do you think morals and god go hand in hand?

..well do they?!i always wonder this because the majority of people who preach about god are always saying how you should be "good" to get into heaven and whatnot.
what is upsetting is that these are the people who get drunk every friday nite, and then show up to church on sunday.
i am sooo sickingly good (btw- i can have agnostic view on god). good in the sense of no drinking, i'm not slut, all of those good things. i don't condone people who drink, do drugs, and such, but who are they to say i'm "bad" for not believing in god?i do know people with a strong faith in god, who do "bad" things, and keep the two separate. soo where do you cross the line with this?

I think personal ethics and morality can be grounded on reason and compassion. Religion can provide a source of moral teaching, but I often find its motivation for moral and ethical actions dubious. Most faiths offer a basic reward/punishment scheme. Do good by our standards, go to heaven, don't comply, go to hell, or other denominational equivelent. I find this to be the worst kind of reason to act in a moral way. Also, faith generally requires you to accept a given moral code, and doesn't look kindly on questioning or rejecting parts of its teachings. However, some churches are quite openminded, and make a point of making moral decisions based on love and compassion, which is a better reason for moral behavior, in my opinion.
As an athiest, I try to base my morals and ethics on solid logic when I can, on compassion as much as possible, and on equality as much as possible. The reasons I feel compeled to comply is that I devise and adhere to my ethical code because it is rooted in what I believe to be right, and a violation of those standards is a violation of myself. I don't thing there is any reward or penalty beyond my own conscious, but that is more than enough for me.
So in that regard, I don't think morals or ethics have to be linked to any belief in a diety, but it is one means of instigating moral standards. Not neccessarily the best or worst, just one particular means.

God is devoid of morals that's why "it" can just sit back and laugh watching us destroy ourselves over differences in percieved morality...If you want to use Adam and Eve, then up until the fruit incident we were in God's "image" devoid of morals, then when given the choice there was no turning backguilt acts as an indicator to personal morality but even that can be overwritten by de-sensitising, deep down we all know when we are doing wrong regardless of motive and intent...GOD is a nihilist

Maybe they don't think those things are bad? I mean, what's wrong with drinking? Jesus drank.Maybe the reason they do "bad" things is because they don't see those things as bad. Is it reasonable to conclude that people who believe in God will believe that God says some things are good or bad? Sure, probably. Is it reasonable to conclude that everybody who believes in God is going to agree on what those things are? I doubt it.

I use to be where you are now jak. It is what kept me away from Christianity for so long.Mat 7:21, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. "stay well

Quote:what is upsetting is that these are the people who get drunk every friday nite, and then show up to church on sunday.
i am sooo sickingly good (btw- i can have agnostic view on god). good in the sense of no drinking, i'm not slut, all of those good things. i don't condone people who drink, do drugs, and such, but who are they to say i'm "bad" for not believing in god?No-one is perfect....or should I say no person is perfect, yes even Christians sin. The difference is that Christians know that when they do something like that they are sinning and they can pray to God for forgivness and with His help try to change their ways (I don't beleave Christians should think it's ok to sin just because they can be foregiven, because that is wrong).You are not 'bad' for not beleaving in God and nobody should ever say that to you but everyone is a sinner.God loves everyone and will forgive our sins through Jesus, Christians will want you to accept Jesus into your life because they want you to have eternal life with them, because Christians don't want to see anyone without God and I feel the same, I never critisize, rather I get hurt because I don't want to see anyone left behind when Jesus returns.

Morals and ethics are social conventions, molded by the societies involved. This is demonstrated by different morals and ethics in groups of people that are follow the same faith. A good basis for understanding common concepts developed from "first principles" of logical behavior is THE SOCIAL CONTRACT OR PRINCIPLES OF POLITICAL RIGHT by Jean Jacques Rousseau (online).See also The Ethics of Humanism Without Religion by Paul Kurtz (click) for some additional thoughts and also consider the Golden Rule is universal (click) in some form or other in human cultures.Enjoy.

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