Do Atheists Have Morals?
Putting the words atheism and morality in the same sentence might raise an eyebrow or two. Many people believe that Atheists do not have morals because they do not believe in a god. I, however, disagree with that statement. Not researching the beliefs, or non-beliefs, of atheism causes assumptions and therefore people jump to conclusions about their views. Morals are choices that fall on each individual separately regardless of religion. First we must comprehend the reasoning behind atheism, and what it pertains to, in order to understand that there is a moral system despite a lack of religion. According to the Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary atheism is defined as a disbelief in the existence of deity. As a result, the possibility of the existence of god(s) or supernatural events is not entirely ruled out. A weak atheist requires strong, testable, explainable, and repeatable evidence before granting the possibility that there are no gods. A strong atheist holds that in all probability, no such evidence can or ever will be produced for him to believe in god. Not attending church or lack of faith
It is a popular belief to associate atheism with the complete absence of morality, as if a disbelief in god meant at the same time a disbelief in moral standards. Any examination into the beliefs of actual atheism in the matter of morals would prove this assumption wrong. Indeed, an atheist often possesses stronger moral standards than the most devout 'so-called' Christian believer. The ability to do the right thing, to even know what the right thing is, will depend upon one's wisdom and knowledge. The extent to which one really knows the consequences of what is done, and the significance of what is represented when one does it, will determine the extent to which one can establish what is right or wrong in any given case. Even though one may loose the desire for religious teachings that does not permit grounds for a moral breakdown in society. Not having a belief in religion does not mean that that person does not have values or morals in their life. Atheistic morals are derived from the same place as anyone religious or nonreligious. Namely, your culture, your parents, instinct, your own thinking an
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Approximate Word count = 751
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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