I've actually thought to stop posting journals, cuz no one reads 'em, but what the hell. I like writing them.

I've been watching a lot of youtube lately, mostly debates between theists (mostly Christians) and atheists. One point that seems to be brought up over and over is the issue of morality.

Theists (yes I am generalizing, don't hate me) constantly say that atheists are devoid of all morality because they don't believe in a higher power and don't have any obligation to follow what he gave us. One guy even said that atheists are "zombies," without any soul to speak of.

While obviously untrue, it's... astounding that people can deceive themselves so well they'll deny what's in front of their own eyes. Atheists are no more inclined to attack, kill, rape, thieve, or anything else you can think of. As a matter of fact, more theists commit these crimes because they think "God says so." Atheists believe in no god, so we have no urge to commit crimes in the name of God. Instead, we believe in bettering ourselves. This does not mean of course that there are no atheist criminals. Far from it. It just means that we're not evil as theists might think.

On to the origin of morality: morality came into existence slowly, as groups and tribes formed. The basic principles can be found in modern monkey and ape groups. With baboons, there is a strict hierarchy, and there are some things that are not allowed, such as the harming of a pup. In another set of monkeys (man I can't remember what they're called, but I believe they exist in the Middle East) the hierarchy is even more strict and sophisticated.

"Hierarchy" may seem different from "morality" but the roots are the same. With a hierarchy in a monkey/ape group, there are certain things that they all must adhere to. If they do not, they are often kicked out of the group, shunned, beaten, killed, or otherwise penalized. The more sophisticated the hierarchy and the group dynamics, the more sophisticated the rules. Plus, the ones who are kicked out, shunned, etc. are less likely to pass on their genes, since they have to worry about being killed... thus, offspring born are more likely to accept and adhere to their parents' rules.

We, human beings, are a little higher in cognitive function than other animals (but those dolphins, they look shifty...) and we're able to understand the concept of morality as more than a set of rules. We can make decisions based on our understanding, and act accordingly. Not because we "have" to, but because, for most, hurting someone just "feels wrong."

The ultimate conclusion to this little rant is that, it doesn't matter where morals come from--from a god, or from evolution. They're still important. They're still a major part of our societies (plural, because morals in one culture can be somewhat different in another). Atheists are just people, some good and some bad, just like the theists.

And we're not undead.