Palin says, "morality itself cannot be sustained without the support of religious beliefs". Is that true?

Question

In her new book, Sarah Palin makes that statement. Is this a popular sentiment with people? Do you find that many people believe a person can not be moral if they are not religious?

Answer 1

No. The cornerstone of human morality, shared by ALL religions and non-religious philosophies alike, is the ethic of reciprocity, also called the Golden Rule. What is harmful to you, don't do to others. Thales, father of Greek Philosophy said it seven centuries before Christ.



It requires no heavenly promises, nor hellish threats in order to operate, just enlightened self-interest.

Answer 2

Of course not. Religious people like to think that but they fail to see the wider picture that a society can only survive if it has certain morals, whether it is religious or not. To take the most basic example, of course we all agree that murder is immoral or we'd have killed ourselves off ages ago. This happens even with animals - they have certain standards amongst themselves or the species wouldn't still be in existence.



Religion tends to impose more prohibitions, but it is another matter as to where they are actually moral. Sometimes they perhaps aren't.



I doubt that Sarah Palin is intelligent enough to get her head around the Euthyphro dilemma and that argument is due to Plato, well before Christianity even existed. Basically it goes like this - are things moral because god says so, or are they moral independent of god? If the first is true, god could say it is OK to sexually abuse children and that would make it moral. If the second is true, god isn't god because there is some higher standard. Religious people have tried to wriggle out of this for centuries and always failed.

Answer 3

maybe popular in some part of America, but wrong.

One could make the case that religious beliefs is what made men fly into a buildings too. There is no connection between religion and morality.



Sorry, Palin cannot see Russia from her house either.

Answer 4

My view is that the most immoral people are those with religious beliefs, not those without. You should read Sam Harris's new book, "The Moral Landscape - How science can determine human values". At least Harris, unlike Palin, has a brain and uses it.

Answer 5

Sarah Palin said that? How come!!?



Well, the truth is, that we must have a guideline on how to behave. And the Bible is good for that... until you reach the part where there are no homosexuals, ******, people kill their children in the name of God... Anyway, moral isn't worth crap since in 10 or 15 years Earth will be all under anarchy.

Answer 6

It's true for her personal ambitions for political office.



People can be moral, even the Bible says people-those who are not Jews or Christians- do by nature the things of the law (law covenant Romans 2:14) and then they are a law to themselves.



However, to live by God's morality takes a knowledge of Jehovah God; John 17:3.



We can't forget though, we are not Perfect people, and at this time we will not live up to God's purpose perfectly; Romans 3:23



But, we can practice the morality set out in the Bible. We can do this to the best of our ability.

Answer 7

This person has a demonstrable defficiency in her basic understandings of the way a socially evolved species is dependant on each other for the benefit of the individual and the whole.



No gods required because other social species have their own morality and they aren't gullible enough to believe in the human invention of gods.

Answer 8

Have you ever heard of _anything_ sensible coming from Sarah Palin?



I have one of the strongest moral level of the people I know, and zero religious belief,

I know of plenty of other people with irreproachable ethics, and zero religious belief.

Answer 9

Bernard Longergan is a religious scholar who has worked in this area. His writing is very, very deep (and hard to read - trust me!), but, he says much the same thing. He believes we all have a religion - even atheists, that informs our morals.



There is also the idea of "natural law," discussed by St. Thomas Aquinas. His thinking was that there are natural laws innate in human beings. E.g., we all "know" it is wrong to just kill someone. There is a lot of our social interactions and such based on this Natural Law, which while at the core of most religious, goes beyond that.



So, not that I am a supporter of Sarah Palin by any means! But, there is merit amongst Theologians regarding her idea.

Answer 10

Sarah who? Haha! Kidding, but to tell the truth, it seems to me; that people that ARE “religious” are the ones without morals. They lie, cheat, steal and even murder - all in the name of their “God”, even when their “Good Book” tells them not to. People that are not “religious” seem to me, have higher morals standards - at least they treat people the way they’d like to be treated. (The Golden Rule - Do unto others as you would have done unto yourself).

Answer 11

That's false. your first hint that it's not really like that: Sarah Palin was the one who wrote it. she's an over zealous, right-wing, idiot who knows nothing about reality or how the world works. no wonder she appeals to the public; she's just like most of us.

Answer 12

It is not.

Though the absolute, god-given moral authority many claim to have can indeed prove to be perfect justification for atrocities.

It would be in bad taste for me to say any more.



I'll depart.

Answer 13

Their is total truth to this statement for without baptism it makes life harder to live because you do not have god their to help keep all of Satan's pests off of your tree for all are born through Original sin but you are still under the new law which was written into your hearts which leaves you without excuse in any crime you commit during your individual lifetimes.

Hears a blessing and a our father prayed just for you.Practice the holy rosary for world peace and for your own inner and spiritual renewal

Merry Christmas and peace to all,of Gods children on earth.

Answer 14

No ones ever gonna give up faith! purely like no ones ever gonna give up conflict! yet its no longer faith that motives any conflict! Its non secular persons who misread their faith of selection! Theres no way there could ever be any wars if the finished international became a hundred% non secular! It doesnt matter what faith yet there are no longer any religions that (if used as directed) could reason a conflict! and that i completely trust you once you assert "there is not any conflict without faith" is in straightforward terms a stupid ingredient to assert! yet a great sillier ingredient than it is while human beings say (and im helpful some fundis will say it right here) wars have been led to via atheism! through fact they have no longer in straightforward terms cuz somebody is an atheist doesnt recommend that no longer beleiving in god is gonna dictate each ingredient that they do! Sorry i understand what I reported didnt particularly have lots to do at the same time with your question! yet I purely had to assert it besides =0)

Answer 15

Sarah Palin. lol.

Answer 16

Since this statement comes from one of the great intellectuals of our day, it MUST be true.

Answer 17

Without the beliefs how would know what is moral and what is not, and who is going to decide that?

Answer 18

No, it is completely false.



And in her case, apparently backwards.

Answer 19

no.



and she was speaking in regards to JFK's speech in 1966 (i believe was the year)

Answer 20

Yes.

Answer 21

Yes - the Atheists say we can but they are living in a religious world. We would all be up the river without a paddle if the world was ruled by Atheists (Stalin ring a bell?)