Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I agree. Despite the fact that some would disagree, humans are animals. If you watch animals for very long, you see that they are, for the most part, what we consider selfish. Of course you see exceptions, like adult wildebeests forming a protective circle around the calves of the group to protect them from predators, but overall, animals must be selfish to survive. This is the reason why stronger, better adapted animals are more likely to survive than weaker, poorly adapted ones. Humans do the same thing, we just have brains which are advanced enough to wonder about it and make it "good" or "evil".
Amazing isn't it? The basic characteristic which began to separate us from the others is walking erect. While males from other species were going to war over their females our's was gathering fruit from low hanging branches and attracting females by "bringing home the bacon."
i will try to remember that next time i witness a crime.
Your point is what? You think that I'm okay with people doing bad things because I don't believe in the artificial construct of "evil"? Don't tapdance around the subject, call it out loud and proud.
If you think that just because an atheist doesn't believe in "evil" that it means we're just dandy-fine with people doing bad things, and that we're just fine with being bad people ourselves, then you've got another think coming.
I'd suggest that we are actually on a more evolved moral plane than many of you believers are. Why? I'll tell you why:
We do good things simply because they're the right thing to do!
Not because an ancient book of myths tells us to. Not because some guy behind a pulpit tells us we'll burn in hell if we don't. Not because our church requires us to do it. Not because any deity expects us to do so in order to show our love and devotion. Not because it will earn us points to get into heaven.
No, we are good people because it's logically the right thing to do, and not because we fear any supernatural force or afterlife punishment. Evil is a completely religious construct, and since I don't believe in gods or religions as truth, by default 'evil' and 'sin' do not exist.
This does not erase the existence of simply BAD things in the world, and by slyly suggesting it does, you lose any credibility you might have had.
We do good things simply because they're the right thing to do!
Not because an ancient book of myths tells us to. Not because some guy behind a pulpit tells us we'll burn in hell if we don't. Not because our church requires us to do it. Not because any deity expects us to do so in order to show our love and devotion. Not because it will earn us points to get into heaven.
I could be wrong, but your response smacks of sarcasm.
Don't be shy, tell us how you really feel. Do you honestly think that atheists are bad people doing bad things because we don't think there is any punishment for it?
And if two people each do a good act, one person because it's just the logically right thing to do and the other because they think they'll get some sort of reward in the afterlife (or punishment for not doing it)...which of those people is more honestly motivated and which one is motivated by consequences?
I could be wrong, but your response smacks of sarcasm.
Don't be shy, tell us how you really feel. Do you honestly think that atheists are bad people doing bad things because we don't think there is any punishment for it?
And if two people each do a good act, one person because it's just the logically right thing to do and the other because they think they'll get some sort of reward in the afterlife (or punishment for not doing it)...which of those people is more honestly motivated and which one is motivated by consequences?
I have no idea how atheists think because I'm agnostic.
The idea that a billion fire and brimstone sermons and 2000 years of the brainwashing of infants and small children didn't set up a "Do Right Or Burn" scenario is ludicrous.
....Do you honestly think that atheists are bad people doing bad things because we don't think there is any punishment for it?
And if two people each do a good act, one person because it's just the logically right thing to do and the other because they think they'll get some sort of reward in the afterlife (or punishment for not doing it)...which of those people is more honestly motivated and which one is motivated by consequences?
You may have presented the correct motivation for the majority of atheists who normally choose to do good rather than bad towards others. But I think you fail to understand or perhaps you misrepresent the correct major motivation for the majority of Christians who do the same.
In my belief we are all born with a conscience, a basic knowledge of good and evil and a nagging guilt when we choose the latter (until the conscience is quenched by repeated evil acts.) So, everyone instinctively knows how we should behave towards others whether or not you believe in a Creator. That is a religious explanation for the behavior that you describe.
But I think most sincere Christians are not motivated to do good towards others because they fear eternal consequences or look for a future reward (though some may be) as much as because they genuinely LOVE and care for others, as Jesus taught them they should do.
It is better in my opinion to move towards something because you love it, than to move away from something because you fear it.
In my belief we are all born with a conscience, a basic knowledge of good and evil and a nagging guilt when we choose the latter (until the conscience is quenched by repeated evil acts.) So, everyone instinctively knows how we should behave towards others whether or not you believe in a Creator. That is a religious explanation for the behavior that you describe.
.
I would love to agree with you, but many believers obviously don't think that we (the atheists) have a conscience because an oft-repeated accusation is something along the lines of: "Well, if you don't believe in god and hell, then what's keeping you from just going out and murdering someone?"
This very firmly implies that they do the "right" thing because of their religious fears of punishment.
I'd prefer a world in which everyone did the right thing because it's just logical to so, or because it makes them feel good to do it, or out of empathy for someone else, rather than because they expect some sort of afterlife reward or punishment.
I could be wrong, but your response smacks of sarcasm.
Don't be shy, tell us how you really feel. Do you honestly think that atheists are bad people doing bad things because we don't think there is any punishment for it?
And if two people each do a good act, one person because it's just the logically right thing to do and the other because they think they'll get some sort of reward in the afterlife (or punishment for not doing it)...which of those people is more honestly motivated and which one is motivated by consequences?
Or it could be considered that the religious do good things because they fear what happens if they don't. Their motivation is fear.
The atheist does good things for the sake of doing them.
Or it could be considered that the religious do good things because they fear what happens if they don't. Their motivation is fear.
The atheist does good things for the sake of doing them.
Which is the more admirable motivation?
Yep! To me it's a no brainer.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
