Atheism FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions on atheism; answered by Richard Dawkins.
Religious people claim they derive their morality from religion. From where does an atheist derive his/her morality?Religious people do not derive their morality from religion. I disagree (with the interviewer) on this point. Almost all of us do agree on moral grounds where religion had no effect. For example we all hate slavery, we want emancipation of women - they are all our moral grounds. These moral grounds started building only a few centuries ago and long after all major religions were established. We derive our morality from the environment we live in: novels, newspaper editorials, television, and, of course, by the guidance of parents. Religion might only have a minor role to play in it. An atheist derives his morality from the same source as a religious people do.
