Is Morality Natural?

The test results notes in this article are probably more a result of the survival instinct and the preservation of the family, tribe, or community. This, in a way is also a self-centered response in which the indivdual acts to protect that which is most important to himself, even if is in the interest of his own clear conscience.

Every person you meet practices either the same morals as their parents, or the direct opposite. Otherwise, the only possible suggestion is if these behaviors are somehow programmed into our emotional genetic coding over several generations of the same moral lessons, or manipulative programming, as a part of a minor evolutionary cycle.

Moraility in and of itself is rooted in guilt, which is a man-made emotion and has always been practiced by people in positions of influence as a tool for control , manipulation and gain. It is vital that individuals not get caught-up in morality as a means of behavior or judging behavior on the behalf of anyone that they do not know intimately, regardles of whether it is a learned behavior or a predisposition.

The key to what I said was that "over centuries we have learned."

Actually, I see little correspondence between morals and societal concerns and find them to be extremely inconsistent from one society to another. The ancient Greeks were racked with sexual immorality. Much of the inner city city culture is extroardinarily violent where saying the wrong word or wearing the wrong coat or the wrong color can get you killed. In some societies the concept of theft is severely warped, where stealing a neighbor's dog to eat is perfectly normal.

There are so many other examples that I could give. Even in religious societies things can become warped. In one society we rescued many children who were thrown out in the busy street to die for no other reason than that they were femaie. However, certain faiths seem to promote consistent positive change in behavior, establishing well defined values relating to life, freedom and property. From what I've seen in my lifetime, and observed from my studies of history, the studies mentioned above are flawed, unless they are compensated regarding these issues, and the person who wrote "The human race has proved itself to be pragmatic. A society doesn't work, where a frgament or it, does things, that, will harm the whole.
The other side of that, is that, if a person or persons, become a hinderance to the existance of that society, willingly, or unwillingly, they will be disposed of.It is more, pragmatic, than moral.
I has litle to do with religion, or the lack of." has an inept concept of the evil that men can do to one another.

I could say more but it would be redundant.. Naybe I can help someone to think of the effect of the failures in society and really help train our children to be moral. Else, we find ourselves living in a society full of immorality and bloodlust..

I apologize, I did not mean to post that twice, but it is two different versions, lol.=)

Or, would you pray for God to release the woman in the cave to save the 22 if you knew he would?

These are hypotheticals that cannot be answered in real time. No one knows the future, so each decision would be effectively different based on actual events without knowledge of future events. How about this? Would you pray for God to release the woman and save the 22 if you knew he would?

kind of a slap in the face for the postmodern "there is no universal right or wrong" argument

As an Athiest, I welcome the information in this article. The closed-mindedness and judmental nature of those on this board shows everything that is wrong about the delusion of a supreme being. Read Richard Dawkins book "The God Delusion" and it will open your mind to new thoughts. If you cannot argue your point beyond I believe because it is in the bible, you have no evidence or proof of your belief. You denounce these sceintific findings because you are afriad that as an adult you still believe in something as silly as "Santa Claus".

We tend to make the same choices whether atheist, theist or agnostic because our hearts have been imprinted with the knowledge of what is right and wrong by the Creator God. However knowledge and action are two separate things leading to societies such as Nazi Germany who decided despite the turmoil in their hearts that another race was inferior and therefore could be anihalated. There is truth which can be known and much of it is written on our hearts, that's why it feels uncomfortable to lie, cheat, steal, murder no matter your belief system. God has created you in His image whether or not you choose to follow Him that's where your morality comes from.
Steve

Why do I find that when most people say "please excuse me", they are about to say something ignorant.
No, homosexuality is not a choice. It occurs frequently and regularly throughout society and causes most of these individuals a great deal of suffering and unpleasantness--mostly due to people like yourself who refuse to accept them as they naturally are. To say, then, that this is a lifestyle "choice" is not only ridiculous, but cruel. If, at this point, you choose to go with the "it's not a choice but it's still wrong" argument, then you have to admit that God made them that way to suffer purposefully. Your God is then a cruel, merciless God who cares not about his creations.
I, too, know many people who have been "cured" of homosexuality through God. They either reverted themselves, eventually realizing that God loves them just as they are (if they even continue to believe in such a being) or were caught cheating on their wives with other men, pretending to be something they were not and never will be. I wouldn't be surprised if the people you knew who had changed are not the same.
To say that homosexuality is not natural, you must first define natural. As far as I know, anything that occurs frequently and consistently throughout a population can likely be considered "natural", both good and bad things. Neither "natural" nor "unnatural" are morally correct or incorrect, by definition.
To say that homosexuality is "wrong" implies that heterosexuality is "right", thus all homosexual people and acts are harmful to society, and all heterosexual people and acts are beneficial. This is obviously incorrect. There are many gay people who contribute to society, raise children, volunteer in their communities, and do little if any harm to anyone. I know this because I am one of those people. And if I, as a gay person, am wrong for being a good citizen, watching and taking care of others, versus a heterosexual who is "right" that condemns others and causes them considerable suffering (as you are likely doing to homosexuals by mobilizing yourself to restrict their rights), then I would much rather be a GOOD PERSON and BE "WRONG", then be "right" like you.

Please excuse me if I come across as insensitive to anyone. However, in reading the comment posted by intangent about gays being born that way, (which I do not agree with) that still does not make their condition or lifestyle right does it? I believe, in examination of many people who choose that lifestyle, that there are similiar factors that play into their upbringing that cause them to have that need for like males or females.
But, in returning to your comment, if a child was born with a type of cancer that was slowly eating at their body, you would not say, "oh, they were born that way, everything is ok." No, you would do all that can to rid the cancerous harm from their body.
But, in the sense of homosexuality, we can look at it see right away that it is not natural from a physical standpoint. Can we really supress our knowledge of it being unnatural and out of God's creation and order with the argument that they were born that way?
Loving and trying to help someone who has these struggles and unnatural, wrong urges to overcome them (which is possible and has been achieved for many people that i know) does NOT mean that we sit back and condone their behavior.
"Faithful are the wounds of a friend than the kisses of an enemy." Love can sometimes come in the form of correction and this is one of those instances. Homosexuality is not ok and it is not right. That's why our country is fighting to keep it that way, with 48 states upholding it.

Morals are a reflection of our society.
The facts are, that no organized socoety can exist, with out morals, enforced by the comminuity.
Basically, if we have a scenario, where people kill other people without just cause, we can't have a society.
Therefore, if we have a fragment of a society, that does that, the rest of the socity will band togetherand take the necessary measures to stop that behaviour.
It has nothing to do with religion, or the lac there of.
The human race has proved itself to be pragmatic. A society doesn't work, where a frgament or it, does things, that, will harm the whole.
The other side of that, is that, if a person or persons, become a hinderance to the existance of that society, willingly, or unwillingly, they will be disposed of.It is more, pragmatic, than moral.
I has litle to do with religion, or the lack of.
I saw one argument, that, said, flatly, taking the life of another person is immoral, under any circumstances.
I saw another posting, that, said, that people were persecuted and called names, because of their religion.
We live in a free country, any one is permitted their religion and their opinion.
I would point out, that if you make asinine staements, you have to expect other people, to call you asinine.

We are made in God's image, so why would it be natural to think, sacrifice one for the good of the many. God did that with Jesus. I believe in God, the Son and the Holy Ghost, if I am wrong then when I died, I'm dead. Those that do not believe and if (when they are proven) wrong, well enernity is a LONG time to suffer.

All of you are freaking me out. You don't need God to be moral. And to the stupid *** "armyret@hotmail.com", yes, GAYS ARE BORN THAT WAY.

We are all born under sin, of that I have no doubt. I look at myself and I know, but I am a Bible studying (2 Timothy 2:15) Christian, baptized, thus saved.

Basically, everyone is a son-of-a-bitch, all capable of being cruel, lustful, and greedy, but inside... deep... we all have a good side struggling to be decent. Some of us will make it, the rest will go to Hell, where eternity is being Satan's underling, in pain, constant nightmares, alone... all alone (because a soul [one's mind/heart is all there is other than Satan and his ghouls, and they love torture.

Like Sodom and Gomorrah, all homosexuals will go to Hell... homosexuality and lesbianism are addictions. No one is born a queer. Those who say they've been gay all their lives went there when they were young and tried the waters out of pure lust, tasted, swallowed, and became addicted. Period. I know...

Remember God does not send anyone to hell. Man does a good job on his own in doing that.

Man is born with a sinful nature making him to be not moral and in can be proven in a child when he lies and does not tell the truth. Why did the child lie? Because the sinful nature and not the moral nature is not structured in man. It was at one time.