| richardhutnik said: I remember seeking Christopher Hitchens bring up a challenge to Christians in a debate: http://www.religionforums.org/Thread-The-Christopher-Hitchens-Challenge Name one moral or ethical action or behaviour committed or carried out by a believer that could not have been committed or carried out by an atheist.
So, then the conclusion from this challenge (I am taking the first part) is that an atheist can live a completely moral life without God. Well, if that is the case, then why are there ethical lapses? If it is simple for man in and of himself to end up doing what is right, then why do people have ethical lapses? And, I would have to ask then here: Does anyone know anyone personally, or themself, who could end up saying honestly that they never had any moral lapses? In short, how many sinless people do you know of? If Hitchen's challenge is that simple to do, then why does it seem to fail so much? The second half has to do with doing evil in the name of God. |
The simple answer to the first half is that it is basically no easier or harder for an athiest to be as moral as a believer.
The complex answer is that to err is to be human. Ethical lapses happen, regardless of faith or lack of it. The issue arises that there are certain religious beliefs that actually fly in the face of ethics. Ambiguous religious texts that seem to encourage behavior that common sense says is unethical. In the fact of that, it can be easier for an athiest not to commit those specific unethical acts. Otherwise, again, a theist is no more moral than an athiest.
This is also an answer to the second half.
A warrior keeps death on the mind from the moment of their first breath to the moment of their last.
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