This seems to be a common topic among Atheist bloggers. However, I feel that it is important at this point in time for every one of us to do something like this. We are a minority and the public perceives us in a negative light because we don't have a sky daddy of our own to punish us for our wrong doing. If only our morality was judged by the size of our representative population in prison..
First, I'd like to state that I'm still defining what it means to be moral to myself. Like any rational being, whose morals aren't written in a contradictory manner in a 2000 year old book, I'm still trying to figure out what is objectively right and wrong. Would you kill 10 to save 100? If a child was running at you with a suicide vest intent on detonating it in your vicinity would you shoot them? Is pirating music immoral?
When I was younger I wasn't a very moral person. I did whatever I could get away with. I was very nihilistic. Eventually, I came to realize society couldn't function like that, I began to understand the importance of morality. Not believing in a god (I didn't know what an Atheist was yet) meant that I wasn't bound to any specific set of morals, I found my own as I went. Some were very obvious, killing for instance. But what if someone gave me too much change back when purchasing something? It's their own fault that they can't do math, right? It's still stealing though.Over time, I developed my own evolving moral code along with coming to grok Atheism. Then I found out that during my moral exploration I had managed to become a Secular Humanist without even knowing what it was..
When I'm not busy serving my country, I volunteer with a few local homeless organizations, everything from helping to organize fundraisers to re-tiling their pantry's floor. I am a moral Atheist, without any god or demon watching over me or threatening to send me to some dimension of endless torture, and I'll let you in on a little secret, we are just as moral as anyone else, except we divorce less.. :)
Questions or comments? If so, you can post them here on the blog or send them to me @ charred.atheist[at]gmail.com.
If you leave an anonymous comment on this blog then it will be deleted. Come up with a simple name and use it..
If you leave an anonymous comment on this blog then it will be deleted. Come up with a simple name and use it..
Monday, April 14, 2008
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7 comments:
It's good to see your blog again.
The good thing IMO, about atheist morality is that since we don't have the whole "as long as you repent on your death bed, god will forgive you all the shit you have done" crap.
Yea, it's pretty wonderful. I live my life to the fullest and I don't have to worry about that, at least until I'm on my death bed and everyone around me is begging me to convert.. lol
As previously stated, anonymous comments will be deleted..
I don't like using that prison stat because I don't think it's fair. IF being religious, especially christian, in this country equates to being good and moral and IF that might result in early parole, then I think everyone would say "halleluia" and claim to have found Jesus, so I think those numbers are not really accurate. It's bullshit, but I think I might be inclined to exploit that bullshit, too, especially if I was in a cell with a large, scary looking man who started referring to me as "baby" or "cupcake".
You might be correct about the false conversion thing. I won't remove it from this post, but I will be considerably less likely to use it in the future..
Stumbled upon your blog while perusing the blog of mutual acquaintance. This entry makes me wonder if secular humanists, or anyone for that matter with a set of morals that are not derived from religion, have more integrity than those who ascribe to religion. They follow the rules because they feel their every move is being watched, whereas secular humanists such as yourself do the right thing because it's the right thing. You've given me something to ponder today. =)
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