joD Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 So here is my question to the forum... How has your moral standards improved since dropping xianity? I'm interesed in both internal and external evidence (i.e. "I let a little old lady go in front of me at the grocery store when I was in a hurry") I believe core values are something we inherit from our family, society, and education. I think when people feel their morals have improved after deconverting is actually them accepting themselves. The core values have already been instilled. They can be rejected or embraced, but religion is not the source of values. If a person senses hypocrisy in their religion and sheds it, they feel a renewed sense of self love and acceptance they were unable to find in religion which can lead to a more positive outlook if they find they are no longer conflicted or feeling hypocritical. Sorry, this is what I meant to quote, sorry, I messed that up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxy Methoxy Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Foxy, That is exactly what I've been thinking! As I grew further from religion, I found myself becoming more alive, more myself. No need to "please" the daddy in the sky, or look good to other christians. Doing good things just flowed out of love and concern for others. ANd when I couldn't or didn't have the means to respond, I didn't feel guilty. It's amazing what being happy with yourself does for your sense of purpose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeker630 Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 I hope I'm wrong that people are less willing to voluntarily give to the poor after they deconvert. Before I admitted to atheism I seldom gave to charities. Most of my giving had been at church. Now I give a lot more to secular organizations---Easter Seals, the American Lung Association, Special Olympics and others. Too bad that donations are down across the board right now due to this economy kicking everyone's ass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeker630 Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 So as I look back, I wonder...WHY? If xianity is so caring and compassionate, why was I so arrogant? The more sensible question might be how you could have possibly NOT been arrogant? It was part of your indoctrination. It's built into Christian theology. They got it right, and everyone else is all kinds of wrong and full of shit and going to hell. Quite simple actually. I was brainwashed as a kid by the "One True Holy and Apostolic Church" don't you know? We were taught that the Church at Rome was the only true path to God and Heaven. Everyone else was either following the teachings of heretics like Luther and Calvin, or they were just poor unfortunates raised into "false" religions. The church seemed to have a special case of the ass for Jews, "Saracens" (Muslims to you), and Pagans of any stripe. They also made great hay over Pagans and their worship of "Idols". Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joD Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 A superiority of sorts? Especially those of us from calvinistic backgrounds. The elect, God's chosen people, Whew! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsmoke Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 Are Vigile and I the only ones who became less nice? C'mon y'all, what the fuck!!! I wouldn't say I became less nice, I just stopped feeling guilty when I didn't live up to the Jesus standard. I think Foxy's absolutely right about core values being inherited from family, society and education (I think family plays a much more prominent role than the other two, but they still have an undeniable influence). My best friend's mom once said one of the things about me that always impressed her was that I never judged him or his family for not being Mormon, or smoking, or drinking or any of several other reasons someone else could have found sufficient to justify thinking less of or not associating with them, and I'm convinced I have my folks to thank for that. While there was certainly no shortage of well-intended religious indoctrination, and though most of their moral teachings were framed in the paradigm of their beliefs, their primary objective in raising me was to teach me to be a good person regardless of any potentially associated factors. As such, I'm confident I'd have turned out much the same whether they'd been catholic, protestant, Muslim, Buddhist or atheist instead of LDS. It's amazing what being happy with yourself does for your sense of purpose. It's karma in action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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