Nihilism

Golden Rule and Live and Let Live.

I believe in the Golden Rule. I do not intentionally try to harm others and expect people to do the same for me. As an atheist, I cannot go to church or some guy and ask for forgiveness from their deity. Therefore, I believe I have to take the higher ground because there is only myself to answer to.

Religions have nothing to do with having morals. Either you have them or you don't. If you have a conscience you have a moral compass. We are not perfect and we have all done things we are not proud of but having to ask for forgiveness to some entity is a cope out, it precludes you from taking responsibility. When you take responsibility for your actions and make a concerted effort to do better, be a better human, forgive yourself for your mistakes, it is then that you grow in a spiritual manner. Forget the "religiosity" and the hateful , wrathful , and archaic dogmas. Man created "gods" not the other way around. Anything that is not for everyone , anything that is inclusive, is biased. I like the idea behind "Namaste" because it is for every human being in this world, equally.

My own awareness and empathy.

Personally, I mostly use Kant's deontology, with a bit of consequentialism for the things a good deontological approach cannot solve.

"an it harm none do as thou will." I know that ispagan, but I'm actually an athiest/pagan. I believe in the powers of the mind but that it does not require gods.

What makes any one think religion has a lock on morality? Moral code. Don't be a dick period.

I have always treated others the way I would like to be treated. It's that simple and I don't need the threat of hell to keep me on the straight and narrow or the promise of heaven for doing good. If you need that threat or reward can you actually say you are a good person?

To treat others with dignity, respect and kindness and to help in anyway I can those who need help.

I follow a lot of the same code I had when I considered myself religious. After leaving it I found that my morals came from me and not from religion. I found that I wanted to do what I considered right, fair, and best for people and society in general. The best thing was that I didn't have a book or leader telling me what I had to find wrong or evil.How I had to treat or think about people that their religion considered sinful. Finally, I could decided right and wrong for myself.

My moral code never changed. It has always been:

Be nice to people.
Help people out.
Understand that everyone has problems.
Don't look down your nose at people.

I follow a pretty simple one, "Don't be an asshole." May the administrators forgive this indiscretion, but I had to be honest.

I suppose I follow the Judeo-Christian ethic. Do unto others and all that.

Just do the right thing, and you will know what that is.

The problem is that people equate morals with religion and think one needs religion to be moral. In my opinion, as I reflect on history and the root cause of war and hateful behavior, religion has in most every case, played a major role. Humans can be caring and kind without buying into the make believe world of a higher power that takes care of everyone who prays hard enough or donates enough money. That is dependent of course on whether or not "He" decides taking care of you is the thing to do. If "He" decides not to protect and care for you, it is for some reason that only He knows. As humans we are just too damn dumb to understand what is best for us.
I digress. Morals are not rooted in religion. For me humanity is defined by behavior wherein the individual respects others and makes every effort to treat others with kindness.

if you do not know how to treat others with respect, you lack empathy not religion.

I "try" to follow the moral code that I was taught by my mother. She was a kind and non judgmental person. She suffered a lot of abuse by the nuns in religious school when she was young.

I've always believed in doing the right thing. Being honest, helping as many people and animals as you can, and to always show kindness until the person proves they do not deserve your kindness anymore.

The same moral code my parents (dad was Jewish - mom is of Mexican decent and raised from birth in Catholicism yet no longer believes); you don't pick on those weaker and smaller than you; you help anyone when you can; you never abuse an animal anymore than you would abuse a human, manners and common sense.

I have always had my own morals. Do what is right, what is fair & what isn't going to harm another person. I tell the truth, some may not like it or want to hear it, that's their choice. I always think about the consequences of my actions. It's gotten me a long ways in life.. more so than any bullshit bible thumping crap could ever do.

Morality has nothing to do with religion, if one needs the threat of hell to justify being moral then their problem is weakness not lack of faith.

When I was younger, and controlled by outside forces that only confused me and lead me on destructive paths, I walked around feeling guilty and full of shame for my actions. I thought that I was searching for love and only found misery. Since then, I have looked inward for guidance and continue to do so and find that by honoring the compassion that feel for others and acting from that compassion is the only road to happiness. I am appalled by horror that I see in the world everyday knowing that much of it is blind faith based. The hypocrisy of world religions has lead me to believe there is no god.

I believe in life love and the pursuit of happiness.

After the huge amount of non-moral choices I have made, I try to live an honest, secular life. It is depressing to think it is too little, too late. But unlike religion where lies define truth, and actual truth is a lie----I try to live a better life.