--- Elisabeth Carvalho wrote: > > Morality does not need the compass of religion to > guide it. It is inherent. Frazer in the Golden > Bough, wonderfully details how societies living in > isolation of each other invariably reach the same > conclusion. Pyramids for example are to be found > from Central America (Aztec and Mayan) to the > Middle East (Egypt), without there being any trade > link between these civilisations. > Mario observes: > Elisabeth, you are once again confusing what an organized "society", even an isolated one, may cooperatively believe and impose on it's members, with individual unorganized atheists, for whom morality is what they claim it to be, and the only consequence is the law. > I have repeatedly said that their personal moral code may be as good as any mainstream religion's. Or it may not be. In his staunch promotion of Godlessness, Santosh has correctly pointed out that Buddhists and Jains are technically atheists, but have high moral standards. I agree with that. > Elisabeth writes: > > Whether this inherent morality is to be defined as > "God's invisible hand guiding us" or whether it is > just the evolutionary progression of man's > intelligence is a matter of debate. > Mario observes: > The matter of group wisdom accumulated over millenia, voluntary acceptance of a code through membership, and the corresponding social consequences are what distinguishes a group's moral code from that of an individual unorganized person, deciding for himself or herself what to believe and when to vary. > Elisabeth writes: > > But certainly whether one is a theist or an atheist, > we have long past the point where we need a codified > book to provide us with "checks and balances". > Mario asks: > How would you even know what an individual unorganized atheist "needs" in terms of an acceptable moral code in comparison with a recognized mainstream religion? > BTW, are you still sitting atop that pointy white picket fence?:-)) Doesn't it hurt?:-)) > I thought you may have jumped off when no one was looking, since we recently caught you being "ashamed" of being a Catholic, which suggests public acceptance of a pretty rock solid moral code - no matter how often Santosh tries to patronize and obfuscate it. > >
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