For people who do not believe in Christian morals, how do you determine what is right and wrong?

Question

For people who do not believe in Christian morals, how do you determine what is right and wrong?

Answer 1

If you need some book to set down the rules you live by, I truly pity your neighbours. Grow a brain and make your own rules.

Answer 2

So only christian morals are correct? Arrogant now aren't we?

Answer 3

I love this question...we get it four or five times a week...

My Mommy and Daddy taught me right from wrong, they didn't leave it up to a church, pastor, or book.  I think I turned out pretty well.  I'm an a55, but I like me

Answer 4

Common sense and wanting to be able to survive in this world as a normal person.  No one wants to be a killing psycho (unless they're already insane).  But Christianity is not the only religion that has morals.

Answer 5

Christianty did not create morals.

You honestly believe that Christianity came up with not killing people and so on?

Haha.

Answer 6

I keep my own set of morals

Answer 7

what feels right is and vise versa

Answer 8

Morality is not exclusive to Christianity as many would like you to believe. You determine what is right and wrong by your own personal judgment and the morals you have. Christianity is not needed at all for this.

Answer 9

We listen to our true selves. Well, I do anyway. everyone knows deep down what is right and what is wrong.

I certainly don't believe anyone needs book or a priest to tell them what's good and what's bad

Answer 10

Every religion has a universal moral code. You don't have to be religious person to live your life as an honorable person.  

Answer 11

How do YOU determine what is right and wrong?  By what you think God is watching you do, or by feeling empathy and sympathy towards your fellow humans and wanting your life to be good and make the world a better place???

You do NOT need to believe in magical beings in order to not want to do things that hurt others or to be a good person! It's not just about worrying that "God" is going to see you, or that you're going to be punished in some afterlife for not doing the "right" thing...it's about not WANTING to hurt another person, it's about wanting to make this world a better place for ourselves and our children.

WHY do religious people have SUCH a hard time understanding that? This question, and the fact that it's repeated over and over and OVER again by theists just staggers me. It makes me wonder what theists are taught. Are you taught that it WOULD be OK to hurt another person, or hurt yourself if it weren't for "God" watching you? Because it would be one thing if ONE theist asked it...then we could chalk it up to that one person being incapable of empathy, or sympathy. But do you even REALIZE how many theists ask this question?

I'm sorry if I'm ranting, but it is just absolutely beyond my comprehension that we see this question as much as we do. I would think that theists could give themselves a little more credit and know that they, too, would not go and rape or kill or steal or behave worse than an animal even if they *didn't* believe that there is a God that was watching them. It's not even that this question is insulting to *atheists*, to me it's insulting to THEISTS and to yourself to suggest that you or they need religion in order to feel empathy or sympathy for their fellow human beings, and in order to make the decision to do the right thing.  This question suggests to me that you don't have enough faith in YOURSELF to know that you would be able to figure out how to be a good person without the church telling you what to do.  It seems to me that atheists have more faith in you as a human than you do, because we *know* you'd be able to figure it out on your own.  Please, give yourself more credit than that.

Answer 12

The same way you determine the age of consent.

The Bible doesn't mention that, you know, so unless you are the type that calls pedophilia "right", I hope you can figure out how I decide right from wrong.

Answer 13

I believe in human morals.

You wont find me proselytising loudly at passers-by, torturing people to accept my view, invading countries because god told me to, etc..etc..etc..

Religion is politics and power if you cannot see that then your education system has failed you.

Answer 14

you don't have to be christian or religious to have morals. in sociology and in the american society morals are categorized almost in the same way the christians are anyway (just not as strict :)). also it has to do with common sense.  

Answer 15

Socialization, same as everyone else.  

Or do you actually claim your morals came to you directly out of a Bible?  No one taught you to behave until you read it right out of there?

Morals are nothing more than a social agreement as to acceptable conduct within a group.

Answer 16

There is very little logic in the answers you have received so far.

Common sense or socialization.  They are just feelings that we  get.  Socialization means that we conform with society's rules.  Why is that moral?  

One says "my Mommy and Daddy taught me right from wrong".  Well, why are they the authority?  Where did they get their ideas?  

Catherine the ranter says  "feeling empathy and sympathy towards your fellow humans and wanting your life to be good and make the world a better place".  But empathy and sympathy are just feelings.  What authority do that have that we ought to obey them?  The idea that we make the world a better place is just a nice thought that gives us pleasant feelings.  It's all based upon feelings.

They are helpless to point to a credible authority behind their so-called logic and feelings.  Essentially, they do what they feel like doing and whatever that is, they then call moral.

Answer 17

Personally, as an atheist, I use logic.  I suppose someone who is Buddhist would believe in Buddhist morals, a Muslim would believe in Islamic morals, and a Jew would believe Judaic morals.

Hate to burst your bubble, but Christianity is NOT  the source of all morals.