At what point is somebody 'good'? (bible, exist, Christ, religion)
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I think that ones intentions carry more weight when determining ones value, in the good or bad sense, than their actions do.
I say this because good out comes can be brought about by the worst intentions. While conversely, some one with good intentions may be the catalyst for a very bad outcome. This is not to say that ones intentions completely absolve them of responsibility for their actions. But when judging a persons worth, ones intentions give a much clearer picture of ones character then their actions alone.
we are all good in God's eyes
that is not something that has to be earned, it is freely given, it is ours already, it is our birthright.
and it has nothing whatsoever to do with a person's religious label or lack thereof
god loves us no matter what
any distortion of that is not godliness, but human ego
Quote:
Originally Posted by jimmiej
What do you base your opinion on? What is your source?
as parents, we love our children simply because they are our children. They don't have to "earn" our love. If we try to control our children by making them "earn" our love it is a perversion, it is dishonest, it is unhealthy, it is damaging
as parents, we love our children simply because they are our children. They don't have to "earn" our love. If we try to control our children by making them "earn" our love it is a perversion, it is dishonest, it is unhealthy, it is damaging
same with god
You've changed the subject from whether or not God considers someone "good" to whether He loves us. There is a difference. God loves us, but we are not "good" (by that I mean holy) outside of Christ.
As opposed to being 'bad' and evil? Are these terms even meaningful? Does simply living your life mostly for yourself but not hurting anyone make you good? I venture that it's impossible not to indirectly hurt others. How much 'good deeds' must you do to be considered good? Or how much bad deeds must you do to be 'bad'? Is it more about your actions or what's in your 'heart' (though they should usually correlate, more or less). I'm not talking about religious ideas of everyone being good or bad.
Discuss.
I feel your question would be best served if we simply asked ourselves this question instead of trying to express our idea/s of "good" on a forum. Since words like "good" and "bad" are extremely relative to each individual we couldn’t possibly give an answer that would fit within the boarders of all the people viewing this thread.
To me, this is an internal question best left to be answered by the asker.
At what point do I feel I am being good or bad? I’m being good when my actions are in line with my intensions; I’m being bad when they’re not in line.
Like others have said, 'good' and 'bad' are too broad to fully answer the question.
In a general sense, I don't think anyone is 100% one or the other. However one defines it, I think it stems more from intent rather than actions in cases where they don't correlate. (and they do not correlate nearly as much as one might think for a myriad of possible reasons).
I'm not a religious person, so I won't address the comments about what 'god' thinks is good and bad.
I agree that "good" is a very subjective term. I used to try to live by the adage "Do no harm," which I believe aligns with Buddhism, but now I try to also live by the adage "Do good works," which is a decision I came to after meeting and marrying a Christian and studying Christianity for a couple years. (I took away some of the philosophy, but not the supernatural components.) What's the difference? I used to be extremely self-centered, but my internal moral compass didn't allow me actively hurt others. I didn't lie, cheat, steal, or manipulate others to get what I wanted -- I just kept out of other people's lives. I didn't give to charities or do volunteer work, and I rarely did things to help others when the opportunity presented itself; I waited for other people to provide the help. I didn't want to get married or have kids, because I knew I was self-centered and wouldn't make a good partner or parent. I "did no harm," but neither did I do good. I considered myself to be good, though. Was I? I don't think I was bad -- maybe mediocre is more like it.
Eventually, self-centeredness became unfulfilling, and I felt very lonely. I've since become a devoted husband and stepfather, and I help others where I can, although I still need my "me" time. I couldn't devote my life entirely to the service of others. So I think of myself as good now, as do most people who know me (or so they tell me). When someone lets me know that I've unintentionally hurt them, I try to see it from their point of view and stop doing whatever was hurting them, whereas, in the past, I'd accuse them of being "overly sensitive."
For the most part, then, I'd say that a good person is someone who has clear views of right and wrong, and that these views are consistent with the universal "Golden Rule" (Hitler might have thought what he was doing was right, but most people would disagree), and that the person consistently lives according to what he or she considers right. Where the dividing line is is subjective.
You've changed the subject from whether or not God considers someone "good" to whether He loves us. There is a difference. God loves us, but we are not "good" (by that I mean holy) outside of Christ.
No, there is no difference
every one of us is holy and good regardless of religious labels.
Humans like to label and judge and criticize and consider themselves better than others. god does not engage in any of those, there is no judgment whatsoever, just acceptance of us regardless. period. end of story
that is what grace is. we don't have to earn it, or follow this or that creed or any set of rules or labels.
if it says you only get to god through doing ____ (fill in the blank), then it's not god, it is a human perversion
we don't have to do anything to become holy or to get to god, we are already there. it is simply a matter of recognizing that all life is holy and sacred, all people, everything, all the time. there is nothing outside of god
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