@JBeukema,
Reply to JBeukema : The Non-Morality of Theism
The title seems promising enough. Theism is incompatible with Truth-based amorailty. All religions are deployed by societal leaders to promote ther societies particular version of moraility. All of these societally-sponsered versions of moraility are all false.
"I find that Abrahamic- primarily Christian and neo christian- individuals oft tell far more than they realize. Take, for instance, a common argument used by many such theists to argue the 'goodness' of religion."
These individuals are all mentally deranged and thier aguments are worthless. The Forbidden Truth is that religion is lie-based, and you cannot get Truth from lies. Religions are all ultra-addictive and toxic/ They destroy sanity and Truth. Religion is actually a mental health plague.
The only possible positions are :
A) Truth-based
B) Lie-based.
The entire argument given by god-myth-addicts is deranged in it's entirety, as only a god-myth addict could muster.
"This argument usually takes the form of 'how can one be good without god?',"
The whole idea of good, bad, right and wrong to any individual is invalid, lie-based and insane.
"where do your morals come from?' "
Society. These deranged and toxic lies come from society and societal leaders. They have no legitimacy.
"or, perhaps most frighteningly, 'I cannot see people being good without god."
God does not exist, neither does any legitimate concept of good and bad individuals.
"What is so telling about these words? Well, basically, what these people are arguing is that they cannot imagine anyone being 'good' without god- more specifically, that they cannot see how anyone can be moral or upright without the fear of hell."
Nobody can be "moral and upright", because these concepts are lie-based and have no Truth-based legitimacy. Anyone who believes that they are "moral and upright" is a fool, and an inferior who rejects Truth.
Unless youdefine "moral and upright" as simple being totally embracing of Truth, something a god-myth-addict can never be.
"Buddhists make a similar claim regarding Karma and reincarnation. Now, think about what they're saying here."
I don't need to. All religions are lie-based and toxic. All thier claims are false and unsupported delusions.
"They cannot see how anyone... including themselves... can be good... good being defined, as clear by the context as honest and not bringing harm... without fear of punishment."
Thats because they are inferiors who live thier live running from the Forbidden Truth. What they say does not count. Only Truth counts.
"Now, society has long recognized that some people will only be deterred from undesirable actions by the fear of punishment."
Society has no legitimate right to punish or pass moral judgement on any of its victim-creations.
"This is why executions have historically been quite public"
Incorrect. The reason was so that the citizen-slaves could relieve thier cathartic rage by witnessing another human being brutally and unjustly murdered
without moral condemnation from society. Societal leaders have now realised that it is more efficient to have more of an "invitation" style excecution, and use other public barbaric TV programmes to fill the gap.
That is because society was starting to let it's illusion of decency slip with public excecutions. Soceital leaders simply made a slight adjustment to thier formula.
"and we in America make it well known that criminal behavior results in incarceration."
That is society's blatent way of threatening and terrorising citizen-slaves into accepting injustice in order to control and oppress them.
"However, most people will admit that such persons are a minority and that most people will try to be 'good' of their own accord, per their own conscience."
Your definition and entire concept of "good" is lie-based and wrong.
The reason they obey these incorrect "good" rules is because :
of
fear of moral condemnation by society. As soon as society takes that away, such as in public executions, they will accept and embrace thier suppresed desire to witness and even perform murder with societal permission.
"Indeed, altruism is only natural,"
100% incorrect. It is not natural to be altruistic. What wild animal goes around being altruistic? How is needlessly murdering so-called criminals to ease the baying for blood altruistic? How are the oppressive and unjust laws altruistic?
"as it and the expectation of reciprocation have historically been good not only for the individual, but for humanity as a whole."
Wrong. Humanity is going down into the depths of failure an inferiority as I type these very words. Humanity is a mistake, and is devolving rapidly.
"For a more in-depth examination of these, do a Google search on the moral instinct."
There is no such thing as moral instincts. What a load. Morals are lies, invented by society. Because of this, morals are culturally relative. Can you show Me any wild snakes or spiders that have a "moral instinct"? Morailty does not come from nature, but man.
"These theists, however, make a different claim."
Thier claims are insane. Yours are not much better.
"Not only do they claim that such persons... persons who will only act in an acceptable matter if they fear a great enough punishment... are the majority, they claim that every single person is motivated to be good, honest, or altruistic purely out of fear pf punishment if they are caught doing something wrong."
That is fairly accurate when you consider moral condemnation. However, it does not matter. There is no legtimate thing as good and evil etc.
"Every person. Including themselves. Not only this, but most common forms of punishment are not enough o keep them in line. Fear of incarceration of even execution is not enough to keep these people in line. Only fear of an eternity of indescribable suffering is enough to motivate them,."
That shows you just how that specific part of the insane god myth is designed by socital leaders to threaten and terrorise god-fearing individuals to obey thier facist commands.
"These people admit, through their arguments, that they are either amoral or immoral."
They are immoral.
" For those not familiar with these terms, amorality is the lack or a personal sense of morality."
Truth-based amorality is not the lack of anything except mental derangement and societal programming against nature. Amorality is Superior. All the claims made by societies and religions to morality are false.
"Immorality describes one who acts without regard to morality, where amorality implies a total lack of a moral guide in the first place."
By societal definitions of what constitutes morality, amorality is actually the most Superior, Truth-based, logical and sane position of them all.
"Either of these scenarios should be quite frightening when one realized that these non-moral individuals, who either lack altogether any moral guidelines or would not be limited by them anyway are the very people who seek to not only claim a moral high ground, but who would then seek to push their twisted views of their so-called morality"
This statement is not quite clear enough for Me to answer.
"... the mere law of an ancient culture, which is founded on no moral or ethical code,"
Current laws are not founded on any Truth based and legitimate moral code, either. One example is the societally-sponsered murder of innocent womb-trapped children.
"as we have just discussed, into the public arena to influence our own laws. They are also the ones who wish to see these views instilled in children."
Society wants to wrongly install its false morality and spead the religious menace into all its child-slaves via the parent slave owners, schools etc. etc.
"This reality should be very unsettling to any thinking, rational person with a vested interest in their own well being or that of their children"
Nothing unsettles Me. I am used to hearing deranged religious rantings from members of society from all sides.
"their society, their nation, or humanity as a whole. Remember that the non-morality of Abrahamism has been seen in the past in the form of genocides, inquisitions, and witch burnings."
Just like christian and western societies do today.
"This is not mere speculation or philosophy. The results of such twisted views have been seen time and again over the past six thousand years of theist influence."
Yes, all religions are pro-war. Further, religions is a desease that attacks sanity and rationality. All societal leaders are in fact highly enraged mass-murderers. They use thier control, the religion systems to commit genocide on others for thier own pleasure and to satify thier own emotional needs.
"While we most oft encounter these arguments when dealing with Christians in the West, this same problem is seen manifest in all theistic religions that claim to take a sense of morality... indeed a misnomer, as they are unable to tell morality from mere law... from ancient texts and are willing to act I accordance to the alleged will of their delusions without regard to any sense of morality or ethics or any care for their fellow Man."
Well, that seems pretty accurate. Law is nothing to do with Truth-based morality. However, I make a point : Society has to care for it's citizen-slaves. The individual does not have any legitimate obligation to care for anyone. The idea of obligation on an individual to care for others is false, and immoral.
"This is perhaps the biggest reason we must oppose theism and the thinking that oft accompanies it, if we are ever going to see the existence of a more just society."
One of the major hurdles in un-doing the extreme toic and immoral state of society lies in the ending of the christian/god myth toxic plagues. However, that is not what will happen. The myth plague is too toxic and is so strongly supported by societal leaders.