Why do Christians think people get their morality from the bible? (read details)?

Question

The bible tells us that certain things are wrong, sure, but that only accounts for a tiny part of human morality.

Using the bible only, how would we know that killing is worse than stealing? or that either are worse then lying?

How would we know assaulting a child is worse than assaulting an adult? Is that in the bible?

There are countless more examples. Clearly humans figure out moral issues by themselves.

Answer 1

As a Christian I whole heartily agree.



The vast majority of morality out there has nothing to do with the bible.



For instance a woman has the right to choose to kill her baby.......not supported in the Bible.



Or young heterosexual couple who decides to live together is no big deal...definitely not supported in the Bible.



A CEO who take millions in bonuses while laying off thousands of workers....not supported in the Bible.



A father abandoning his wife and children to marry a younger woman...not supported in the Bible.



Politicians stealing money from taxpayers to subsidize farmers so that they do not farm any food....not from the bible.



There are countless examples as you say.

Answer 2

1) Why do Christians think people get their morality from the bible? (read details)?



Because many of us get much of our morality from the bible. So, I guess that Christians think that because it is true.





2) The bible tells us that certain things are wrong, sure, but that only accounts for a tiny part of human morality.



This is correct.





3) Using the bible only, how would we know that killing is worse than stealing?



Under Mosaic Law, the punishment for someone convicted of murder is death. The punishment for theft is restoration - in certain cases, multiplied (exactly as it is in our law - the multiplied restoration in our law is taken directly from Scripture).





4) or that either are worse then lying?



Again, Mosaic Law specifies this. Lying in court in a capital case is actually itself a capital crime under Mosaic Law; other sorts of lying have far less serious consequences.





5) How would we know assaulting a child is worse than assaulting an adult?



Who told you that it was, and why did you believe it?





6) There are countless more examples.



Actually, there *are* several examples - but you have provided none. Perhaps you should try actually reading the bible before making a claim about what the bible indicates. You won't make so many obvious errors if you do that first.





7) Clearly humans figure out moral issues by themselves.



This is correct - but history has shown us how frequently humans fail to accomplish this. Cannibalism, pedophilia as a cultural norm, human sacrifice, etc. are just some of the things that humans have, historically, determined are good and important parts of their culture.





Jim, http://www.bible-reviews. com

Answer 3

You are clearly misled, which is often the case when a non-Christian attempts to speak as if they intimately know the behavior, thoughts or heart of a Christian.



Humans are born with a moral compass (conscience). It's an inherent human trait to know good from bad, right from wrong. Christians do not believe they must get their moral compass from the Bible, because our Creator provided that to us in our design. There is no amount of memetic evolution that can account for a conscience.



Christians use the Bible to find the answers to all of humankind's problems. Not as a reference manual for sin.



To your last point, humans do not figure out moral issues by themselves. Futher defining moral issues or delimas that are beyond the conscience requires a society.

Answer 4

Well part of your statement contained a common misconception.. a better translation of the commandment is though shall not murder. Meaning that self defense situations self preservation and soldiers in a war are not breaking the commandment. Sin is basically transgressions against God. See you're right part of us is still no better than the animals... but God wants us to live our lives on a higher standard. We could just go just by our animal desires but then we'd be no better than the animals. God made us with the copasity to be much greater. And that is what he wants from us to be stronger. What most consider just animal instincts Christianity calls the sin nature. God gives us the ability to overcome that sin nature. Mostly because when we are ruled by our sin nature we tend to do nothing but hurt our selves and especially other people. Trying not to sin... is really about trying to do good things for our selves for God and for others without causing harm to anyone else. I hope I am making sense... it's still pretty early and I haven't had enough caffeine this morning. heehee maybe i need to check and make sure that's not a sin :) God bless you :D

Answer 5

I'm a Christian.

I don't think people get their morality from the Bible.



Maybe a few do because the Bible tells of various specific laws which the human doesn't know for himself - such as ceremonies and processes, and the right way to do certain things. What to eat & what not to. How to kill animals... etc.



You might want to redirect this question to a Jewish person... You might get the answer You were looking for.

Answer 6

No kidding.

I got an e-mail from a poster here who told me that anyone who didn't accept the bible as the word of god had no morals, and so must feel free to murder, rape, etc. When I reminded him that every human civilization that's ever had "laws" has considered murder to be contrary to those laws, he told me "that's completely false! You should study history, nobody prohibited murder until the ten commandments were given!"



Guess he didn't know about Hammurabi's code, which even in written form pre-dates the supposed Exodus; or the Egyptian laws that significantly pre-date the supposed Exodus; or the Chinese civilization's laws, which way, way pre-date the supposed Exodus...and many more.



Narrow minds only see what they want to see, and ignore the rest. For them, if god didn't say it or do it, it doesn't exist. Pretty pathetic.



Peace.

Answer 7

Of course. And the bible itself testifies to such.



Romans 2:14, 15 - For whenever people of the nations that do not have law do by nature the things of the law, these people, although not having law, are a law to themselves. They are the very ones who demonstrate the matter of the law to be written in their hearts, while their conscience is bearing witness with them and, between their own thoughts, they are being accused or even excused.

Answer 8

The Bible does not tell us that killing is worse that stealing, or that either are worse then lying or that assaulting a child is worse that assaulting an adult but it does tell us that the penalty for any of them is the same! If you transgress (break) any of the Commandments then you are guilty of transgressing (breaking) All of them. If you break any of them the punishment is the same. Simple, isn't it?

Answer 9

Actually, at its heart, the Bible carries the same moral imperative that has been guiding humanity for at least six thousand years. It is the cornerstone of theistic and atheistic ethical codes alike. It can be summed up in this little story about Rabbi Hillel standing on one foot:



A prospective convert came to him and demanded that he teach him the whole Torah while standing on one foot. This person had previously tried the same thing with Shammai, a contemporary of Hillel, and had been chased away for his presumption. Hillel's reply was:



Ma d'sani lakh, l'chavrakh al t'avid

What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow

Answer 10

Atheists such as myself realize that every situation is unique and requires a response suitable for that particular situation. We are not blindly rigid in our beliefs or actions.



Morals come from socio-culturing, parents, peers, and life experience.



Many Christians claim that only those who believe can live a moral life and those who do not believe in god have no moral compass. That implies that one lives a moral life, not because it is the right thing to do, but because god expects us to be moral. Again, the fallacy with this reasoning is that mitzvahs and morals should be followed because god or a holy book dictates rules to us and not for personal philosophical or spiritual reasons.



Whose morals are based upon a stronger footing?



ATHEISTS - who have an intrinsic sense of positive and negative behaviors and actions, understanding that each situation is unique and calls for flexible rules and reasoning. Atheists possess an internal compass – call it a golden compass -- to help guide them toward positive and negative outcomes. Atheists possess great courage by taking a stand on something they comprehend, not some set of rules blindly followed.



BELIEVERS - who would have no sense of morality in absence of god or bible. Believers whose only sense of morality comes from an external source yet possess no internal compass to guide them through life. Believers who have to constantly ask, "What would Jesus do" because they are completely devoid of internal sense making or judgment. Believers only have a book to point to for their beliefs.



From responses I've seen in R&S, some Christians are jealous of us, believing we atheists are getting away with something. That we get to live a life without morals and then don't have to suffer the consequences. Not sure by what irrational logic they arrive at that conclusion. As an atheist I am moral, kind, and selfless because it is the right way to live. I have no expectation of any reward for proper living. Wouldn't a true Christian be good in absence of salvation, or are they only good to be saved?

Answer 11

The morality doesn't come from the bible nor a book or a magazine.

I think morality comes from your family principles, your education and common sense, not necessarly from the bible

Answer 12

Man sets their own laws to be obeyed. And people rationalize and make excuses that best suit their own egos and conscience. Prayer and reading the Bible with your heart as well as your eyes will change this. Thanks and have a great day!

Answer 13

Not to mention that humanity clearly knew murder, lying, & theft were immoral BEFORE Moses came down the mount. So even if their story is correct, morality came clearly not from god, but from man.

Answer 14

A sin is a sin is a sin... doesn't matter. The person who lies is no different than the killer.



James 2:10 - "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it."



By man's standards killing is worse than lying but by God's standards there is no difference in severity.

Answer 15

According to the Bible, women speaking their minds or working on Saturdays are offenses just as sinful as murder.



It is by no means a source of morality. It has been used to justify far more cruelty and immorality than it has been used as a source of combatting such.

Answer 16

in the same way muslim have to be blowing up buildings to feel they're doing god' will

in the same way atheists say god don't need a god to be moral

and in the same way democrats say that inorder for a government to be good i has to be run by a democrat president

Answer 17

Well how would we know it was OK to torture someone just in case they were a witch without the bible? That it was OK to sell my daughter?









No morals of mine in there.

Answer 18

Only christians get it from the bible all others get it from satan.

"accept jesus and live he is your only hope".





God loves you...God bless

Answer 19

If morality came from the bible, all Christians would be on death row.



The bible is a vile, bloody piece of trash.

Answer 20

Jesus said something about that. Concerning children He was clear

Answer 21

in Gods eyes all sins are the same to him.... killing someone is just like talking bad about someone

Answer 22

or abiding by traffic laws, thats not in the bible

Answer 23

We know that God looks at sin the same! Read it to understand!

Answer 24

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Answer 25

because they do

Answer 26

why do the monkeys kill eachother?

Answer 27

Exactly...



The problem is that most Christians have not actually sat down and READ THE BIBLE from cover to cover...



I understand... it is a tough read... But to base your life on something that you say you believe 100% but never actually sit down and learn the history of that belief structure? That is just sad.



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A Short History Of The Bible

Http://Www.Nobeliefs.Com/Darkbible/Darkbiblecontents.Htm

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Banned From The Bible I

Http://Www.Youtube.Com/Watch?V=2epostvjwle

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Banned From The Bible Ii

Http://Www.Youtube.Com/Watch?V=-I57bb0igwe

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۩ ۩ ۩ Came Not To Send Peace ۩ ۩ ۩

"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household." (Matthew 10:34-37)



Comment

These words of Jesus confirm the unbelievable notion that Jesus did not come to establish peace, but rather to send the sword and to put man against his family. So much for family values. (See also Luke 12: 51-53, Luke 12:49 and Luke 14:26.)



۩ ۩ ۩ I Come To Send Fire ۩ ۩ ۩

"I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?" (Luke 12:49)



"Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law." (Luke 12:51-53)



Comment

Jesus did not come to send peace, but rather fire and division among the family. So much for the idea of a pacifist Jesus and the modern concept of "family values." (See also Luke 14:26)



۩ ۩ ۩ Jesus Not Entirely Good ۩ ۩ ۩

"And behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." (Matthew 19:16-17)



Comment

Most Christians believe that Jesus, not only lived as the Son of God but God in the flesh. Consider that Jesus here calls "none good but one, that is, God," pointing to an entity separate from himself (also see Matt. 5:48)



Also note that because of the belief that none other than God "is" good suggests that Jesus must not have behaved in an entirely good manner himself.



Some early Gnostic cults (judged as heretics by the orthodox church) believed Jesus as the Devil in the flesh and these verses suggests that He was the opposite of good-- Evil in the disguise of God.



۩ ۩ ۩ Jesus' servants would fight ۩ ۩ ۩

"If my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. " (John 18:36)



Comment

Jesus here gives Pilate an excuse for his predicament and, amazingly, makes the claim that his servants would fight for him if this world represented his kingdom. If Jesus' servants would fight for him, then what does that say about a peaceful world on earth or in heaven?



In effect, Jesus here complains about his deliverance to the Jews which would lead to his crucifixion, something that God supposedly ordained for the purpose of salvation of sinners (according to believers). So much for that theory.



۩ ۩ ۩ Eat Your Children ۩ ۩ ۩

"And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD they God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straightness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:" (Deuteronomy 28:53)



"And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates." (Deuteronomy 28:57)



Comment

Here we have the horrific calling for cannibalism. It comes even more barbaric considering it calls for the devouring of their own sons and daughters.



Hardly anyone today accepts cannibalism, yet many fundamentalist Christians would have us believe that cannibalism or some other depravity will result if we choose not to believe in God or to choose another god. (See also II Kings 6:28-29)



۩ ۩ ۩ Happy To Kill Children ۩ ۩ ۩

"Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones." (Psalms 137:9, KJV)



"How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones Against the rock." (Psalms 137:9, New American Bible)



"Happy the man who shall seize and smash your little ones against the rock!" (Psalms 137:9, New American Bible)



"a blessing on anyone who seizes your babies and shatters them against a rock!" (Psalms 137:9, Jerusalem Bible)



Comment

Ask a Christian friend whether he or she should feel happy to dash a child against the rocks. Your friend will most likely stare at you in horror, much less believe this idea exists in their sacred Bible.



Many Churches have found this verse quite embarrassing. It gives no wonder why priests, Jews, and Christians alike, who quote from Psalms 137, always leave out this last verse. (See also Isaiah 13:16; Hosea 13-16)



۩ ۩ ۩ Hate Them! ۩ ۩ ۩

"Surely thou will slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men. For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain. Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies." (Psalms 139:19-22)



Comment

A message of hate from the, supposed, inspired words of God against anyone who takes God's name in vain or who goes against God.



Faith in one's belief produces a barrier to further investigation. Religious groups that differ in beliefs from other societies cannot see past their own barriers. When hate enters into the prison of their beliefs, the seeds for violence to act out against other societies come to full bloom.



۩ ۩ ۩ Hate Your Family! ۩ ۩ ۩

"If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:26)



Comment

This remarkable statement of hate by Jesus directly contradicts the idea of a loving Christ. If one must hate their father, mother, wife, children, brethren and sisters and even themselves, in order to become a disciple of Jesus, one must question Christ's idea love, family, and decency. (See also Luke 12:51-53, Matthew 10:34-37.)



Note: A few desperate apologists attempt to dismiss this verse claiming that the word 'hate' here really doesn't mean what it says. The problem with this approach boarders on complete deception and the ironic dismissal of the Bible and Biblical scholarship. The word 'hate' here comes from the ancient Greek word 'miseo' which means hate (from the primary 'misos' [hatred]). If any synonym could substitute for this word, it would come from a word like 'detest,' 'loath,' or 'despise.' Moreover, virtually all Bibles translate the term as hate. To deny this intent means to deny the Bible and the alleged word of Jesus.



۩ ۩ ۩ Jesus Reveals Himself ۩ ۩ ۩

"I am the root and offspring of David, and the bright and morning star." (Revelation 22:16)



Comment

This verse presents the most shocking revelation in the entire Bible. On the very last page, it reveals Jesus as the "bright and morning star". In other words, Lucifer-- Satan!



In Isaiah 14:12, St. Jerome, translated the Hebrew "morning star" into the Latin term "Lucifer" (light bearer), a name commonly ascribed to Satan by Christians, and represents the fallen star, an ancient symbol for the fallen or evil one. The mourning star actually appears as the planet Venus, the brightest "star" in the sky (but the ancients did not know about planets). Venus always appears low on the horizon, thus it looked like a fallen star (fallen angel) to the believers.



Although the Isaiah verse describes the fallen king of Babylon, Christians have, for centuries, ascribed Satan as taking many forms. And what more powerful form could an evil being take than to pretend himself as the saviour of the world? This would certainly explain the hate filled verses attributed to Jesus and the blind followers who inherit ignorance. Thus, a conclusion, based on Christian beliefs of Satan, and the belief in the "inerrancy" of the Bible, one must conclude that Jesus has revealed himself as Satan!



What a Revelation!



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Penn & Teller: The Bible: Part 1 Of 3

Http://Www.Youtube.Com/Watch?V=_Tgdqm9mo5s

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Penn & Teller: The Bible: Part 2 Of 3

Http://Www.Youtube.Com/Watch?V=1r1usmsyu3q

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Penn & Teller: The Bible: Part 3 Of 3

Http://Www.Youtube.Com/Watch?V=5rdjd3xtrza

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Penn & Teller: Signs From Heaven Part 1

Http://Www.Youtube.Com/Watch?V=Jhh5qea5s54&Feature=Related

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Penn & Teller: Signs From Heav