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Do we really need God or religion to tell us what's right and wrong? Michael Shermer, the publisher of Skeptic Magazine, says that this kind of celestial-spiritual guidance really isn't necessary. Or particularly effective.

Greenheart 7 May 27
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I don't think a god nor religion are required for people to understand right and wrong. I do think there is a spirituality - not a supernatural, cosmological spirituality, but a connection in humanity that should be sufficient to guide us, or provide a "moral compass." Far too many people, however, are not sensitive or open to that spirituality, and they get sidetracked by greed, hedonism, materialism or other things that can lead to another's detriment.

@McVinegar - yeah, something like that. Whatever that thing is in us that is moved by a sunset, or baby's laughter, or beautiful music, or the suffering of others - that is what connects us.

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I don't think so. I personally believe I am much more moral than the Bible. I wouldn't commit genocide, murder, incest, or rape, all of which are condoned or rationalized in the Bible.

yep!!!!!!

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No, I’m a nice person that knows right from wrong without being religious and so are most of you🙂

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If you're weak minded yeah

Xena Level 6 May 27, 2018
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I don't, can't speak for anybody else 🙂

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I think we need an objective authority to tell us what is wrong. Laws like thou shalt not steal were ideal. Left to ourselves, we can add provisos like he stole it in the first place, he has too much or he is an asshole. Modern legal systems are bad at recognising the injustice caused the rich and powerful. The old Mosaic law condemned the servitude of the poor and used Jubilee years to free people from oppression. America had bankruptcy laws to help those in chains to debt but I think they are gone now. Civil law is probably just as good as any ideal religious law if it deals with the crimes of the powerful.

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Evangelicals would say, emphatically, yes.

And yet ... they support, enable, and even praise one Donald J Trump, grabber of pussies, serial divorcee and unfaithful husband and declarer of bankruptcy, mobster and narcissist.

And yet ... they supported, enabled and provided a forum for one Ray Moore, credibly accused child molester, twice-disgraced and fired supreme justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, and allowed him to call the several women who accused him "liars".

And yet ... they have for decades conflated god, guns and patriotism into a toxic stew and produced one televangelist scandal after another.

If that's "celestial-spiritual guidance", they can have it.

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I side with Michael - no god(s) needed or even useful

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What our parents teachor how they teach is a part of how we form our own moral compass. Life experience adds another layer hopefully by the time we become 'adults' we know that things are not always black and white and the shades of grey cna really define us.
Then there's trump and his gop followers. . . . . .

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