on facts as they saw them, on compassion (or lack of it) as they understood it.

Or perhaps the Transcendent Law as they understood it!
Naw... it couldn't be that, because that would be a bad interpretation.

Yes, I'm sure it's tiresome. So why not refute the logic with superior logic instead of begging the question?

Your comments are increasingly repetitive, inane, and generally pointless, so forgive me and others if we pay them little heed.

Now, what could the similarity between the DNA of everybody possibly mean for reason and compassion?

Originally Posted by Rolling_Stone

Hmmm. Seems consistency of thought is of no concern for some. They can't refute the logic, so they aggressively or passively dismiss it.
Oh, well. Nuthin' new.

Indeed...

[Storm]

Wow thread revival. Thanks!

[Storm]

Are you Hispanic?

[UnTheist]

What?

[Yes Man]

Originally Posted by Storm

Are you Hispanic?

I am!

[Storm]

OK, then you get to be Jesus.

[Yes Man]

Crud. I hope I don't disappoint.

[smidget]

Originally Posted by Storm

I realize that the vast majority of atheists and agnostics are decent, intelligent people.

However, we live in a society whose shared ethos (and hence, law) is based on Judeo-Christian concepts of good and evil, sin and righteousness. Many J-C morals are obviously right on the money, i.e. cold-blooded murder, rape, and pedophilia are bad. (Yes, I realize that the Old Testament is pathetically immoral by modern standards. It ain't my book, so let's just stick with modern ethics.) We can ignore those. On the other hand, there are issues which are obviously based in dogma and rejected by many of us, i.e. homosexuality and premarital sex are bad. I don't see any reason to discuss those, either.... unless an non-theist actually adheres to them, which would fascinate me.

But there's a huge grey area, and that's what interests me. Examples:

Is it wrong to kill in defense of another?
I don't know. I think it depends on circumstance - eg if someone was attempting to kill the other etc. In this case I think it's acceptable. Whether it's right or wrong I'm not sure. There's some people that I would do my best to defend, whatever that might entail. Another interesting prob - wouldn't the person you'd killed for have a problem with the fact that they were alive because another was dead?

Is it wrong to steal food for one's dependents, if there are no alternatives?
I guess you could grade it as less bad to steal for people who have plenty/corporations where the food may go to waste or the money wouldn't be badly missed. If I were in this situation and I thought I could get away with it without being caught I think I would.

Do we as a society have a moral obligation to provide for the poor?
Yup.

Is the death penalty just, or immoral?
Not good.

Sexuality is a goldmine here:

Is promiscuity immoral? If so, where do you draw the line?
Not in itself. Harming others by doing it would be, but I think it could be possible to be openly (or maybe very secretively? But I think the hiding the truth from the people it's relevant to is wrong in itself) and not do harm.

What about polyamory/polygamy vs. monogamy?
I'm assuming polyamory means being in love with many people at once. I'd postulate that this would be just as common as being in love with just one. Personally, it tends to be that one person will eclipse other people, but I'd hold out for other people's freedom to be what they are. Hurting other people is probably more likely for polygamy/amory though?

....prostitution?
Don't have a prob with the prostitutes. Perhaps think it's a bit wierd of the people that go there.

These are all questions that I use my spirituality to explore, and hopefully answer. What do you use?

My morality is very simple and based upon the idea that people should do what makes them and other people happy to their best extent while avoiding hurting people