Ayn Rand has a knack for making one re-examine one’s premises. Have you ever heard of anyone stopping the conversation short, on commandments, to say that commandments themselves are immoral? She says:
“If I were to speak your kind of language, I would say that man’s only moral commandment is: ‘Thou Shalt Think.’ But a moral commandment is a contradiction in terms. The moral is the chosen, not the forced; the understood, not the obeyed. The moral is rational, and reason accepts no commandments.” — Ayn Rand
Hard to argue with: “The moral is the chosen, not the forced.”
I’ve always thought that being obedient to a god who will punish you forever for disobedience, robs a person of morality because actions of obedience are done of fear, not volition.
Whenever I attend church, i take special note of how often we’re threatened with losing our salvation if we don’t keep in step. I find it a disgusting tactic that people get used to accepting without a second thought. That’s why I like this quote. It makes you think. Actually, it commands you to. 😉