Discussion Post and Replies Needed

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Discussion Post and Replies Needed
I need a 350 post! Instructions below. I will also need to replies to these TWO POSTS from other students I am including within here.
USE AT LEAST ONE REFRENCE AND CITE IT!!!!
M2 – Discussion Area 1
Discuss the following claim. Assess it for clarity, ambiguity, and definition of key terms.
“It is possible for atheists to be as moral as religious believers.”
Be sure to reference any material, such as supply links to web resources to support your assessment.
Please post a response of a minimum of 350 words that reflect a clear academic critique. Then remember to respond to at least two other people’s postings.
REPLY TO THESE TWO POSTS:
#1
“It is possible for atheists to be as moral as religious believers”
In order to determine the validity of a statement, and whether it is a fact or an opinion, it is important to be clear on what the terms in that statement actually mean. When reading the sentence there are two words that could potentially be interpreted in different ways, the word atheist and the word moral. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines atheism as “a disbelief in the existence of deity”. They define the word moral as “concerning to what is right and wrong in human behavior”.
Determining what is moral and what is not moral is not an easy thing to do. Something that is generally accepted as “wrong” in American culture can be something that is in daily, acceptable practice in another country, or vice versa. In his article “Morality: Nature or Culture” Will Wilkinson quotes Jesse Prinz as saying “When studying independent societies, anthropologists have found that over 80% permit polygamy” (Wilkinson, 2011). In our culture we would surely find this immoral, but in many others it is accepted. Cultural standards have a lot to do with morality, and culturally accepted morals change dramatically over time. Because of this, it is hard to prove as fact any statement about morality.
With all of that said, it is my opinion that it is possible for atheists to be as moral as religious believers. Having a belief in a greater power does not necessarily mean that you always act in the right way. In fact, in the Christian belief, you can repent for your sins and be absolved of them. There are many people who would say that they don’t participate in something because it would be going against their religious beliefs. An atheist has to make decisions on their behavior based on their conscience alone. Therefore, I believe that it is possible, and in some cases likely, for atheists to be as moral as religious believers.
References
Atheism. (n.d.). Retrieved October 08, 2016, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atheism
Moral. (n.d.). Retrieved October 08, 2016, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atheism
Wilkinson, W. (2011, March 28). Morality: Nature or Culture? Retrieved October 08, 2016, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/willwilkinson/2011/03/28/morality-nature-or-culture/#333716ee3aa3
#2
The claim “It is possible for atheists to be as moral as religious believers.” leaves much to be discussed. The claim lacks any definition of the term “moral”, which leaves it lacking in clarity, and therefore makes it ambiguous.
It is common knowledge that a “religious believer” is simply one that believes in religion, and in the most basic terms, an “atheist” is one who doesn’t believe in religion. Though these definitions may slightly vary depending on who you ask, the basis of them stays the same.
The issue with this claim is that morality is different to everyone. What one culture deems moral, could be considered immoral by another. What one religion deems moral, may be immoral to another. To ask if it’s possible for one to be as moral as another, there has to be a clear definition of how we’re viewing morality.
“Morals vary dramatically across time and place. One group’s good can be another group’s evil. Consider cannibalism, which has been practiced by groups in every part of the world. Anthropologist Peggy Reeves Sanday found evidence for cannibalism in 34% of cultures in one cross-historical sample. Or consider blood sports, such as those practiced in Roman amphitheaters, in which thousands of excited fans watched as human beings engaged in mortal combat. Killing for pleasure has also been documented among headhunting cultures, in which decapitation was sometimes pursued as a recreational activity”
Within our culture, the general consensus would say that cannibalism is wrong. However, Peggy Reeves found cannibalism in 34% of other cultures. It would be safe to say that in at least one of those cultures, there are religious believers, and non-religious believers. In our county, there are religious believers and non-religious believers and both parties would usually be able to agree about the immorality behind killing a human to consume them.
The claim is vague, but I think it’s also true. Yes, it is possible. There are so many holes left open by the claim that in some instance it HAS to be true. Perhaps an atheist from Japan, and a religious believer from India share the same moral guidelines. The claim is proved right there.
https://philosophynow.org/issues/82/Morality_is_a_Culturally_Conditioned_Response
Answer
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