MSizer
MSizer
...I am not doing it for any reward - I am doing it because I believe God commands me to. I think it would be wrong for me NOT to help her if I can.
Right, I understand that. Most religious people think it's not really a moral act if it's only to save your own hide after you die. But my point is that you feel compelled to do it regardless as to what the bible says.
...An atheist might also feel compelled to help her - I hope so. However, I can't judge why an atheist would do so - I can only tell you why I am going to do so.
An atheist would help too. According to a survey conducted by Hauser and Singer, 97% of believers who were asked this question responded "yes, it's my obligation" and 97% of atheists said the exact same thing. The fact that the percetange of people who answer "yes" are exactly the same among both religious and non-religious is strong evidence that religion has nothing to do anybody's moral judgements.
The reason I brought the second one in is to show how people tend to ignore thier executive cognitive functions when making moral judgements. If you took the time to consider what Jesus would want you to do, then you'd probably agree that you have an obligation to send the money. But, since most religious people say "no, not obligated" (even though it costs less than the first scenario and prevents much more suffering). Again, non-believers answered in exactly the same proportion as believers (I don't remember the stat off the top of my head).
So, most people make thier moral decisions by a combination of unconcious moral faculty (an instinct called considered judgement) and an emotional response. While we do have the ability to override those things using reason (WWJD? for example) the survey shows that most people don't bother considering things that thoroughly, but instead react and decide without really pondering the options.
So, I'm not saying that scripture can't expand your moral sense, but I'm saying most people don't bother to appeal to it in their daily lives, even if they are devout believers.