Is a God Needed for Morality?

[H2Andy]

ok, now that the Creation v. Evolution thread is gone (and what a great thread it was), i figured i'd ask a question:

how do you do right in the absence of absolute right (i.e. God)?

how do you know what's "wrong" without a GOd telling you?

or is that possible? is morality the exclusive domain of a deity, be it our God or Buddha?


i guess my question is:

can there be moral lives without God in them?

 

[do it easy]

In a word, yes. I think it is possible to be a "good person" and have morals without beilieving in a deity in the traditional sense. Of course if you want to reduce deity to good versus evil, then perhaps it is more or less the same thing but with less details.

 

[Kim]

Andy...excuse me lad....Buddha isn't a diety....

There's a world of difference between being enlightened and being a God.

 

[JessH]

Morality does not require a belief in god. I personally don't really see a need to say any more on the subject.

~Jess

 

[H2Andy]

Andy...excuse me lad....Buddha isn't a diety....

technically, no, but he was enligthtened, which is an absolute form of "truth"

i should have said the exclusive domain of an absolute being, be it our God or Buddha

 

[Cacia]

well, you are a moral atheist, aren't you?

You can be moral, but you will still be searching. Searching is not bad, BTW. If you are always searching, you are awake, IMV.

But I like God, myself.

Funny, I know the answers to everything.

 

[rakkis]

Much discussion about your topic can be found. Look for "Divine Command Theory".

It essentially boils down to this: Is 'good' good because God says it is or does God in his infinite wisdom know about Good (a concept outside of him) and tells us about it?

If the first, then "good" is subjective and while putting together morality, God just made it up randomly

If the latter, then God is not all powerful and GOOD exists outside and independently of him

A dilemma that people that believe in God and follow the arguments logically have problems reconciling. Supposedly, Thomas Acquina (middle ages) did a lot of writting about this from a theist point of view.

Discuss

 

[H2Andy]

what about if God himself IS Good?

all the qualities which are Good are God's qualities, and God himself is all Good

to be good is to be like God; to be like God is to be good

surely someone must have written on that?

 

[Kim]

technically, no, but he was enligthtened, which is an absolute form of "truth"

i should have said the exclusive domain of an absolute being, be it our God or Buddha

Yes.....but there are huge differences.

First...everyone is the same...it's just where you are on the Wheel. There's no difference between the Buddha and anyone else except their awareness.
Second....everyone get's there in the end (eventually)...there's no place to get lost "for eternity"
Third....it's not the "being" who is absolute.....it's the truth itself. What that truth is, is what everyone finally realizes on their own path to enlightenment - it's all just a question of time....in some cases.....a very long time!

Buddhists don't believe in God in a Judeo-Christian sense, or actually any sense really. They very much believe in "Life" though.

 

[H2Andy]

well, you are a moral atheist, aren't you?

ah... good question...

i am open to the idea that there is a God. however, i have seen nothing that convinces me He exists. but, i am open to the possibility.

as to morality ... what do i base the belief that i am a good person on?


i follow my conscience

i respect myself and others as independent beings who are entitled to consider their best interest and not my own, unless they wish to do so freely

i try to treat others as i would like to be treated

i follow my society's laws

hmm... that's about as good as i can get