Atheist is a bad person?

[HoundedbyHeaven]

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If morality was subjective, can a person be faulted for committing an act that he disagrees with the laws of his country to be theft?

If morality was dictated by society and culture, was Nazi Germany blameless in the Jewish Holocaust? How about Stalinist Russia on its "thought criminals"? These dictatorships clearly considered themselves correct in their actions. So given enough years, when Germany sees Jews to be enemies again or Russia its anti-Marxist, anti-Leninist detractors, the genocides of their history suddenly become right?

With all due respect, go figure.

[HoundedbyHeaven]

unfortunately bro, i dont have any figures. i'm not even sure if there are any real studies done to get the numbers since this is more of a personal conviction.

I see.

I was hoping you know the figures, because you did state that "...many atheists..." were "...not holding such views..." that Atheism equaled anti-Theism or anti-Religion.

You see, I've yet to meet a professed atheist, who was not only anti-theistic but also anti-Christian (especially anti-Catholic). When you mentioned that many atheists were not of such types, that pique my interest.

Thanks, anyway.

[The_Child]

morality, which is the basis of our concept of bad and good, is subjective... what one might consider good may actually be bad for another... morality is dictated by society and culture...

not believing in a god or gods doesn't make one evil... what makes one evil is the possibility that other people might consider and brand him/her as one... go figure.

i beg to differ. THe Concept of good and bad is universal and not subjective. Society and Culture may have manipulated 'public opinion' but it does not mean that there is no such thing as the Good and the Evil The idea that man feels the universal concept of love is a manifestation for the universality of good and evil.

There is such thing as Good and there is such thing as Bad. If it is subjective as you say it is, then your statement what makes one evils is the possibility that other people might consider and brand him/her as one... go figure is also subjective, meaning a contradiction in your part. your argument collapses.

[IceInHeLL]

I am pretty much confused with all these bruhahaha. But I think morality is indeed subjective. What is morally right to others may not be right to some. Our moral standings may be influenced by external factors such as religion, culture, etc. that in itself is true. However, we should not confuse morality to judicial laws. With regards to the Nazi, though some Germans and pro-nazi will hail them as heroes to their cause, but those nazi were tried and convicted of a crime (a crime that is against international laws).

Thus remains the issue, that what is good and bad is still subjective. The concept in itself may have universality but the interpretation and specific illustration of which varies from one to another.

Take polygamy as an example. In Christian culture, it is morally wrong to have more than one wife. However, it is morally and even legally acceptable in Islamic culture giving considerations that the man could afford the number of wives he marries.

[gareb]

i dunno what my friend Gareb will think when he sees this topic

tolstoi, it seemed, beat me to it.

i'll post something later. i need to eat. im famished.

[The_Child]

Morality is not hinged upon Religion, Culture, Society, Economic production or any other thing. it is an absolute in itself.

[noynoy]

Morality is not hinged upon Religion, Culture, Society, Economic production or any other thing. it is an absolute in itself.

:mrgreen:

[IceInHeLL]

The_Child: Morality is not hinged upon Religion, Culture, Society, Economic production or any other thing. it is an absolute in itself.

Please explain yourself. I know I have read this somewhere and disagreed with this because of the various interpretation of what is moral to a specific culture and is not morally acceptable in another.

[IceInHeLL]

I think he means that if a person steal something but the person thinks (morality being subjective) that it is not a sin, should he be punished for the crime?

I say YES. Your morality may be subjective, but law is instituted (though primarily based on morality) and when it is practiced, it is without regard to your own personal opinion on morality. If the law says it is a crime, then by all definition of it, it is. It doesn't matter if you think that what you did is not a crime.

A more favorable example will be abortion. It is a crime in this country to practice abortion (unless for some health reasons). However, some people will think that abortion isn't morally wrong for various reasons. One is why let an unwanted child to be born, this will just create more criminals in the future. Others will argue that the fetus has no life until the period of quickening (after three weeks of conception) thus abortion doesn't necessarily be tantamount to murder when it is practiced before three weeks. But as a rule, it is against the law for one to practice abortion. Thus, it is a crime and punishable by law irregardless of your personal moral standing on the issue.

[tolstoi]

human being as placed at the top of the food chain kills and eat lower kinds of animals. does that constitute a crime against another living beings?