Everyone validates their own purpose. Theists validate it with their god that they project their morals on to. Atheists just skip that and own their purpose.

Using people’s desires for meaning in life to take their money and give them fairy tales and placebo isn’t dishonest?

@Victor Von Doom

I didn’t make any claims about governments, you’re misdirecting.
Mission trips and churches = proof religions don’t take advantage of people for money? I want to understand clearly- is that what you are saying?

I suppose this depends what country we are talking about, but in the US it is pretty much the opposite of what you are saying about transparency. A church gets automatic charity status, thus paying no taxes, and has no obligation to report on what it does with its money. Basically a money laundering dream come true. I don’t think you need my help finding examples of very wealthy ministers bragging about it. A non-religious charity org in the US has to prove itself to the fed to get status, and also report on all its money every year to avoid taxes. There is no such standard for churches in the US.

I don’t see how you can speak so universally about ‘the church’. There are so many and so varied. Are you familiar with the Vatican Bank?

@AnarchoReign are you saying some individuals can be but others are not capable without a religious rule set, or are are you saying as a group a society needs a unifying structure for morality and that is always or can be religion?

@Bogatyr Bogumir interesting perspective. Are you a deontologist? Do morals have goal for you?

@Alice Redacted deism is not a religion, just a position on the god question I would think

@Victor Von Doom because it is the right thing to do.

Could someone come to the same morals religion gives you on their own, without the religion?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veil_of_ignorance

^^^
a way to decide moral rules without a god, just logic+knowledge

That’s the claim, can you demonstrate?

That’s a good argument that it is unlikely for a species to develop morals without also developing religion along side it (the details of how they relate over said time could potentially vary quite a bit). It says nothing about being able to have morals without god.

Do you mean:
-you cannot be moral without the existence of god to create morality
Or
-morality cannot develop without the idea of god
?

You sure you meant ‘lesser’ morals, not alternative or other or...?

@Victor Von Doom then it’s a loaded question that is going to eliminate a lot of non Christians from answering. The average non Christian doesn’t think they have lesser morals.