Dear Atheists..

[KS55]

Historically, religious doctrine both shapes and reflects social attitudes and in practice often simply adds authority to the majority view as reflected in law. In our secular culture the revelatory source of our legal system is often not understood and the imprinting of Judaeo Christian values goes similarly unrecognised. Interesting article on the subject linked below in case it is of interest, although clearly not appropriate for this context.
https://brill.com/view/journals/jrat/7/1/article-p3_2.xml?language=en&ebody=pdf-117260

That’s where we differ. Religious doctrine has never, in my view, reflected social views, just the view of a section, riding rough shod over the majority. That’s why they came to be widely ignored in the secular age. People started to live by their own beliefs, not something imposed.

 

[Resurrection Joe...]

Tricky.

The 'son of god' claimed his mum was a virgin.

To my knowledge, Charles Darwin, didn't think parthenogenesis was viable as an explanation of mammalian evolution.

If I wasn't an atheist I'd pray for guidance.

its entirely possible the 'son of God' was misquoted. fkin journos even back then.

 

[Vienna_70]

He didn't create the earth. He created us and of that we should be thankful.

So Darwin was wrong all along?

And it’s not what David Attenborough told me in his series, Life On Earth in the '70s.

 

[johnny crossan]

That’s where we differ. Religious doctrine has never, in my view, reflected social views, just the view of a section, riding rough shod over the majority. That’s why they came to be widely ignored in the secular age. People started to live by their own beliefs, not something imposed.

With respect I simply don't think you are correct, even in our secular western European societies. 85% of people currently living - and 99.999% of those who have ever lived - have a religious faith underpinning their moral code.

 

[KS55]

With respect I simply don't think you are correct, even in our secular western European societies. 85% of people currently living - and 99.999% of those who have ever lived - have a religious faith underpinning their moral code.

What’s that got to do with enacted laws? That’s the point.
Secondly, you have to assume that those religious beliefs encompass a moral code which I would argue with. They are power structures. Think of men in the RC church in Ireland denouncing Protestant schools and businesses as evil from the pulpit. Your 99% believed that was moral did they? If so, I wouldn’t give tuppence for their moral code.
You may equate religion with morals, I don’t.

 

[Vienna_70]

With respect I simply don't think you are correct, even in our secular western European societies. 85% of people currently living - and 99.999% of those who have ever lived - have a religious faith underpinning their moral code.

While I have no truck for religion of any kind, Western society,s law is based on the Ten Commandments.

 

[johnny crossan]

What’s that got to do with enacted laws? That’s the point.

Our laws are based on basic principles derived from accepted religious beliefs.

 

[KS55]

Our laws are based on basic principles derived from accepted religious beliefs.

Wrong wrong wrong. Religious propaganda. Do you really swallow the idea
( for eg) that “Thou shalt not murder” is Judaeo Christian?
The death penalty, the removal of rights from other religions, the legal disability of women: just a few examples of English law through the ages. Do you really think these were accepted religious beliefs? Accepted by whom?

 

[Cassandra]

Wrong wrong wrong. Religious propaganda. Do you really swallow the idea ( for eg) that “Thou shalt not murder” is Judaeo Christian?

But yesterday’s events in Southport show what happens when each has their own moral code. Morality has to be based on the common good and in some way that, for me at any rate, depends on trying to fathom what the purpose of this great big universe is. I find it very difficult to rationalise the thought that this massive and intricately complex universe does not have a purpose.

 

[tonea2003]

but you are still here ;-)

what's that got to do with anything?