So some say one can’t have morals without religion, huh? What of the following morals I learned from nature?
Watching Wolves, I learned that it is important to keep close to your family and friends, your “pack”, those you love and care about, so that you can all survive together, happily.
I have learned from watching bugs with a venus fly trap that just because you think something is pretty and safe, it may actually be lethal.
I have learned from watching clouds that time and life is fickle, and never remains the same for long, and that through change problems are bound to happen. (storms)
Watching the water ripple in a pond from simply dropping in a small pebble I have learned that even the seemingly smallest of actions can have the biggest of reactions.
Squirrels taught me how important it is to store things away for the winter, or for a rainy day, as the case may be.
Snow falling taught me humility, for we are each singular, beautiful, different snowflakes falling through the sky of space and time, and we fall to the ground, heaping and piling together, making up -
- – humanity… still individual, but one.
Watching mammals with their babies, I’ve realized the fragility of all children and babies, the innocense, the purity of them. Usually born blind, they need to rely on their mother for love, safety, security, and how to go about life.
Looking at the state of trees from season to season, I’ve learned that all changes of life are different, but similar, and despite the hard times, as trees must persist through in the winter, you have the spring to look forward to, when you can shine and show off your best, because you are stronger for lasting through the pains of a hard time. It also taught me to respect people at different times of their lives, because all stages of life are beautiful. (The budding, The flowering/fruit, The aging, The aged)
Watching monkeys (the silly things they are!) I’ve learned that you shouldn’t steal, because you’ll get hurt for it, and it will hurt others. Instead, share, and if you’re kind, you’ll be shared -
- with.
So, why does one need religion to learn morals? By the way, I’m not an Atheist.
April 29th, 2011 at 10:34 am
the people making this claim are scary -it seems they would murder, rape and steal as they pleased if their god did not expressly forbid it and if they weren’t scared of him.
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April 29th, 2011 at 12:34 pm
I guess it all depends on who you give credit to in creating the nature.
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April 29th, 2011 at 2:33 pm
Nature has taught me the same and more, as has all life. Religion supports morals, it does not make them. My most treasured gift from God is found in nature.
The Skeptical Christian
Grace and Peace
Peg
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April 29th, 2011 at 4:34 pm
You do have a point there…
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April 29th, 2011 at 7:33 pm
I agree with you. You don’t need religion to have morals/ethics.
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April 29th, 2011 at 9:33 pm
I agree with you totally. I am agnostic and my morals come from myself, philosophically I think most bad acts incurr a loss of choice for another person, or force a undesirable circumstance upon them [obviously they dont choose this circumstance], and I know that I appreciate my ability to make desicions so I wont rob this from other people by:
Killing them
Raping them
Stealing from them
etc.
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April 29th, 2011 at 10:36 pm
Religion is not needed for morals. Just be certain to move far away from any religious people once God is proved to not exist….I hear He is their only reason for not running rampant and killing each other…
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ApxaYPBCjXEbL4L7khu.L2vd7BR.?qid=20070501085325AA0hMlc
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April 29th, 2011 at 11:37 pm
Without Moral Law Giver, you are left with human opinions about morals.
God gave His Moral Law to all of us. Otherwise the free will would be too dangerous. : )
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April 30th, 2011 at 1:34 am
You know… There are closed-minded people that think morals ONLY come from religion… SO NOT TRUE!
I am a Christian.. not Relgious, but CHRISTIAN…
Morals come from how people are taught and their social surroundings. It just so happens that alot of mine came from being in church as a child, but I know plenty of good people that have never stepped inside a church.
Where ever people get their morals, morals are important..
As with the country song that said “If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything”.
We should know what we believe and live by what we beleive, but always be open-minded enough to see when we are wrong and willing to change when we see the truth!
Thank goodness for life.. Life can teach us so much if we listen, just as you so beatifully said!
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April 30th, 2011 at 3:36 am
Moral behavior has absolutely nothing to do with religion. As a matter of “fact” some of the most immoral people in the world are very “religious people”.
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April 30th, 2011 at 4:35 am
Religion is for peace and faith and nothing to do with morals. Morals come from all the points you have given and from our parents. From watching things around us. For trusting ourselves to do the right thing. Morals come from cultures, from society. Religion is for one’s self.
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April 30th, 2011 at 5:35 am
I agree. Religion is not necessary for morals.
By the way, I think that is beautiful what you observed and wrote about other living beings.
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April 30th, 2011 at 6:40 am
Morals do not have to come from religion. Some people believe that because they are closed minded. It comes from within yourself. I know many people that are not religious at all and they have just as much (sometimes more) respect and morals as the religious people I know. Many animals are loyal and loving and they have no idea what religion is.
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April 30th, 2011 at 8:37 am
Being religious does not guarantee you will be a moral person, Nor does being an Atheist or Agnostic or Islamic guarantee that you be a moral person.
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April 30th, 2011 at 10:34 am
I could tell you’re not an atheist. Atheists take a little more “red in tooth in claw” view. As do I.
Watching monkeys I learned that the best way to secure your future as the new head of the tribe is to kill all the male children of your predecessor
Watching Hyenas I learned that the weakest are allowed to starve
From meerkats I learned that the matriarch will force a young mother to choose between caring for her young or her own survival
From my hamster I learned that they will eat their own babies and no one could tell me why
I’ve seen my cat tease and injure and maim a rabbit before finally killing it. He didn’t eat it.
Eagles will fight each other over a dead fish even if the river is teeming with easy to catch salmon, teaching me that even in the animal kingdom creatures are avaricious
Wolves taught me xenophobia. Family is important but outsiders aren’t to be trusted.
Storms taught me that there is no mercy, only happenstance.
From ants I learned the art of war. Kill the soldiers, mutilate the workers, capture the queen and enslave the young
Be careful what you learn from nature
EDIT
Actually Rose dancer I’m a Christian. My point was just that nature is not a warm and friendly place. It’s actually pretty nasty. Viewing nature as a positive place requires a preexisting world view of harmony and positivity. Without that preexisting lens one could just as easily learn the harsh, cruel, xenophobic side of nature. So I would argue that nature merely strengthened our friend’s views here. Otherwise a great deal of nature teaches that might makes right and the strongest survive.
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April 30th, 2011 at 12:34 pm
There must always be a basis of morality.
Where would you know that man is more valuable than animals? If not, then we could kill and eat other human beings, right? (By the way, Adolf Hitler found his inspiration from Charles Darwin’s survival of the fittest, that’s why he was able to kill mercilessly about 6 million people, all because he though of himself as the “fittest” and the 6 million were “subordinate” humans).
What I mean is that we cannot remove the Giver of the law from the law (this is wrong because God said it).
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April 30th, 2011 at 3:33 pm
I don’t know who told you that you need religion to find morals or principals to live by; There are families who live in primitive places on earth who respect and love each other, and they have never, in many cases, even heard of the different religions.
That said, all of those things you see in nature is Gods work. An understanding and a relationship with God really has little to do with organized religions. I am a disiplined student of Gods Word, and I do not belong to any organized religious group, except for the one true Church of God, which has no
tangible building. It stands on a foundation which is made up of the true followers of
Jesus Christ, our King and High Priest by the order of Melchezedik.
Anything else is just church rules and traditions of man, which make void the Word of God.
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April 30th, 2011 at 5:34 pm
Wow, that was quite eloquent. I don’t know that it has all that much to do with morals specifically, but it does have to do with the way you live your life.
For me morals and ethics are inseparable. An ethical person is a moral person and vice versa.
Treat people and all of nature with respect no matter how you are treated.
Very good points.
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April 30th, 2011 at 6:34 pm
Religion is based on written documents that are a compilation of historic events and moralistic tales that help people see and understand the backgrounds and experiences of their elders. Not everyone can experience all the events that have importance to a particular time or perspective of religion. These are combined experiences shared for the benefit of their children and followers.
They utilize the same process you have of gathering insight from events to teach others to better be able to predict concequences of certain behaviors. You appear to be well read and certainly write well. You were taught a system of letters and language, that was developed over many thousands of years. That by itself has given you advantages and abled you to share your experiences with others. Never quit learning, you will find remarkable organization and diverstiy in nature.
Example: there is very little difference between the structure of the chlorophyl molecule and the hemoglobin molecule. Plants have magnesium at the core of their chlorophyl. Animals have iron. The more you learn the more amazing it becomes. Faith is belief that you don’t have to experience everything your self. Let others tell you war is hell and living a good life is reward itself.
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April 30th, 2011 at 7:33 pm
Interesting how differently the asker and LX V observe and learn from nature! The asker focused on beauty and positivity, while LX V focused on violence and negativity. I surely hope this difference is not solely due to LX V’s unbelief in “God”!
Yes, one can learn many various lessons from observing nature. However, one thing that separates humans from other animals (well, some of us) is the fact that we have “reflexive consciousness”, or are aware of ourselves and others, and how our actions affect ourselves and others. Other animals are acting strictly based on instinct and survival; most humans have moved past that basic instinct, and CAN act and make decisions based on something much deeper than a need to merely survive. No, not all of us; but some of us.
Thus, in order to really form “morals”, I think we require something other than interaction with animals and weather; would you have developed “morals” if you never saw or interacted with another human? Would you even need “morals” if you were an isolated singular human being?
Hmmm…
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April 30th, 2011 at 9:34 pm
well everything nature has taught you should prove there is a mighty GOD..he gave us a free will to choose, to love him for who he is,,hell will be full of religious, high morel filled people,, that wont get nobody to heaven,,,accepting Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven, the love of God will guide you to be Godly, and moral,,,,and conscience alone,influenced by the Holy Spirit will lead and guide you,,
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April 30th, 2011 at 11:33 pm
If you have a lot of tension and you get a headache, do what it says on the aspirin bottle:
Take two aspirin.
Keep away from children.
http://godisimaginary.com/
http://www.godandscience.org/
http://atheism.about.com/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion
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May 1st, 2011 at 1:35 am
The morals of wolves, monkeys, bugs, clouds, water, snowflakes, etc. seem to serve you very well, but why communicate ‘DOWNWARD’, when you can communicate with God which is the nature of your true self and is UPWARD and then the morals of “humans” will work very well for you.
I don’t really think there is any morality in nature. Only instinct.Humans have that also, but it’s more along the lines of self serving, self preservation, self defense.
How is that moral?
http://godisimaginary.com/
http://www.godandscience.org/
http://atheism.about.com/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion
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May 1st, 2011 at 3:33 am
Initially, the righteousness of God was given to man in his heart. Without Religion, man can do both good and evil. We need Religion because we need to turn to God. The term Religion means Turning to God.
http://godisimaginary.com/
http://www.godandscience.org/
http://atheism.about.com/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion
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May 1st, 2011 at 5:34 am
I don’t think that religion is ness. to have morals. They do seem to go hand in hand though.
http://godisimaginary.com/
http://www.godandscience.org/
http://atheism.about.com/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion
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