The same place that people who believe in a god get them: from my ability to empathize. I simply don't attribute that ability to a god but to the brain that is me, the parents who raised me and the society, culture, I was raised in.

I should add that I think my morals have surpassed those of my believer parents. As an atheist, I am much more concerned with the rights of ALL people, the treatment of non-human beings, and keeping the planet habitable for life.

You have to be a keen observer of societies in all their aspects from the poorest to the richest. In fact start by finding out what are the most immoral things that you can obtain a) with money b) with influence . Then what the poor miss out on by serving the rich on the above. Then you have a picture you can discuss and generate more solutions.

That's a good question. We replace the fear of God's retribution with the fear of State's wrath and God's love and protection with state's social security. Morality is a belief system. You can choose God to be the custodian of this belief system or that the society at large is the custodian. We police each other and there is a constant battle about the rules. The advantage of not having a God or rules set in print is that our morality can adapt to external circumstances. This flexibility will let us thrive, I think.

Personally to me morality is a red herring. It honestly substitutes iron age sensibilities for modern knowledge and thinking, then pretends there is a deity endorsing them. Nothing about morality can prove a god exists, or pick a god out of a lineup if any did exist. Its honestly just the poetry of I have a higher purpose from another being.. even though I can't confirm any of the things I think are right with said being.

My dad.

Started with family,respect to be respected, Learn to listen to be heard, reading,understanding and being compassionate human.

Easy. Never do things to others you would not want done to you.

They are called... "Good parents!"

There is a key to ethics that existed long before the Bible: Do to others as you would have them do to you. That is the foundation of my ethical thinking.

I get my sense of morality from the belief that we should always treat people and the environment with dignity and respect. Add to that the existential premise that we are responsible for all of our actions and decisions and their consequences, for in each case, we could have chosen otherwise. It is as simple as that.

Knowing the difference between right and wrong. Doesn't really take more than that.

I'm willing to put my morals up against any believer's, any day of the week.

And you could answer back "Where do you get your morals as a believer, surely not the bible?" I get my morals from my conscience and intellect.

From being a grown up, who doesn't need an imaginary friend to tell him the difference between right and wrong.

or

Not from a fear of burning in hell, but from the actual desire to be just to people and other living things.

Simple: I was given values, which don't imply to be religious or to believe in God.

I get my "morals" from the response I get from society and contacts.
I don't get them from a book. And if I did, it would be a magazine?

From my conscience, and the way I was brought up. Really that simple.

Logic, innate empathy and good, common sense!

Next time someone asks you that question, remind them that every human society has created rules for ''good'' behavior and that all of them include prohibitions against murder, theft, etc. Because we're a social species, we understand how to live a life which benefits ourselves and our community. That's all it is, an innate longing for a ''good'' life.

First, I feel no obligation to address such a question from someone who has no morality except that which is dictated to him.

Second, I refer to science. What actions will have the best chance of extending life on my planet, and enhance the lives if my fellow humans. Since all life is intertwined the answers can be complex. I'm curious about the humans who came before me, and I'm comforted that there will be other humans here after I'm gone.

Wild question points. It wasn't until I lived in the US that I was asked such a thing. It is a question so bound up in identity and veiled myopic perspectives that it took me a little bit to work my head around it.

"Thou shalt not commit logical fallacies."

I don't try to attack the asker. (Teachable moments and all that jazz.) I usually respond to this question with a question of my own.

"Do you think that faiths are a reliable way of knowing things?"

What is, asks our respect. Treat things and people (including yourself) as ends in themselves, and not means only.

I usually answer "Walmart had a sale!" or "I was born that way!" Then I go into my catholic elementary school indoctrination / education which leaned heavily on believing in something that was there, but could not be sensed by inferior beings such as man. Then the crowning step taken by the church was that I should not harbor any superstitious beliefs so in effect I assume the church made an atheist out of me!

I think most of us on this side of the world get our morality from the Judeo-Christian heritage.

They come from innate workings of not just human physiology but other creatures as well. To ascribe morals to some sort of belief system is to say all life forms are bad and need to be controlled through a system of rewards and punishment. This is only about behavior and not empathy. We have discussed this before and I came up with a whole scenario of how this does not work.

From the same source the religious do - four point three billion years of evolution. And I write my own allegories about it.

I have never had that question posed to me, but would refer to the golden rule, ehtics, and how we are all in this together.