Religion and Morality

Most people are under the impression that religion is the main source of morality in the world. This, I'm afraid, is entirely wrong.

There are two types of morality in this world, Consequential Morality and Absolute Morality. Absolute morality brooks no argument, either it is wrong, or it is right. It requires no justification. Lying is wrong, even if the truth results in the deaths of thousands. It doesn't matter, its wrong. Why? It just is. The Absolute Morality is in fact, of weaker construct than its cousin, Consequential Morality. The Consequential Moralist asks himself, "Is lying wrong in this situation? What will happen if I lie?" If the answer is, thousands of people will be saved then lying is probably alright in that situation. If lying however, will hurt someone either immediately or at a later date, a Consequential Moralist will probably think "lying is not moral in this situation".

There is a massive difference. Now, how does this relate to religion? Religion is the main source of the Absolute Moralist mentality. Why is it wrong? Religion answers "because God said so". It doesn't provide any justification beyond that, the effect upon people, for example.

For the Absolute Moralist, the world is black and white; it cannot have a gray area. Take for example, the Muslim Jihad Bomber. They are a product of Absolute Morality, which in turn is a product of Religion. America is evil, no questions asked. What they are doing is absolutely right, no matter what, etc.

From the Consequential Moralists point of view, this is immoral. What about the innocents you're harming? What about those who have never done anything wrong, and are the sole source of income for their families?

An Absolute Moralist perspective is far more likely to harm others than the view of a Consequential Moralist. There is no consideration of an actions effects, only the knowledge that the action is absolutely right in the eyes of God.

Hate the Faith, not the Faithful

I simply wanted to clarify something, and as the title of this post suggests, that something is, Hate the Faith, not the Faithful. I feel like I come on to strong as anti-religious person, and this is not the case, I am anti-religion and anti-faith. Many of my good friends, most of them extremely intelligent, are religious. I do not share their faith, I do not like their faith, but they have it. This does not make them an evil person, and each of us believe the other to be deluded. I am probably right, but all the same my religious friends provide wonderful friendships. So to anyone who reads this blog, I hope you will keep this in mind. I almost always make the mistake of not clarifying what I dislike about religion, and as religion tends to be "close to the heart" many often mistake my attacks on faith for personal attacks.

I felt a need to respond to this persons video

This was one of my more entertaining responses. Watch him first, I read my responses of a sheet of paper, so it seems weird otherwise. But please note, the man is an idiot. These are the types of people I debate with daily. I sincerely pity him.

His video:



My response:

An Introduction to my Blog

I started this blog to be an advocate for high school atheism, and to educate those around me about atheism and why I am an atheist. I understand that this sounds hypocritical, as I dislike the preachings of Evangelicals, but I feel its necessary that people my age, and indeed of all ages, see both sides of the "belief coin". I will be honest, I have no intention of being nice in any of my religious arguments, and I will be posting my experiences with the religious in detail. I will hold nothing back and I will not pretend to be something I am not; my views will be shared in an honest if brutal manner.