I wasn't expecting that this would turn into a mega-thread. I know that we can only go so far with this before either some one brings up religion and it gets locked or it dies out because we can't go any further without religion. But I made it because I wanted to see what other peoples veiws on morality were, I don't need one or two hundred posts for that.

The Golden Rule works pretty well as a basic moral code. Unless you're a masochist.

This is a great place to start any moral code, IMO.

Agreeing upon the basic inalienable rights of a person (human or otherwise) would be another good start to creating rules for protecting those rights.

Hi Fisheye98 and all.

I had no idea this kind of board existed until I stumbled upon it a ouple f minutes ago. On topic, asking whether one believes in morality is like asking if one believes in the sun. And a discussion on morality is very much possible, albeit incomplete, without touching religion. Millions and millions around the world are atheists. It would be quite foolish, to say the least, to think their lives are untouched by morality.

Oh, I'd forgotten about that. A bit like leaving the oven on, I suppose.

Never cheat or steal is what I live by. I like to think I have good morals but it is purely subjective.

Hello there PeteAtoms. Good to see you're around as well.

Could anyone tell me if religion is off-limits per se or just because the OP happens to have requested so?

No religion on the forums. It's in the rules.

The ones everyone's supposed to read before they post. Hahaha. Yeah.

You should read the forum rules, it is stated there.

Hello Frodo67!


That's what I thought, though I wasn't entirely sure it applied to this particular forum, in which case it would help to explain the OP's request... Thanks for clearing that up though!

Of course it is, people can have their own moral code without following one set by a religion.

As for me, I try to follow the golden rule as much as I can. I also think of it from the viewpoint of others, as in, if I were in their shoes how I would want to be treated.

Religion is a vessel for morality, a nice little package. You pick the flavor you like best, or the one that's most familiar, and go with it.

But morality itself is independant of religion. Creating your own moral code is a little like cooking.

Some people are better at cooking than others. Some people just need to eat out.

*this thread has too many anologies and illustrations*

Long time no see, Werewolf&Vampire. Hope all is well with you.


Well, of course, the problem with the I-do-as-I-please thesis, when taken to the extreme, has recently been at display in a Sikh Temple in Wisconsin. Do people, you in particular, enjoy paying taxes? Do you pay them? The thesis that good and evil are entirely and merely relativistic and viewpoint dependant is interesting. On one hand it attempts to glamorize evil, elevate it to an aesthetical and intellectual plateau, but when boiled down it is much closer to the animal kingdom that to that of thinking men. To do wrong, like, say, to manipulate people, is so easy. It's the easiest thing in the world, any toddler can do it. It takes guts to be gentle and kind, to quote a famous band. Those who glamorize evil lack such quality.

I have no morals, and yet I am a very moral person. ~Voltaire.

There are no absolutes with morality, no black and white. Only shades of grey (about fifty of them, I think).

Were you on the "To ban" list?

Anyways, from your point of view, it may be "glamorizing evil", if evil is what you believe in. I believe that it doesn't have much to do with what is considerd easy or not, but if it is the ethical thing to do. Sure, using people can be easy, but easy is not the main point. The main point is to see what you, as an individual, can attain from such exploits. It does take courage to be gentle and kind, but how often does a person gain from that? In my opinion, over the years, being sympathetic and overly kind does not simply cut it.

If you do want to be helpful to an individual and be kind, don't help them at all. If you desire to help everyone in the world, you potentially weaken yourself in a way. Your prone to be kinder and far more open to people than nescessary and thus you face the possibility of being used. It is the struggles within, when fought and conquered on their own, that surrender the greatest of rewards. If you lend a helping hand to a person, then you cheapened their struggle and their path to rising above it, stealing away their potential. By allowing a person to fight their own battles without interfering with sacrifice, then they have a chance to prove themselves worthy in life, and when they win, they will be stronger for their victory. People do not mature through happiness alone. They rise and succeed through strife, conflict and understanding through hardships.

Morality? I suppose it's all subjective. So if you view it as a bit wobbly like jelly or blancmange maybe you'll find it easier to understand other people. It is all rather complicated though!