Mr Morton in your above post you are implying there is a divinely inspired universal morality set forth by God but than when you say he (God) gave us a brain you are contending that this universal morality is relative to the situation. What you may not realize is those two theories are not compatable. Morality is either universally divine or situationaly relevant. It cannot be both. As an atheist I obviously reject universal morality but I have to ask you at this point, why s would one need to ponder any moral contingencies at all (God gave us a brain to use your analogy) if it wa s divinely inspired ? Wouldn't it than be automatically programmed into us instead of something that needs pondering like a moral system that is subjective contingent and relative?
yes i understand what you mean, but i knew this before i posted the topic. my point was, that morality is so complex that one set of rules cannot dictate it, and thats where our brains come into play. but its my belief that if two people are truly moral, then they will reach the same conclusion about a particular topic, even though both had to think hard about it. its a controversial and difficult posistion to defend, i agree, but nonetheless, i believe it to be so. as far as your question as to why god didn't automatically program us with the black and white ability to know right and wrong, i must admit that i cannot answer that. however, i believe that it has something to do with free will and the desire to search for the truth. but like i said, according to my theory, the truth isnt relative, and i believe that a true search from any person will yield true, constant results.
i must point out that religious morality and divine morality are two separate entities. religious morality is flawed, and its subjects, like the priests, have flawed perceptions. even though they claimed to be doing the works in gods name. this kind of morality is what you get when you do not search hard enough.
divine morality is the kind of morality i was trying to convey in the first paragraph, and i believe that it is achieved through true, heartfelt search. seek and ye shall find, the bible says, and i believe it to be so. not for the sake of being in the bible, but because, indeed, i sought and found.
for example, the schiavo case. its certainly terrible to prolong suffering, but its also certainly wrong to commit murder. whether the murder is from a painless needle or from starvation is not the point. but likewise, its also bad to prolong and individuals suffering. but bottom line is that, no matter what the girl or her family or husband thinks, it simply isnt our place to end a life by any means, even if they requested it beforehand. but i must admit, if i was in the same situation, i would probably go against my values and end my own life, and if i was unable to end my own life, i would wish someone to do it for me. as painlessly as possible perhaps, but whatever got the job done. but i must contend that its wrong. when i truly analyze the situation for what its worth, i forced to say that taking life is wrong, and there seems to be no way around that, as bad as i wish there were.