You're implying that because I don't believe in God, Allah, or whoever that my life is meaningless

My belief is more along the lines that if there is no God or ultimate end goal to humanity, then all of our lives are meaningless, regardless of who believes what. The converse is also true. If there is a God or some end goal to humanity, than all of our lives carry meaning, regardless of whether we believe it or not. Like a variable within an equation that is cancelled out, if ultimately we affect nothing, than whatever we may experience here, be it joy or pain, I don’t see of any ultimate consequence. The variable need not carry understanding to be meaningful; it must only affect the outcome. I should note that this isn’t a religious viewpoint; it’s a very secular one and much ink has been spilled by philosophers about it

Just because I don't believe in God (and let me just abbreviate to God -- no offense intended to any non-Judeo-Christians reading this) doesn't mean that I don't hold certain values as sacred. The most important moral rule to me is the Golden Rule. Or the Hippocratic Oath. Or whatever version of it you want to recite.

And I don’t disagree. Many people hold to things as sacred, and as was pointed out earlier this can very well suffice as “absolute truth”. If your view is that all things are subject to the Golden Rule, then this is the moral that rules all others, at least as far as you are concerned. It is the premise on which your arguments are based, and you don’t feel that this is a subjective standard. You feel that all people should treat each other as they themselves wish to be treated.



For myself, however, were I in a position of a loss of faith I don’t believe I could adopt an “absolute truth” such as the Golden Rule. The reason for this is the purposlessness I was talking about earlier. I'd do things I felt were right (mostly because it makes me happy to help others), but there would never be an instance I did something difficult to appease some external rule. If it was difficult to treat someone as I'd want to be treated, I'd probably not do it for the simple fact that in the end none of it mattered anyway. Is that attitude offensive? Well yes, I think it is actually. But I honestly think that faith in something bigger than myself is the only thing that keeps me from descending into such gross selfishness.

The fact that many different cultures with different religions have come up with the same ideas implies the existence of morals that are set in humanity, not in some external force.

I'd argue exactly the opposite. I think the fact that we've all come up with similar ideas implies that there is something greater than us that put it there.

So the idea that because I don't believe in God puts me on the same level as a sociopath is offensive.

As I said before, belief in God isn't the issue. The really issue is whether there is any ultimate meaning to existence, and I see God as giving us meaning. If there is no real point to human existence then the sociopath may be the most enlightened of all of us.

I also find it offensive for the religious folks, as it also implies that the only reason you're following this moral code is to gain a reward or avoid a penalty.

You misunderstand me. I follow a moral code out of thankfulness to God for what he's done for me and a desire to bring him honor and glory. In a Christian worldview there is no good work that can make up for the penalty of making a mistake, nor is there any mistake that can thwart God's grace.

After all, if the morals are absolute as defined by God, then God made them up arbitrarily.

That doesn't necessarily follow. I don't believe that God has made up anything arbitrarily. Everything that is "good" is because of who He is, not a meaningless code of conduct.

The idea that your existence is ruled by another is as offensive as slavery, even if it is a chosen slavery.

I don't have much to say in response to this, except that we are coming from vastly different points of view here. Call it what you will, but there is no more empowering, freeing, and loving thing in my life than God.