[dmm]

Imperator Fyron said: Christian morality is just as much a matter of opinion as that of any other religion, or humanist moral systems.

You are not being logical. If ALL moral systems are simply opinion, then ALL are a load of crap. In that case, anyone who doesn't do whatever he can get away with is a fool. So Ted Bundy was smart to rape and kill little girls. Why not?

This argument does not prove that Christianity is true or that humanism is false, and this thread (forum?) is not the place to argue about that. Logically, you could claim, "Everyone is wrong." But you cannot logically say, "Everyone is equally right."

Imperator Fyron said: How can you rightfully assert that the moral system of one arbitrary religion is somehow the absolute truth? You can make such assertions about any religious moral system; it doesn't mean one is somehow more true or better than others.

I cannot, of course, PROVE that one belief system is THE TRUTH. I can, however, examine the logical and historical consequences of various belief systems. Just because some "nominal atheists" have good morals does not mean that atheism does not have logically and historically demonstrable consequences for society in the long term that I consider to be loathsome.

Imperator Fyron said: Morality does not derive from religion; religious doctrine generally mimics morality.

Every major religion I can think of has a lot of moral code in common. It is like descent with mutations from a common ancestor. If you believe that the common moral ancestor was God-given, then there is good reason to cling to it. If you believe that the common moral ancestor was an accident of evolution, then there is no logical reason to keep it around, other than situational convenience. It is not true, only utile. Therefore if I find it restrictive, I can just drop it, like junk DNA. It is vestigial, and those organisms no longer encumbered by it will prosper best (provided they don't advertise this to others).