cole grey said:
But we weren't responsible enough in our actions to warrant no instruction at all.
Look at George washington owning slaves - could a president do that now? No, we are called, by desire for progress at the least, to bring our behavior more into line with those "appropriate actions" as we come to understand more.
You're helping my case more than yours - was it rules of conduct from god that stopped people from owning slaves and brought that behaviour into line?
Strangely enough, it was a man with no faith in gods; Honest Abe.
"“When I do good, I feel good, and when I do bad, I feel bad, and that’s my religion.” ~~Lincoln.
That's ok, if you see it that way, as long as there is something higher for you to follow besides your animal self. Perhaps it is a concept of personal integrity or accord with your own highest self, or desire for a coalition of human universal consciousness that drives you, or wanting to be in accord with the proper way of life for a responsible human, accord with the tao, or accord with nature.
I don't think of it in terms of following a "higher" self or consciousness, nor do I align myself with philosophical mumbo-jumbo. It's really simply a matter of not doing harm to others and treating people with simple dignity and respect, the same things I myself would expect from others.
It isn't my place to judge what higher consciousness you aspire to, but to say we are merely animals with no other higher level than utilitarianism or socially evolved "morals", is a path of irresponsibility and lack of understanding of human possibility.
But, we are animals, and we are evolving - those are facts. And it is essential that our morals DO evolve through social interaction, as they have been.
Clearly, the 'set of rules' handed down from a god has failed miserably as can be seen in current state of our society, especially with the ridiculous reward and punishment system theism has bestowed upon us.
Dr. Maria Montessori understood that the reward and punishment system does not work, hence she created a better way to teach children.
