
( , Thu 6 Oct 2011, 1:52, archived)

for the sake of the prediction of phenomena. It tells us what is, but not why it is. It tells us what we can do, but it doesn't tell us what we should do.
( , Thu 6 Oct 2011, 1:59, archived)

being told things is actually rather useful.
( , Thu 6 Oct 2011, 2:06, archived)

if I've got to cut someone's head off I'd like to be able to reassure myself somehow that I'm doing the right thing and not just acting on a whim.
( , Thu 6 Oct 2011, 2:12, archived)

( , Thu 6 Oct 2011, 2:06, archived)

but the short answer is "yes".
( , Thu 6 Oct 2011, 2:08, archived)

If you truly believe you can only gain a sense of morals from religion, then I sort of feel sorry for you.
( , Thu 6 Oct 2011, 2:10, archived)

all morality is essentially made up, and that IS religion? maybe.
( , Thu 6 Oct 2011, 2:14, archived)

but moving on. People have their own consciences, and there are social constructs and acceptable codes of behaviour etc.. But how do we evaluate these things? We know that under Hitler (for instance) ordinary people did all sorts of things. We know that in some Islamic countries they cut your head off for being gay, and that in various places female circumcision occurs. These are just a couple of examples of moral problems that even the "new atheists" of today would like some kind of objective answer.
Various religions have got a lot of things wrong at different times, I'll admit, but we can't expect them to change for no reason. If we want to be able to say that such-and-such is right or wrong, we need a reason. Conscience and social custom just doesn't cut it, despite what the subjectivists like to pretend. And science doesn't help us, because it is impartial and makes no value judgments. Utilitarianism as per John Stuart Mill was a good effort but it has loose ends all over the place. The only thing that can tie them up as I see it, is the Will of God. It's only because God made the Universe for a reason and not arbitrarily or by accident that there can be any sense of what anyone "ought" to do.
( , Thu 6 Oct 2011, 2:20, archived)

Or has he given them me regardless of whether I believe in him or not?
( , Thu 6 Oct 2011, 2:23, archived)

I doubt you derived them logically from scientific knowledge, at any rate.
( , Thu 6 Oct 2011, 2:30, archived)

A base example such as "If I touch fire, it hurts me. It must hurt others too and I would not want to subject someone to the pain I felt."
( , Thu 6 Oct 2011, 2:45, archived)