Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site mcnc.UUCP Path: utzoo!decvax!mcnc!bch From: bch@mcnc.UUCP (Byron Howes) Newsgroups: net.religion Subject: Re: Where do morals come from Message-ID: <2404@mcnc.UUCP> Date: Mon, 10-Dec-84 00:31:23 EST Article-I.D.: mcnc.2404 Posted: Mon Dec 10 00:31:23 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 11-Dec-84 00:56:35 EST References:Reply-To: bch@mcnc.UUCP (Byron Howes) Distribution: na Organization: North Carolina Educational Computing Service Lines: 26 Summary: In article mangoe@umcp-cs.UUCP (Charley Wingate) writes: >I have a question for the non-theists out there: where does the >authority for your moral system come from? > >I'm particularly interested in whether you feel your system allows any >judgement of the behavior of others. Even as a theist (I guess) I'd have to say that my moral system comes from my culture. The authority (in this culture) is largely English Common Law, extracted to some extent from a series of tracts commonly known as The Bible. Other cultures (a good example right now is Iran) draw on different cultural authorities, and thus have different moral systems. Moral systems provide a set of normative standards which circumscribe acceptable modes of behavior. Individuals within a society may also define their own moral codes, usually based on some subset of the recognized set of moral codes, and hold other members up to those standards. It really is a matter of taste. -- Byron C. Howes ...!{decvax,akgua}!mcnc!ecsvax!bch