*snicker*

[lunadelcorvo]

(Quoted from Austin Cline's Agnosticism / Atheism Blog, Austin Cline, http://atheism.about.com/b/a/259483.htm.)

Should more atheists become more comfortable with the fact that so many people in America are "god-fearing"? If it's true that these people cannot come up with any reason for being moral without their god and religion, perhaps we are better off that they remain theists — at least for the time being. We don't want them to become atheists unless and until they are able to develop a stronger sense of morality. We don't want people to become atheists unless and until they are able to divorce morality and moral behavior from their prior religious beliefs. I shudder to think what sorts of crimes some of them might commit if they just woke up one day and stop believing in gods

So, the next time someone tells you that there's no reason to be moral for atheists, maybe a good response would be: "That's why I don't want you to stop being a religious theist. If the only thing keeping you from raping and murdering is your belief in your god, then I'd prefer if you just held on to that for a while longer. I don't want you to become a secular atheist unless and until you develop enough morally and intellectually that you can behave in a positive, moral way simply out of concern for the well-being of others. I want you to refrain from hurting others because you actually care about what happens to them, not because you're under orders from some deity."

(More meaningful, personal content coming soon, especially for some of you; you know who you are... )

Comments

[ain-soph-dei.livejournal.com]

I more or less agree, although I'll take it a step further.

Let's take the example of Christianity in America. Arguing with Christians tends to leave you with the impression that Christians think they have a monopoly on morality in this country. Even ignoring the fact that they seemingly would have no reason to act in a moral manner without their religion, the key themes that, for them, are the driving motivators to be *particularly* moral is the idea of Heaven and Hell. So, basically, they buy into their religious beliefs because of the selfish and greedy hope of Heaven - the bribe that cannot be denied - and their fear of eternal torment. So even though for them part of being moral is being selfless, for the bottom line they're acting purely out of self-interest, not out of love for their deity or whatnot. So even while using religion as a crutch to *force* themselves to be moral, they're not even particularly moral then, by their own standards, nor can they be so long as they accept the doctrine of heaven and hell. Talk about a deficit in moral capital. :/

[raven-moon.livejournal.com]

Totally! If there is anything worse than pure, unadulterated self-serving greed, it is the same dressed up as righteous altruism... Phooey!