God and morality Coach-Man: 58% of Americans believe that it is necessary to believe in God to be a moral person. By contrast, only 13% of Europeans agree. Who is right? Thumbsy: I agree with the europeans. Nobody has the right to monopolise morality and define it in relation to their own opinion. Of course non-believers can be just as moral as believers! Spirit One: They're all wrong , give up the belief in 'Gods' [and there are many] I don't go to nor participate in the Churches religions nor their rituals ,or celebrate their Holydays/Holidays . I believe in and call upon the same 'person' ,Adam called upon , He Knew His 'Creator' , as Yahweh [Pronounced YAH-WAY] It 'is' the Creator of the Universe's Holy-Poetic-Universal Name ,[Universal -meaning - meant to be spoken the same in any tongue ,any language ,by any People from anywhere in the world ] His Earthly anointed Messiah and Son as well as Savior of Humanity ,is Yahoshua [pronouced YAH-HA-SHOO=WAY] whom never died for anyones sins/mistakes[you pay for your own] but lived to be well over a 100 and traveled around the world ,iteracted with many peoples and influenced many cultures ,all Native tribes of this land have a story to tell of 'The Great White Spirit' ,'The Teacher of Righteous' 'He Who Speaks Many Tongues' ....Read 'HE WALKED THE AMERICAS' Spirit One: I'm sorry ,I got caught up in the moment and didn't answer the questions , I don't go to church nor belong to one of the 'BIG' 3 religions ,nor believe in 'gods'[elohim] ,I believe in a Creator ,and I have good morals ,know plenty of church folk that aren't very righteous after they take off their church face Kundra: "A man's ethical behaviour should be based effectually on sympathy, education and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death." --- Albert Einstein flashie: albert was right but whats not quoted is the structre religion provides. its fine to muse on the human condition if youre a academic genius but alas there will always be mongaloids and thugs easily manipulated by evil types. religion keeps order, we kinda need it like a police force no? john1576: I know what you mean Flashy. Churches at one time kept the peasants confused enough to control them. Now churches just take the piss out of dickheads. Zadkiel: In many countries, the owners of the church buildings have started to sell them off, since they cannot afford the maintenance. Far more members leave than join these days, which means that the religious foundation for the denominations has little appeal to modern people with a high enough degree of enlightenment to not fall for the preachers' drivel. SPIRIT-ONE: it is because I have stated many times ,there is a spiritual revolution going on and church doesn't factor into it , the Picean Fish/Cross/Church AGE is dead and coming to and end ,Tis the dawning of the AGE of AQUARIUS 'Age of Spritual Enlightenment' ,many things spiritual in nature long hidden from Man ,will come to 'light' My Name means 'My God Is Yahweh' lord_gord: 77% of Europeans are immoral XD aha. but on a serious note. DO not forget about the religious influences on society and on ur upbringing when considering ur morality, especially and specifically as atheists. Zanjan: ""A man's ethical behaviour.........." Ethics is not morality. "Ethics" is rule of professional conduct, which is different in every profession. It's set by a panel of professional experts in the particular field and has nothing to do with religion, although they do incorporate some spiritual laws - that is, lying, cheating, deception etc; such behaviour is anathema to the universal moral standard. Anyone can have a set of designer morals but they don't have a name for their standard and they almost never stick to it themselves. (Edited by Zanjan) Zanjan: Speaking to the topic's question: " 58% of Americans believe that it is necessary to believe in God to be a moral person. By contrast, only 13% of Europeans agree. Who is right? " The right morals are compared to the armor one wears to fight off evil. These are the divine virtues that make up a moral character. One is supposed to put on the FULL armor of God, not pieces of it. So, it goes further than belief - you can't have a proper moral character without incorporating God into your life. Therefore, the numbers in the USA compared to Europe mean only one thing: If one trusts in God, one doesn't need a gun. If one trusts their military and police, one shouldn't feel the need to have a gun either. The USA has the highest personal gun ownership on earth, and that's the way they want to stay, including keeping the highest number of domestic murders per year during peace time. Conclusion: Americans are seriously more paranoid than Europeans, with or without God. (Edited by Zanjan) ghostgeek: Yes! Americans are the most paranoid people on the planet. Utterly stupid too, seeing that so many claim to believe in God. Zanjan: Well, you'd expect more natural disasters due to global warming but none compare to their PR disasters. They've pretty much Trumped the Canadian news hour. ghostgeek: If we are to believe the religious demagogues, humanity cannot be trusted. Thus the need for "Big Brother" to always be watching us, only they call it God. Of course, this does raise a fundamental doubt. If humanity cannot be trusted, why should we think that the word of the demagogues can be trusted? They could be lying through their collective teeth so as to benefit themselves. We must therefore conclude that nothing religion has to say can be trusted, because there are always vested interests involved. Only direct communication with "God" can suffice. God has yet to speak. Until that day dawns it is best to act as though such an entity does not exist. We are less likely to be lied to that way. | Religion Chat Room 34 People Chatting Similar Conversations |