A group for those without religion, as well as those who oppose it. Atheism and Agnosticism and Anti-theism.

Add media Report RSS Religion x Morality (view original)
Religion x Morality
embed
share
view previous
Share Image
Share on Facebook Post Email a friend
Embed Image
Post comment Comments
Westonbirt
Westonbirt - - 369 comments

I would add that a closed morality, written on stone tablets prevents you from experiencing empathy and understanding other people positions.

Reply Good karma Bad karma+7 votes
B7Biscuit
B7Biscuit - - 624 comments

My version:

"Morality is doing what is right regardless of what you are told, [or what you want]."

Organized religion is most often doing what you are told regardless of what is right, or what you want.

Society, the military, politics, business, and work are often doing what you are told regardless of what is right, or what you want.

Religion is doing only what you believe is right, regardless of what you are told, or of what you want.

Reply Good karma Bad karma+7 votes
Westonbirt
Westonbirt - - 369 comments

They can do what they want because they're religious. They're moral anyway. We are not moral. They equate moral with "faithful".

Reply Good karma Bad karma+2 votes
B7Biscuit
B7Biscuit - - 624 comments

Ah, you see, that describes organized religion very well.

Organized religion is not about gathering people together under one belief for their own sake, but gathering people together under one severely perverted interpretation of a belief for the sake of a few wealthy men who would like to be wealthier.

Real religion, however, is based almost entirely on personal belief. It is not about allowing the instruction of other people to govern your thoughts or actions, but about freely interpreting the world and deciding what you believe the answers to the unanswerable questions to be (what is the purpose of life, what created the universe, etc.) and trying to live your life accordingly.

Truly religious people cannot be amoral, as they are only doing what they believe is right.

What is amoral, however, is when one person, or a group of people, attempt to skew others' interpretation of reality for personal gain - as in organized "religion."

I believe that to be the source of all, or at least most, of the problems with religion.

Reply Good karma Bad karma+1 vote
B7Biscuit
B7Biscuit - - 624 comments

I just re-read this and noticed that I said "Truly religious people cannot be amoral, as they are only doing what they believe is right." And I think that is, at the very least, a poor choice of wording.

So let me re-phrase it:

How can we condemn people as 'amoral' when they haven't been given a choice - when they've been fooled into behaving amorally? "What good's an honest soldier if he can be ordered to behave like a terrorist?" -- J.C. Denton from the game 'Deus Ex: The Conspiracy'

Reply Good karma Bad karma+1 vote
Post a comment

Your comment will be anonymous unless you join the community. Or sign in with your social account: