Where Does Moral Authority Come From If Not From God?

[Theland]

There can be no objective moral authority without God.
Without God, what passes for morality becomes purely subjective and chaotic.
How does an atheist identify what is moral authority?

[MallyJ]

I was going to respond but I realised that whilst you feel hugely superior to those without a religious belief actually you are not and your persistent sniping at those who do not share your beliefs indicates, to me at least, that your moral compass, that should involve consideration etc for others, is pointing in the wrong direction. I feel sad for you.

[Theland]

Where there is no objective moral authority, then what passes for such can be simply a majority viewpoint, and as a society changes over time, then the morality changes with it.
How can that be healthy for any society?
And then what happens when your personal morality is at odds with that of society?

[douglas9401]

What happens then, Theland, is that increasingly smaller groups congregate on Sundays to show off their best clothes and suck lemons to prove to the rest of us that its The Way.

This is why we've slowly moved away from immolation, the ducking stool and the rack, y'know, godly punishments for transgressors.

[1ozzy]

// and as a society changes over time, then the morality changes with it. //

//How can that be healthy for any society? //
Back to the dark ages we go.

[waterboatman]

Lets all go and live in caves and start again, theland can be chief druid.

[Theland]

Not back to the dark ages. These are the darkest of ages.
What is so wonderful about today's society of selfishness, inequality, immorality on a grand scale, town centre drunkenness, violence, human trafficking, peadophilia, misogyny, and a collective mind like a sewer?

[waterboatman]

You think that's a modern thing? Today is no different to days gone by.

[Theland]

What passes today for moral authority is simple so called moral norms that shift over time.
Tribalism is normal for some, or class, or self centredness passing as entrepreneurial effort?
Racialism has been normalised in the past, look at Germany, South Africa, the southern states of the USA, and these all followed their moral norms. No absolutes. No objective authority.

[Theland]

Women have historically been marginalised, disenfranchised, underpaid, devoid of equal opportunities, but always in the context of current moral norms. Improvements over time still leave a lot to do but there will be no quick fix as long as the status quo conforms to current moral thinking. Not absolutes.

[waterboatman]

That's been the way of it since day one, so what's your point?

[1ozzy]

//Women have historically been marginalised, disenfranchised, underpaid, devoid of equal opportunities, but always in the context of current moral norms.//

How has a belief in a divine creator helped their cause over thousands of years?

Thank goodness "moral authority" has evolved along with society.

[waterboatman]

Well put oz.

[1ozzy]

//Women have historically been marginalised, disenfranchised, underpaid, devoid of equal opportunities//

How long has it taken for women to be allowed to hold important positions in religion Theland?

Hmmm, "moral authority"

[naomi24]

Theland, from St Paul.

"Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says."

"I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet."

You can hardly hold the church up as a bastion of equality for women, now can you? If anything religion has been highly instrumental in propagating the subjugation of women. Try again, Theland.

[atalanta]

I question the assumption that there needs to be a “moral authority” at all. That is, something other than the law of the land. You should define what you mean by moral authority. Who is to have the right to exercise such moral authority, and be respected for it, and pontificate about it,? Someone who is holier than thou ? You should justify the need to establish any “moral authority” in the first place. Then you should justify any claim by any person or group to have the right to tell others how to behave, just because they agree with this moral authority.

[keyplus90]

////How does an atheist identify what is moral authority?////

First of all someone needs to tell them a definition of Morals and what morals are............

[naomi24]

Keyplus, gosh! Coming from you that's a very strange yardstick you're using. ;o)

[Khandro]

If you are a Confucian it comes from Confucius, a Zoroastrian from Zoroaster/ Zarathustra, a Buddhist from The Buddha, a Christian from Jesus and Muslims believe it come to them from God via Mohammed.

If you're an atheist you'll believe in just about anything.

[naomi24]

Khandro, //If you're an atheist you'll believe in just about anything. //

Careful. The original quote is a profoundly stupid one and therefore emulating Chesterton is likely to entice the reader to draw his own conclusion.

[Khandro]

kathyan; //As I said on another thread you don't need religion to have morals.//

It must be very difficult, and confusing for a child to begin life being told that they have to set off with no 'moral compass' ("you're on your own kid!") don't you think? by which I mean to say; starting out with a Tabula rasa i.e. the epistemological idea that individuals are born with built-in mental content, require no moral framework with which to start out (and maybe later reject) and that therefore all knowledge comes from experience or perception.

If that is how you began? then no wonder you are confused, however, you can take comfort that you are not alone, as other posters on this thread will confirm.