Athiesm, Punishment and Killing

Is killing justified under some circumstances?

  • I am an atheist and I say YES

    Votes: 10 52.6%

  • I am an atheist and I say NO

    Votes: 1 5.3%

  • I am a theist and I say YES

    Votes: 6 31.6%

  • I am a theist and I say NO

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • I am an atheist and I have some other opinion

    Votes: 2 10.5%

  • I am a theist and I I have some other opinion

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    19
S.A.M. said:
According to some atheists on this forum, religion should not have ANY decree on murder or killing under any circumstances, as this proscribes capital punishment and/or provides justification for killing. Some also disagree with the notion of forgiveness/compensation of crime as an alternative to punishment, while agreeing that prisons are full of innocent but convicted people.

However, if we look at societies under atheist rulers, they are replete with murder and torture.

So, in the absence of scriptures and religion, what is the atheists inspiration for murder? What is the "rational" approach to punishment?
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All ethical issues come to bear due to value systems.

Even though many atheists on this site seem to assure us that a godless society would be composed of persons patting each other on the back for their latest advances in the exploration of pluto, the cure for cancer, etc, it should be obvious to anyone who comes within ten feet of a newspaper headline that this is not the case.
 
it should be obvious to anyone who comes within ten feet of a newspaper headline that this is not the case
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'Man detonates bomb, killing 100, because he doesn't believe in gods'.

?
 
SnakeLord said:
'Man detonates bomb, killing 100, because he doesn't believe in gods'.

?
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Western armies bomb Baghdad. ( A million dead, millions displaced)

Dutch troops in Afghanistan (ditto)

Chinese shoot 100 Buddhists (in process)

Structural adjustment policy kills 20,000 children per day

"Aid" leads to more farmer suicides in Third World.
 
SnakeLord said:
'Man detonates bomb, killing 100, because he doesn't believe in gods'.

?
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note the implication

"man does not detonate bomb, not killing 100, because he doesn't believe in gods"

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:rolleyes:
 
I agree with lightgigantic's general point. Remove religion/gods and people would simply proclaim another reason to kill each other. Most so-called religous conflicts, after all, have less to do with religion and more to with socioeconomic factors. Atheism wouldn't directly lead to world peace or anything of that sort.
 
note the implication
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The only implication is that you wont really find lack of belief or disbelief in gods as the motivator for bad shit. "I don't believe in Thor so I will kill people".

The notion is idiotic at best.

What is most pertinent to point out is that people can do bad shit regardless - Do note however that belief in gods most certainly is a motivator for slaughter, and so removal of it, while it will not stop people doing bad shit, is certainly a step in the right direction.
 
SnakeLord said:
The only implication is that you wont really find lack of belief or disbelief in gods as the motivator for bad shit. "I don't believe in Thor so I will kill people".

The notion is idiotic at best.
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hence my comment

Even though many atheists on this site seem to assure us that a godless society would be composed of persons patting each other on the back for their latest advances in the exploration of pluto, the cure for cancer, etc, it should be obvious to anyone who comes within ten feet of a newspaper headline that this is not the case.

:shrug:
 
S.A.M. said:
Western armies bomb Baghdad. ( A million dead, millions displaced)

Dutch troops in Afghanistan (ditto)

Chinese shoot 100 Buddhists (in process)

Structural adjustment policy kills 20,000 children per day

"Aid" leads to more farmer suicides in Third World.
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These are all atheists ? In your mind does 'western' equal 'atheist' ??
 
SnakeLord said:
Do note however that belief in gods most certainly is a motivator for slaughter, and so removal of it, while it will not stop people doing bad shit, is certainly a step in the right direction.
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Not a motivator in isolation. Most of the time the belief in gods is tied to something else (oppression, control of land, desire to expand territory, etc.) that leads to the slaughter. If you removed that something else, chances are high you'd remove the slaughter. Just remove the religion however, and it's doubtful you'd achieve the same results.
 
lightgigantic said:
Ok

If today we all decided we are going to kill you, not really because of anything you have done, just something random - would this be a bit of a downer to your day?
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Just be careful not to get killed trying. :)

So again, why killing is BAD? Killing the WRONG people is bad. Pretty much ALL religions AGREED with that rule, so let's stop being pussies and pretend otherwise...
 
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Syzygys said:
Just be careful not to get killed trying. :)

So again, why killing is BAD? Killing the WRONG people is bad. Pretty much ALL religions AGREED with that rule, so let's stop being pussies and pretend otherwise...
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why so uptight?
Its not like we would be doing anything bad, is it?
:D
 
Syzygys said:
Just be careful not to get killed trying. :)

So again, why killing is BAD? Killing the WRONG people is bad. Pretty much ALL religions AGREED with that rule, so let's stop being pussies and pretend otherwise...
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so who are the right people to be killed, and what makes you so sure you are not one of them?
 
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