Daylight Atheism » Ethics and Morality http://www.daylightatheism.org NIGHTTIME IS FOR DREAMING. DAYLIGHT IS FOR ACTION. Sun, 08 Jan 2012 17:14:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 en hourly 1 The Delusion of a Just World http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/10/the-delusion-of-a-just-world.html http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/10/the-delusion-of-a-just-world.html#comments Mon, 03 Oct 2011 10:43:33 +0000 Ebonmuse http://www.daylightatheism.org/?p=4385 You've probably heard religious apologists assert that if God didn't exist, the world would be an unjust place where some people were never rewarded or punished as their behavior deserved. (They usually hold back from explicitly stating the conclusion, "Therefore, God must exist, because it would make us very sad if he didn't," probably out of subconscious recognition that this would make the fallacy too obvious.) As prominent a religious figure as visit site to read more]

]]> http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/10/the-delusion-of-a-just-world.html/feed 39 We Don't Need Religion to Have Morality http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/09/religion-and-morality.html http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/09/religion-and-morality.html#comments Wed, 14 Sep 2011 23:40:10 +0000 Ebonmuse http://www.daylightatheism.org/?p=4321 This essay was originally published on AlterNet.

The most common stereotype about atheists, the most common reason why religious people fear and distrust us, is the belief that people who don't believe in God have no reason to behave morally. In the view of the planet's major religions, the way we know what's right and ... [visit site to read more]

]]> http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/09/religion-and-morality.html/feed 45 New on AlterNet: Morality Doesn't Need Religion http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/08/alternet-morality-and-religion.html http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/08/alternet-morality-and-religion.html#comments Wed, 24 Aug 2011 23:29:47 +0000 Ebonmuse http://www.daylightatheism.org/?p=4225 My latest article has been posted on AlterNet, We Don't Need Religion to Have Morality. In it, I argue that morality is real, objective, and not dependent on theistic belief, and I explore the basis for this view and imagine what effect it could have on society if it were more widely adopted. To those who've read my essay on morality at Ebon ... [visit site to read more]

]]> http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/08/alternet-morality-and-religion.html/feed 6 Weekly Link Roundup http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/08/weekly-link-roundup-16.html http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/08/weekly-link-roundup-16.html#comments Sat, 06 Aug 2011 16:28:07 +0000 Ebonmuse http://www.daylightatheism.org/?p=4152 Some scattered thoughts to contemplate on a Saturday morning:

• Earlier this year, my post on urban agriculture drew some spirited disagreement. Now there's a study from Ohio State University which concludes that Cleveland could supply all its own produce, poultry and honey if the many vacant lots in the shrinking, ... [visit site to read more]

]]> http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/08/weekly-link-roundup-16.html/feed 12 6 Ways Atheists Can Band Together to Fight Religious Fundamentalism http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/08/6-ways-atheists-can-band-together.html http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/08/6-ways-atheists-can-band-together.html#comments Mon, 01 Aug 2011 10:48:40 +0000 Ebonmuse http://www.daylightatheism.org/?p=4133 This essay was originally published on AlterNet.

If atheists were as politically organized as the religious right, we could accomplish a world of good in combating theocracy and standing up for human rights and secularism. But whenever an atheist political alliance is ... [visit site to read more]

]]> http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/08/6-ways-atheists-can-band-together.html/feed 17 On the Morality of: Circumcision http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/07/circumcision.html http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/07/circumcision.html#comments Wed, 06 Jul 2011 10:46:58 +0000 Ebonmuse http://www.daylightatheism.org/?p=3970

"And the Lord said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go. And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.

And it came to pass by the way ... [visit site to read more]

]]> http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/07/circumcision.html/feed 65 Meat is Dinner? http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/05/meat-is-dinner.html http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/05/meat-is-dinner.html#comments Sat, 21 May 2011 22:44:13 +0000 RitchieAdmin http://www.daylightatheism.org/?p=3632 By Richard Hollis (aka Ritchie)

Just over two years ago, DaylightAtheism featured an essay discussing vegetarianism - though coming at it largely as an environmental issue. Seeing as so many faces on here seem new, I thought I'd tackle it again and hit the moral question head-on: can we justify eating meat?

Many religions include restrictions on ... [visit site to read more]

]]> http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/05/meat-is-dinner.html/feed 115 On the Morality of: Investing http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/05/investing.html http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/05/investing.html#comments Wed, 11 May 2011 11:24:51 +0000 Ebonmuse http://www.daylightatheism.org/?p=3583 I haven't written a post on morality in a while, and this one's a little different than past entries. This is an issue where I haven't made up my mind, and I'm hoping that people's comments can illuminate the issues and help me reach a final decision.

Through the economic chaos of the past two years, I have to admit I've been more fortunate than a lot of Americans. I have a high-yield savings account with ING Direct - ... [visit site to read more]

]]> http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/05/investing.html/feed 104 Another World Creeps In http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/04/another-world-creeps-in.html http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/04/another-world-creeps-in.html#comments Fri, 15 Apr 2011 10:47:23 +0000 Ebonmuse http://www.daylightatheism.org/?p=3441 I'm an atheist, in part, because I'm a moral person.

When I first read the books that are called holy, what I found were countless passages that are abhorrent to the conscience: God drowning the planet in a global flood, massacring the innocent firstborn of Egypt, ordering Abraham to murder his son as a test of faith (and rewarding him for being willing to do it!), commanding the Israelites to wage genocidal war on other ... [visit site to read more]

]]> http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/04/another-world-creeps-in.html/feed 21 Stepping Across the Is-Ought Gap http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/02/stepping-across-the-is-ought-gap.html http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/02/stepping-across-the-is-ought-gap.html#comments Thu, 24 Feb 2011 13:37:55 +0000 Ebonmuse http://www.daylightatheism.org/?p=3229 Sam Harris' book The Moral Landscape has fallen among the atheist community like a cannon shell, and I for one couldn't be happier. This is an important and long-overdue project for us to begin: to take morality out of the hands of religionists, to rigorously define it as the achievement of human well-being rather than the set of rituals that must be undertaken to please an ineffable god, and to begin a discussion about the best way to accomplish this end. Establishing this firm ... [visit site to read more]

]]> http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/02/stepping-across-the-is-ought-gap.html/feed 137 Morality Has No Place in the Law http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/01/morality-has-no-place-in-the-law.html http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/01/morality-has-no-place-in-the-law.html#comments Fri, 14 Jan 2011 12:33:47 +0000 Ebonmuse http://www.daylightatheism.org/?p=3041 By Sarah Braasch

"Surely if we have learned anything from the history of morals it is that the thing to do with a moral quandary is not to hide it." —H.L.A. Hart

"This lesson is that the distinguishing characteristics of true law must be sought for somewhere else than in the nature of the authority from whence it proceeds, and in the certainty of the punishment by which its infraction is attended." —Sheldon Amos

In loving memory of my baby brother, ... [visit site to read more]

]]> http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/01/morality-has-no-place-in-the-law.html/feed 130 Using Purchasing Power for Good http://www.daylightatheism.org/2010/12/using-purchasing-power-for-good.html http://www.daylightatheism.org/2010/12/using-purchasing-power-for-good.html#comments Fri, 24 Dec 2010 17:06:30 +0000 Ebonmuse http://www.daylightatheism.org/?p=2963 Since 'tis the season for commercialism, shopping sprees and big-ticket purchases, I thought I'd write a post that I've had in mind for a long time. It's less about atheism per se, more about rationalism and being aware of the ways our choices shape the world around us.

We may scoff, and rightfully so, when the Supreme Court uses free speech as an excuse to lift campaign-finance restrictions on huge multinational corporations. But it's true, nevertheless: Money is a form of speech - and not ... [visit site to read more]

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