Is it possible for people to live by high moral standards without religion?

[The Hammer]

In many societies, some form of religion has set the standard for morality.

Are humans capable of living with high moral and ethical standards without a religion?

Is fear of eternal hellfire (Christian belief) or fear of your soul ceasing to exist (Jehovah's Witnesses belief) or fear of punishment within a society (Islam's Sharia Law) necessary to have people live an honest and moral life?

Or can people behave in an honorable and moral way without religion?

I'm not giving an opinion on this, I just wonder what people think so I'm asking.

[led]

can people behave in an honorable and moral way without religion?

I believe that every man has the capability to empathize.

[squealpiggy]

I just read a lengthy and involved book called The Better Angels of our Nature by Steven Pinker which examines why society and the world is becoming less violent. The author suggests that the idea of a permanent soul and a temporary body is extremely damaging from a humanitarian perspective because it leads to people justifying all manner of unpleasant behaviour in the name of an infinite good, which is the saving of an eternal being.

Strong ideologies which are valued above the interests and lives of individual human beings are strong indicators of violence and malfeasance because the ideology is considered to be an infinite good, and no manner of harmful behaviour will ever outweigh the infinite good that the behaviour is meant to usher in. It doesn't matter if the infinite good is the communist utopia of Mao or Lenin, the heavenly utopia of Christian revelation or the earthly pious utopia of a new Caliphate, when people value their ideologies over the lives of human beings atrocity follows.

[SlySlickSmooth]

I'm juss not trying to end up in prison.

Although I think getting into hell and getting into prison are equal challenges.

Also, wouldn't you say dogs have morals? Once you teach them of course, all animals must have some form of morals... we're the only ones who have belief in someone watching us in the sky.

[samouraï]

The question of whether people can be moral without religion is one I don't think even needs to be asked. Of course, certain religious rules make little objective sense outside of their respective traditions, so a theist could argue that a non-theist is acting immorally by ignoring some of those (****sexuality is wrong, abortion is wrong, etc).

[Tom Cruise]

I'm not religious and i haven't raped a single person my entire life.

I've walked past women i want to put my penis in, but never decided to rape them. Why is that?

It was humans who put the morality in religion, not the other way around. The myriad of human emotions and characteristics which stop us from being cruel to other people (or animals) and give us a conscience are all evolutionarily bread into most of us. That's not to say all individuals or cultures hold the same view of morality though

[PACnPBFsuck]

I'm not religious and from what I see, I live more honest than these believers especially at job, never seen so many hypocrites in my life.

[Earl-Hickey]

A mate of mine is a devout mormon and he does some real douchey things, he's not very understanding, he can be very horrible to people, he doesn't go out of his way to help others etc.

On the other hand, i enjoy helping people out, i think making people feel better and being there for them when they need you is very important.

Basically i don't think religion makes you a better person.

[Mud]

[QUOTE]

Are humans capable of living with high moral and ethical standards without a religion?

Yes.

Is fear of eternal hellfire (Christian belief) or fear of your soul ceasing to exist (Jehovah's Witnesses belief) or fear of punishment within a society (Islam's Sharia Law) necessary to have people live an honest and moral life?

No.

Or can people behave in an honorable and moral way without religion?

Yes


You will get some douche disagree with the obvious answers and start a stupid petty nonsensical argument, but the answers are as simple as it gets.

[Rocky...]

I'm not religious and i haven't raped a single person my entire life.

I've walked past women i want to put my penis in, but never decided to rape them. Why is that?

It was humans who put the morality in religion, not the other way around. The myriad of human emotions and characteristics which stop us from being cruel to other people (or animals) and give us a conscience are all evolutionarily bread into most of us. That's not to say all individuals or cultures hold the same view of morality though

Because your weak