Morality

Religious people will argue that morality was derived from basic religious principles. Morality, in fact, comes from our evolved minds and our status as a social animal.

A young child of eighteen months can display morality and affection, long before it can speak, let alone grasp the concept of religion. Chimpanzees will display morality when dealing with their groups. Morality comes from society, and a basic society will expel you if you are immoral. Morality also existed long before religion was conceived of, along with immorality. Is it true, that if religion was totally abolished today, with no memory of it ever existing, that riots and mass murders would break out? It's possible, but also unlikely. Religion and the doctrines taught by it cause enough immorality in their teachings to displace the morality gained from it.

Another reason morality is found ingrained into our natural, evolved mind resides within the holy books of Abrahamic religions themselves. Several places in the Bible and Koran are slavery supported and condoned. If someone works on the Sabbath, according to the Bible, as a dutiful neighbor you are obliged to kill him. If a woman is not a virgin on her wedding night, she is to be stoned to death on her father's doorstep. Clearly we don't use these rules today. Why not? Our minds and perception of the world and its peoples have evolved past barbaric practices. So, when any person today looks at the Bible for guidance, only sees what he wants to. Everyone should live by the Golden Rule found in the Bible, and no one should enslave another man. So our morality does not come from religion at all, and if it does, so does our immorality.

Many might argue: 'God meant for humans to move past barbarism and evolve into a sophisticated society.' Why didn't he do this in the first place? God creating humans is another topic, but it seems odd he would want all this bloodshed over nothing. Another argument, is the world was more barbaric before religion than afterward. This is blatantly untrue, as seen by countless religious wars, which outweigh all others.

So, in fact, morality does not come from religion. Religion might have made some advances to morality with new ideas, but it certainly did not create it.