SerenelyBlue Posted January 29, 2016 Share Posted January 29, 2016 Some people cannot morally upright and responsible without believing there is a god that is constantly reading their thoughts. It is only after you reach a certain intelligence and insight that you can figure things out for yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjn Posted January 29, 2016 Share Posted January 29, 2016 Nah, a lot of dumb people are atheist because they were never taught to believe in the first place. There are several really bright people who are religious as well. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moxie Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Atheist =/= more intelligent. It is perfectly fine to not be Christian, and not be atheist either. Furthermore, this is ex-christian.net, not atheists.net. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vigile Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Belief in god makes most people more immoral. You don't see atheists marching in parades sending soldiers off to war. You don't see us waving flags. You don't see us talking of Armageddon. You don't see us blocking access to abortion clinics. You don't see us strapping on bombs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadrunner Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 I agree with the latter comments. I understand how not be believing in God makes us appreciate life more, but trust me there are geniuses and idiots on both sides of the argument. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 I am surprised at how irrational many people here are while arguing their points. This includes me at times I notice, and I always try to chose my position rationally. It happens. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lycorth Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Many people only appear to need a belief in a supernatural ethical supervisor to motivate them to moral behavior. Belief in any sort of deity isn't necessary to believe in love and altruism. People believe what they are taught, in the first place; that can change over time, but to suggest theism is objectively necessary for some people isn't the whole of it. People who behave as if they need theism to be good people don't understand either theism or altruism. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjn Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Ah yes the old "where d'ya get yer morals from if there be no Gawd?"-argument. Funny how most secular people are more just and tolerant than any fundamentalist could ever be. I could see however, how a belief in God might motivate people to go beyond themselves, so I think a belief in something higher, can be beneficial. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted January 31, 2016 Super Moderator Share Posted January 31, 2016 Without religion in your life you may not know whom to hate or which innocuous thought/activity is actually a heinous sin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SerenelyBlue Posted January 31, 2016 Author Share Posted January 31, 2016 I always believed God watched my every thought and move. Now that I know the Christian idea of God and punishment is no longer relevant, I find myself slacking in giving to the needy and don't feel guilty if I swear at someone in my mind. I am a humanist and find myself surprisingly "good" for someone that is not being monitored. I have come to an intellectual conclusion that it is indeed worth it to think yourself into the other's shoes. I guess I still suffer from the "how can you be good without god?" Mentality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disillusioned Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Some people cannot morally upright and responsible without believing there is a god that is constantly reading their thoughts. It is only after you reach a certain intelligence and insight that you can figure things out for yourself. Some people would call this being an adult. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbarousBill Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 To quote Santa, "Be good for goodness' sake." 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeThinkerNZ Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 I always believed God watched my every thought and move. Now that I know the Christian idea of God and punishment is no longer relevant, I find myself slacking in giving to the needy and don't feel guilty if I swear at someone in my mind. I am a humanist and find myself surprisingly "good" for someone that is not being monitored. I have come to an intellectual conclusion that it is indeed worth it to think yourself into the other's shoes. I guess I still suffer from the "how can you be good without god?" Mentality. It's ok to be slack in giving to the needy. We can't meet every need that is out there. If we are willing and able to give some money and time to some causes, that's great, but it's not an obligation. I like to give my vote to politicians who want the future to be fairer and more just. That may be the most important thing I can do to help the needy. By sharing your thoughts on here, you are giving to others, who benefit from your insights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VacuumFlux Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 and don't feel guilty if I swear at someone in my mind. Well, as long as it stays in your head, who's being harmed? Now, granted, if you harbor grudges you'll feel miserable and it'll leak out in your actions eventually. But getting annoyed at people sometimes, feeling negative emotions, is just part of being human. I've found that when I let myself feel pissy in my head, but keep it to myself, and don't bother feeling guilty about it... then thinking those thoughts is sufficient for "expressing" my negative emotions. But if I feel guilty I start obsessing over negative emotions, they don't go away, and I feel worse and act worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
older Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Without religion in your life you may not know whom to hate or which innocuous thought/activity is actually a heinous sin. ^ ^ Upvote for mod. Ah yes the old "where d'ya get yer morals from if there be no Gawd?"-argument. Funny how most secular people are more just and tolerant than any fundamentalist could ever be. I could see however, how a belief in God might motivate people to go beyond themselves, so I think a belief in something higher, can be beneficial. My reply to the "no morals without God" argument is, "So what you're saying is that you have no morals unless you are threatened by a diety, which means you are absolutely without altruism or compassion." 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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