Christians tell us that only Christianity can ground morality. Atheists can be moral, but they can’t justify their morality. Actually, only atheists can justify conventional morality.
My response to where my non-religious morality comes from is as follows
Humans are a gregarious species. We prefer to remain in a herd/pack. In this context, I will be using the terms herd and pack interchangeably. So, you can see this starts out with a herd mentality. Morality is doing what is best for the herd. Now comes the definition of what a herd is. As a child, you’re heard would be your immediate family. Once you become a teenager, this includes your close friends. As an adult, it may encompass associates, or even far-flung people that you rarely come into contact with but whose company you enjoy. A fully evolved human, in my opinion, is one who recognizes the herd encompasses all of humanity.
We already operate very much along these lines, only instead of heard we call it society. Occasionally, we run across a member of the herd who presents a danger to the herd as a whole. These individuals we exile, sometimes temporarily, sometimes permanently. On rare occasions, we decide that this person will be an ongoing threat to the well-being of the herd and exile is not sufficient. These individuals we pass a final judgment upon.
There is no need for a deity, godhead, or other divine reason for morality. You might even say that this definition meets the instruction, “be excellent to each other”.
My response to where my non-religious morality comes from is as follows
Humans are a gregarious species. We prefer to remain in a herd/pack. In this context, I will be using the terms herd and pack interchangeably. So, you can see this starts out with a herd mentality. Morality is doing what is best for the herd. Now comes the definition of what a herd is. As a child, you’re heard would be your immediate family. Once you become a teenager, this includes your close friends. As an adult, it may encompass associates, or even far-flung people that you rarely come into contact with but whose company you enjoy. A fully evolved human, in my opinion, is one who recognizes the herd encompasses all of humanity.
We already operate very much along these lines, only instead of heard we call it society. Occasionally, we run across a member of the herd who presents a danger to the herd as a whole. These individuals we exile, sometimes temporarily, sometimes permanently. On rare occasions, we decide that this person will be an ongoing threat to the well-being of the herd and exile is not sufficient. These individuals we pass a final judgment upon.
There is no need for a deity, godhead, or other divine reason for morality. You might even say that this definition meets the instruction, “be excellent to each other”.