[Lando Lincoln]

.....agnostic liberal-socialists are moral free riders who benefit from living in a society ordered by the morality of spiritual religion, while sneering at spiritual religion and moral codes as simple-minded ignorance. At best, they do nothing to contribute to social order. Too many of them do everything in their power to discredit or to destroy the very source of social order.....

Lando

[Ragnorak]

The notion that an atheist can claim moral indignation is laughable.

All morality stems originally from a belief in God. America based its entire belief that we have a right to declare our liberty from England on a belief in God.

An atheist actually believes that all human life is a timer that rings when we become worm food. That we are even aware of our own existence is a fluke of science that would be cruel but for the fact that cruelty is a delusion that necessitates a belief in God.

They are "truly moral free riders" because they try to use morality, which at its core mandates a belief in a higher power, to persuade others to buy into their point of view.

[federal]

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[SandRat]

I asserted in The Moral Free Rider Problem that liberal-socialists are free riders on the social order of Western civilization, which they did not create and do not support.

Love your analogy! Given that they are equivalent of the "free passage" rail-ridding HOBOs of the '20s and '30s and the be afforded the same treatment when found by railroad security in the rail-yard or a siding.

[nothingnew]

Good piece Lando. Thanks. Saving for future study.

FMCDH(BITS)

[longtermmemmory]

BUMP!

[redgolum]

Bookmark

[Fzob]

Ping

[MRMEAN]

This is self-serving santimonious nonsense. All societies, including pagan societies have "morality." Even highly social animals like chimps and dogs have behavior that could be described as moral. What we in 21st Century America consider morality has more in common with the ancient Greek concepts than that of the morality of the ancient Jewish tribes described in the Bible. The fact that 20th Century Communists, who were also atheists, did terrible things did does not mean that the this was due to their lack of God-faith; Christians have done terrible things to pagans, Jews, and other Christians throughout the history of Christianity and in the name of Christ. Muslims, whose faith derived from Jewish and Christian teachings, think morality consists of killing and enslaving Jews, Christians, and other "infidels." A better explanation for the source of morality is natural law, from the encyclopedia article I like to above:

The Natural Law tradition, from the Greeks to the present day, explicitly holds that all rational persons know what kinds of actions morality prohibits, requires, discourages, encourages, and allows. They also hold that reason endorses acting morally. Some hold that it is irrational to act immorally, but all hold that it is never irrational to act morally. Even religious thinkers in this tradition, such as Aquinas, hold that morality is known to all those whose behavior is subject to moral judgment, whether or not they know of the revelations of Christianity.

[NutCrackerBoy]

This is pretty interesting - I am very interested in this topic, but I think the author isn't focussed on whether to make a political point or make observations on the world of ideas. For example, labeling secularists as "liberals" seems manipulative considering there are plenty of secularists who do not fit today's definition of liberal.

[Boot Hill]

"Plato...quotes Protagoras as having said that man is the measure of all things..."

That is the underlying meaning of "The Age of Reason".

--Boot Hill

[dennisw]

Western civilization is founded upon the moral rules of conduct deriving from our Greek philosophical and Judeo-Christian religious traditions. Atheistic and agnostic liberal-socialists are moral free riders who benefit from living in a society ordered by the morality of spiritual religion, while sneering at spiritual religion and moral codes as simple-minded ignorance.

Been thinking the same for a while. Some atheists are quite ethical and moral but their teachings cannot be transmitted across generations. Only organized religion can do this. It doesn't do a perfect job but only organized religion can do this. Ethical atheism leads to pot smoking, libertarianism, libertinism and amoral hedonism in the next generations. 

"Those who believe in nothing end up believing in anything"

[k2blader]

The Renaissance, beginning centuries before the 18th century Enlightenment, was preeminently a period when all of the talents and energies of poets, architects, builders, sculptors, and painters were focused on glorifying God.

How "far" we've come...

[HighFlier]

Christian philosopher Ravi Zacharias was shown a piece of modern art where everything visible was not as we think it should be.

The piece of art was a "home" with windows on the floor, doors on the ceiling, half completed walls etc....

At the end of the viewing, Ravi was asked what he thought of the art. His response was, "Did they do the same thing with the foundation?" Everyone laughed, because that would have been ridiculous.

This story is a perfect illustration of the "moral free-loading" in our society today. The foundation has to be the same as our country was founded on or the entire structure would collapse. Groups like gays, feminists and other liberals can spout their tripe, live deviate lifestyles, but only on the surface of our society.

If it were ever attempted to base a society on say, homosexuality, clearly it would collapse.

[Tribune7]

ping

Thank you, btw.

[Fiddlstix]

BTTT

[kms61]

"Despite the generally propagated myth, Galileo got into trouble with the Church, not because he advocated the theory that the earth revolves around the sun, but because he was a man with a colossal ego and a startling lack of judgment."

Newsflash: A man should NEVER get in trouble with the powers that be for speaking his mind. The Church was dead wrong in Gallileo's case, no matter how apologists try to frame it. The mind boggles that anyone would even TRY to defend it at this late date.

[MRMEAN]

Religious morality in action.

[winodog]

Great article.

[monkey]

Protagoras as having said that man is the measure of all things, meaning that there are no such things as God, morality, or eternal truths.

Must it mean this? Does Man ever ask what God's other interests are, besides Man?

[P_A_I]

" -- Western civilization is founded upon the moral rules of conduct deriving from our Greek philosophical and Judeo-Christian religious traditions. Atheistic and agnostic --- are moral free riders who benefit from living in a society ordered by the morality of spiritual religion --- "


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Flawed premise bump.