atheists: are there moral absolutes?

There are no such things as moral absolutes...

They're like Truth and Beauty... in the eyes of the beholder.

"it is always wrong to kill an innocent person"

If it's a choice between my child and you... you're gonna die... in a heart-beat.

The problem with "moral absolutes" is that you can always find an exception to the rule.

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The issue between Christianity and atheism is that the possibility and existence of science, logic, and ethics at least makes sense in a world created by an absolutely rational, absolutely moral God; whereas a worldview in which the universe is ultimately determined by impersonal, amoral, non-rational matter cannot make sense of science, logic, and ethics. The question for the Atheist isn’t how can you be moral, but rather on what basis are you grounding your behavior (or anyone’s behavior for that matter) as moral or immoral? How does the atheist properly ground the existence of objective moral values?

Speaking for myself, I would say my morals are higher and more absolute than all the religious friends and relatives I have. Religious beliefs try to in steal morals by way if guilt and control and being afraid but with a way to erase them by asking for forgiveness and then go out and do them all over again. Kinda like validating a parking ticket in a store.Seems like it was set up for capitalism. If you have to have someone or thing tell you what's right or wrong you have never learned the principles of cause and effect and were never educated or have the ability's to look at the whole picture of human kind. Have a great day.

HOW THE HECK DOES ATHEISM AND MORALS RELATE? you can be an Atheist and still know the difference between wrong and right, My word, Christians kill people too so does that make them atheists too?? For example if i stole a loaf of bread don't you think i would know thats wrong and have a guilty conscience about it??? The romans are right up there with the Christianity and they've killed a whole heap of people. So because i am an atheist i don't know whats wrong and right, is that what you getting at??? . All it is is because Christians believe in something that we don't and thats all it boils down to. Adolf Hitler believed in god and look what that crazy f***er did. I rest my case! OH and may i add that the CHRISTIANS nailed there own leader Jesus to a cross and let him die.........HOW THE HELL IS THAT MORAL???? and don;t give me the blah blah rubbish about he died for our sins because we weren't even there! How can you prove that YOUR ancestors were christian? You cant prove that any ancestor who was around at the time of Jesus were n't infact atheists themselves, not everybody is a sheep you know. Even if they were christians they assisted in the death of jesus, and if you are going to play the died for our sins card then you shouldn't have sinned, SINNING IS IMMORAL SO THAT MUST MAKE YOU AN ATHEIST!!!

And yet the Christian God killed all of Egypt firstborns and managed to justify it.

I would kill an innocent person to prevent a thousand innocent people from dying. Moral absolutes don't exist. Everything is relative, what's good for me might be bad for other people and vice versa. Currently, we got a society going which considers some things good and other bad and it works just fine.

atheists only pertain that they do not believe in a god/deity, its like theists thinking so many varied things from jesus to thor. you cant just group all atheists together like a religion, we arent a religion, merely a philosophical stance on the existence of a god/deity

who is to say the person is innocent? (especially coming from the "EVERYONE IS A SINNER" side)

who is to say it is wrong to kill? (especially coming from the side with a book saying "EVERYONE IS TO BE KILLED)

while i may subjectively state that is indeed bad, there is no moral absolute.

No, there are not....and allow me to prove, using the example you cited;

Is it always wrong to kill an innocent person?

What if that "innocent person" is a toddler with a bomb strapped to her back crawling towards the entrance of hospital FULL of babies, and you are half-a-mile away with a high-powered rifle? Would it be wrong to shoot that one baby to stop it from killing hundreds of babies?

Of course not.

There are no "moral absolutes", there are caveats to EVERY moral judgement...

I speak for myself.

My opinion is No, morals are derived from the best interests of the society, which varies

I'll give an example

Sparta was a warrior society, Athena was a philosophical one, rather leaning towards science than war and conquest.

The Spartans are famous for killing deformed children, because they needed strong men for their army to win battles.

While killing children was, in Athena, opposed by the sense of equality presented by their philosophical views

Sure they are wrong but not because some higher power said so. We are born with a natural protective instinct and will to live. It's called self preservation.

There HAS to be bad in the world, otherwise there would be no good either.

I believe in morality, just not divinity. One thing has nothing to do with the other.