What fears atheists, that they avoid doing bad actions ?

[Revoltingest]

Have you checked the religious affiliation among prisoners in the US?

It seems there are more religious inmates than atheist inmates compared to the general population. Perhaps fear of retribution has a negative effect. Maybe its religious people thinking 'god is on my side so i can ...steal, rape, kill...with impunity.

At a gym I once frequented, the janitor (not me) would do things
he knew were wrong. But he was careful on his way home,
because he had to pray for forgiveness. If he died before praying,
he wouldn't go to Heaven. Christianity was his license to do wrong.

 

[ChristineM]

At a gym I once frequented, the janitor (not me) would do things
he knew were wrong. But he was careful on his way home,
because he had to pray for forgiveness. If he died before praying,
he wouldn't go to Heaven. Christianity was his license to do wrong.

So it seems, praying and absolution must make it easy to be a villain.

I know of a devout Christian who was sacked from his job for spending all his time on his personal internet quests while clocking up huge amounts of bandwidth and phone charges (in the time of modems and bandwidth limits)

He went quiet on line when he lost his job to return several weeks later at another company which he immediately began his old tricks.

I had words about this with him, he could not see it as wrong because he had spoken to god about it so its OK.

 

[Kenny]

Theists are over represented in the prison population.

Yes... so many atheists find God in prison.

 

[Heyo]

Of course, you/everybody have to. Have no other choice. Do you ?

Not everybody does. Some just don't care, other, religious fanatics, openly dismiss human law and insist only divine law applies to them.

Again I have to say.. Of course, you/everybody have to. Have no other choice. Do you ?

Not everybody is capable. Not only is the prison population mostly religious, it is also mostly low IQ.

But, am sure that behind your set of values, there's some kind of fear involved.

Do you care to tell your set of values ? let me examine.

Do you care to explain methods please ?

My morality rests on three pillars: equality, well being and liberty. It gets a bit messy when those value conflict with each other but that's basically it.

The method is similarly simple: calculate the outcome of an action, check if it complies with my morality, check if it complies with the law.

 

[Revoltingest]

Yes... so many atheists find God in prison.

We don't see them as our best examples.
They also tend to be double dippers.

Spoiler: Caution: Dangerous behavior

 

[Heyo]

I'm fairly sure most terrorism is carried out for political causes.

Both is true. For political reasons, in the name of religion. Whenever religion gets close to power it gets used and corrupted.

 

[blü 2]

Theists, believe that if they will do something wrong like; violence, robbery, bluff, fraud etc. Definitely in return they will receive some kind of punishment, or sufferings in their current birth, or next birth, or hell, or somewhere else.

Resulted, by fearing this they avoid doing bad actions.

My question is.. What fears atheists, that they avoid doing bad actions ?

What on earth has fear got to do with love, enthusiasm, duty, instinct or ordinary decency?

 

[joe1776]

Theists, believe that if they will do something wrong like; violence, robbery, bluff, fraud etc. Definitely in return they will receive some kind of punishment, or sufferings in their current birth, or next birth, or hell, or somewhere else.

Resulted, by fearing this they avoid doing bad actions.

My question is.. What fears atheists, that they avoid doing bad actions ?

Kindly note: by asking this question I DO-NOT claim any kind of next birth, or hell etc.

We are all human and gifted at birth with an intuitive moral sense (conscience).

Humans are born with a hard-wired morality: a sense of good and evil is bred in the bone. I know this claim might sound outlandish, but it's supported now by research in several laboratories --- Paul Bloom, Yale psychologist.

 

[stvdv]

y question is.. What fears atheists, that they avoid doing bad actions

I usually prefer doing good actions, as they usually give good reactions

So probably I am not a masochist, trying to accumuate "bad" reactions

It's as simple as that. No God, no reincarnation thought at all

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

But what causes bone-deep revulsion ? Signal form brain ? If so, why brain behaves so ?

Because that is how it evolved. Mutual interdependence and altruism contributed to the success of our species, and so were naturally selected for.

 

[Samantha Rinne]

Theists, believe that if they will do something wrong like; violence, robbery, bluff, fraud etc. Definitely in return they will receive some kind of punishment, or sufferings in their current birth, or next birth, or hell, or somewhere else.

Resulted, by fearing this they avoid doing bad actions.

My question is.. What fears atheists, that they avoid doing bad actions ?

Kindly note: by asking this question I DO-NOT claim any kind of next birth, or hell etc.

Speaking only for myself, I don't fear anything. I respect the law and I can calculate the possible repercussions of my actions.
I have a set of values that prevent me from doing bad things.
And it seems that those methods work better than fear of divine retribution. Theists are over represented in the prison population.

Pretty much this. Atheists are afraid of the physical world. Everything in the physical world. Atheists often support would-be tyrants, because having no trust in the world beyond this, they have strongly utopian ideas. "If we just elect the perfect candidate, we will life in the Golden Age (whatever they call it)." The problem is, any leader who seeks power wants more of it. Your history got it wrong. It is not absolute power corrupts absolutely , God has absolute power yet he does not use it even to reveal himself, lest he foece someone to believe who didn't want to.
It's really absolute ambition corrupts absolutely. Those who actively seek power abuse it (Why are people getting suckered into hating Trump? And they are suckered, because they can't explain why they hate him so much (it's cuz CNN told them he is bad). It's because the powers that be understand that he only took power because he said "if things get bad enough, I'll run for office." The corrupt don't want an uncorrupt leader using his power to revert things. They want to either corrupt him or destroy him). This truth is why democracy is the worst form of government btw. We vote for people who want to run for office. We should be drafting people.

Atheists fear death because it is strangely at odds with life, they fear the state they helped create (investing a fortune on gated communities and security systems), they fear sickness, they fear wild animals. Yet they insist they are not afraid of anything. If you are truly unafraid, repeat this mantra to see if it's true. Either you'll stop being afraid or you'll reconsider atheism. "I have nothing to fear, because when I die, everything I am and have done will be erased. Therefore neither the law, nor brutal men, nor wild beasts, nor falling, nor drowning can concern me." If this cures your fear, good for you. If it instead makes you concerned enough about death to consider theism, well that happens sometimes .

 

[Stevicus]

Theists, believe that if they will do something wrong like; violence, robbery, bluff, fraud etc. Definitely in return they will receive some kind of punishment, or sufferings in their current birth, or next birth, or hell, or somewhere else.

Resulted, by fearing this they avoid doing bad actions.

My question is.. What fears atheists, that they avoid doing bad actions ?

Kindly note: by asking this question I DO-NOT claim any kind of next birth, or hell etc.

Not necessarily fear (although some people might have a fear of getting caught by secular authorities if they do something illegal), but there's a sense of responsibility to one's family or community. Some people have a personal sense of honor and want to be well thought of by their peers and fellow citizens. Being honest with a good reputation can have its own rewards in this life, without any consideration for what may be in the "next life" (if there is one).

 

[Aupmanyav]

John 3:5 - Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and [of] the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Acts 10:47 - Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?

Why these irrelevant, silly quotes?

 

[Polymath257]

But what causes bone-deep revulsion ? Signal form brain ? If so, why brain behaves so ?

Mostly the way we have been raised.

The same thing happens with food: we feel revulsion about the concept of eating insects even though doing so is common in many places.

We are a social species. Part of our development is learning how to get along with others and internalizing the rules for our society.

 

[chinu]

Example, not exploding a bomb where it may kill people,

Give example of your mortality NOT terrorist's mortality.

note most terrorism is carried out in the name of religion.

Its good if believe that.. Bad things are done on the name of innocent-religions.

 

[Jedster]

We don't see them as our best examples.
They also tend to be double dippers.

Spoiler: Caution: Dangerous behavior

Well, to give God credit where it is due, He did help Alex get out prison.
'They' made a film about his life called 'A clockwork orange'.

 

[icehorse]

Theists, believe that if they will do something wrong like; violence, robbery, bluff, fraud etc. Definitely in return they will receive some kind of punishment, or sufferings in their current birth, or next birth, or hell, or somewhere else.

Resulted, by fearing this they avoid doing bad actions.

My question is.. What fears atheists, that they avoid doing bad actions ?

Kindly note: by asking this question I DO-NOT claim any kind of next birth, or hell etc.

I prefer to base my actions on love rather than fear. Many of the atheists I know, believe (like I do), in some form of utilitarianism, which is to say, do things that benefit the most people.

 

[chinu]

Atheists meanwhile, need no big daddy to threaten them to know what is right and what is wrong. We fear no-one but follow our own moral code.

Question is what makes your moral codes ?

 

[Revoltingest]

Well, to give God credit where it is due, He did help Alex get out prison.
'They' made a film about his life called 'A clockwork orange'.

Odd....I thought technology got him out.
You know....the reprogramming his reactions to violence.
I see the theme as questioning the morality of
his carrying his mental prison with him.

Great book, & wonderful movie adaptation.

 

[Polymath257]

Theists, believe that if they will do something wrong like; violence, robbery, bluff, fraud etc. Definitely in return they will receive some kind of punishment, or sufferings in their current birth, or next birth, or hell, or somewhere else.

I always find it to be scary when someone doesn't understand being moral simply because we have compassion towards others.

it isn't the fear of punishment that is the basis of morality. It is compassion towards others. Fear, in fact, generally leads to *immorality* and violence. Compassion, on the other hand, leads to people working together to solve problems.

You might want to look at Kohlberg's stages of moral development. While not the only way to visualize some of this, it might be helpful.

Lawrence Kohlberg's stages of moral development - Wikipedia

In particular, your question is based on a stage 1 interpretation, which is the earliest and least developed view. The thinking is that later stages show a more developed concept of morality.

Level 1 (Pre-Conventional)
1. Obedience and punishment orientation
(How can I avoid punishment?)
2. Self-interest orientation
(What's in it for me?)
(Paying for a benefit)
Level 2 (Conventional)
3. Interpersonal accord and conformity
(Social norms)
(The good boy/girl attitude)
4. Authority and social-order maintaining orientation
(Law and order morality)
Level 3 (Post-Conventional)
5. Social contract orientation
6. Universal ethical principles
(Principled conscience)