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?

[Old_Geezer]

A "prophesy" stating that some group will have a bad time then it'll end, isn't the sort of "prophesy" that's likely not to be related to something in retrospect. Now if it prophesied the year end date and exactly how it ended, that'd be worth claiming as accurate/breathtaking.

[mibn2cweus]

Even so, keeping a promise to one's chosen people's great great great . . . grand children, two millennia and countless generations later seems a bit negligent for someone who allegedly created an entire universe in just a few days. Something's not quite adding up in your reasoning . . . if you'll pardon the assumption.

[Theland]

Jack, the commonality of our moral beliefs is a reflection of our having been created in the image of God Himself. But, as we move away from God we begin to do what seems right to ourselves, which is the basis of all sin.
Gods' promises to His people are true and their fulfillment are not dependent on mans demands for instant results. There is a far bigger picture than the one presented in this life alone.
We live for His glory, not our own satisfaction. But to live for Him is to know true fulfilment. That is how we were designed.

[naomi24]

Theland, //the commonality of our moral beliefs is a reflection of our having been created in the image of God Himself.//

What nonsense! Why anyone who's read the bible or even seriously considered some of the stories therein thinks God was 'moral' is beyond me. His morals were abysmal!!

[Old_Geezer]

The reflection is conjecture based on an existing assumption of a deity and what it would effect. Seems rather a long shot to me, especially since evolving principles for society's survival gives a simpler explanation. Societies where citizens don't support each other results in internal conflicts, and are more likely to fail earlier.

[Theland]

It was moral to hunt Jews in Nazi Germany.
If God is immoral? How? By YOUR standards? You have a monopoly on morality? You know better than God with your limited future?

[atalanta]

Well, I think it's more than a bit immoral to condemn and punish the whole of the human race for just one episode of scrumping

[mibn2cweus]

When it comes to immoral behavior what beats worshipping an alleged deity whose tantrums make Hitler look like a school boy.

[naomi24]

Theland, you appear to have lost the plot completely.

[Old_Geezer]

Interesting. Should one condemn as immoral an action if performed by a human yet question it's immorality if performed or encouraged by a deity ? There has to be a single standard. And if the claim is that our sense of morality is given to us by a deity then surely our judgement on that same deity's activities, must be correct ?

[naomi24]

Theland, religion doesn't appear to be bringing you much happiness. I think when you ask these questions you're doubting the rationality of it all and are desperate to seek endorsement.

[Khandro]

OG et al: There is here an absurd suggestion that you dwell in some sort of state of neutrality from which you are able to look out and observe if god exists or not.

[Old_Geezer]

If that state doesn't exist then any claim or discussion that God exists is equally absurd. One has to start from a baseline that what we experience is real and that we can make logical deductions from it. Also, importantly, that we can contemplate the existence of other things outside of our physical reality that may explain that which doesn't seem to have physical/material explanation.

A state that we can do so is a vital first assumption.

[naomi24]

Khandro, why do you think neutrality is absurd?

[Khandro]

//why do you think neutrality is absurd?//

Put simply, there is no position you can adopt outside of your mind, there is a single, intelligent consciousness that pervades the entire Universe, you can not step outside of it because you are a component part of it.

[naomi24]

Khandro, I see no evidence of a 'single, intelligent consciousness that pervades the entire Universe' and I don't adopt a position outside of my mind - obviously.

[Theland]

For folk who claim to not know, you seem to take immense pleasure in not knowing, and of course the arrogant abuse is always just below the surface.
Actually, any doldrums that I find myself wallowing in are only ever caused by fellow human beings. Certainly not the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

[naomi24]

Theland, what are you talking about - and who are you talking to?

[Old_Geezer]

Admitting present ignorance is something to feel good about. Some never get to the stage where they can admit that and thus begin to filter the less likely explanations of issues from the plausible ones.