Atheism and morality

Jeez Lauren, way to not update for like two weeks.

:)

Today I bring you a few things I've found concerning atheism and morals.

The assumption is that morals come from religion, and therefore atheists have no way of learning to be moral, and are thus immoral.

Well, not so says I and many others.

These are the "New Ten Commandments" as I found them in Richard Dawkin's book, The God Delusion. Although he got them from an atheist website. Anyway.

1. Do not do to others as you would not want them to do to you.

2. In all things, strive to cause no harm.

3. Treat your fellow human brings, your fellow living things, and the world in general with love, honesty, faithfulness and respect.

4. Do not overlook evil or shrink from administering justice, but always be ready to forgive wrongdoing freely admitted and honestly regretted.

5. Live life with a sense of wonder and joy.

6. Always seek to be learning something new.

7. Test all things; always check your ideas against the facts, and be ready to discard even a cherished belief if it does not conform to them.

8. Never seek to censor or cut yourself off from dissent; always respect the right of others to disagree with you.

9. Form independent opinions on the basis of your own reasons and experience; do not allow yourself to be led blindly by others.

10. Question everything.

I personally find those much more inspiring and worthy of being followed than the original Ten Commandments.

These were written by atheists, and they clearly demonstrate that religion is not required to find morality.

I think that being an atheist has given me the opportunity to discover what is right and wrong through personal experience and common logic. And because I formed my morals myself, I fully understand why I believe in them.

I'll leave you with a video I found on YouTube that I adore:

Feminism, myself and some tough questions.

I am a feminist.

I say it openly and often, and I mean it.

I believe that women are still oppressed, society is overwhelmingly patriarchal, and that its not right.

But there are tough questions that come along with that.

Am I a bad feminist?

I love make-up.

And fashion.

I show cleavage.

I even enjoy showing cleavage.

I aspire to be a magazine writer, preferably for a fashion magazine, not a scientist or the CEO of a fortune 500 company.

I love America's Next Top Model.

I played with Barbies and Polly Pockets as a kid.

Does this make me less of a feminist?

Less of a woman?

Am I part of the problem?

I want to say no. I do. But there's always that part of me whispering yes.

But does that mean I have to be to cover up my body, denounce beauty products and fashion, and encourage little girls to play with toy cars to be a feminist?

The whisper changes to a scream and says no.

Although thats not all of who I am. I also happen to be pierced, and outspoken, and comfortably unskinny. All of which surely contradict the image of women we're supposed to support.

I suppose the point is that women need options. That the only acceptable image shouldn't be the beauty obsessed one that I've partially adhered to. That as women we need to find where we strike our own individual balance.

It'll always linger in my mind that part of who I am could be the result of the patriarchal, gender-biased media that enrages me so.

I am a feminist. I am a strong woman. And my love of make-up and such in no way changes how I feel about the lack of equality around me.

Its important that I question my own image, but I happen to have no concrete answers as of yet.