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religion and being a good person...

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joko | 13:53 Wed 12th Oct 2011 | Religion & Spirituality
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why so many religious people believe that you cannot be a good person if you are not religious...?

someone on here once said ' but how can you possibly know how to be good without god in your life?'

cant remember who - it was ages ago, but i remmembered it because i was gobsmacked at what an idiotic comment it was

as though you would behave like a maniac and do terrible things unless 'someone' told you not to...

to me, being a good person is a part of humanity, of instinctively knowing right from wrong, and learning by example...it had nothing to do with gods word or religion.

why on earth do they believe this? it defies logic.

and given the atrocities committed in the name of religion its also laughable

what do you think?
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Surely this shouldn't so much be a question of 'good' or 'bad' but one of 'right' or 'wrong'. Different cultures have differing ideas and concepts of right and wrong, as do different individuals. An individual will decide whether an issue is right or wrong is based upon upbringing and background. Obviously individuals with different upbringings will arrive at different conclusions and both will consider themselves correct. Problems occur when someone with one viewpoint attempts to convince others with diferent views that they are right and the other is wrong.

There's no straight answer to Joko's question. All that can be stated is that the concept of right and wrong are decided within individuals and the two will probably never agree (how many wars have started because of that?!)
Indeed it does ummm, but it seems so senseless, they get nowhere arguing like this!
Why not just let everyone have their own faith or religion an not try to force it on others.
Beso -

Your's doesn't seem like "robust criticism" to me. You seem as fixed and vociferous in your views as Keyplus. The only difference is that I don't pick up any anger or hate in Keyplus's posts - I do in yours.
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Dolt // Why not just let everyone have their own faith or religion an not try to force it on others. //

Exactly. Religion has a long history of imposing its doctrine on whole societies. Those who opposed them were (and still are in many places) murdered for their "heresy".

The central premise of the Abrahamic faiths is that peace and order will come when all agree to the same set of principles. They insist that they have the only acceptable form of those rules. Hitler's Nazism was based on the same principles.

Indeed all the Abrahamic faiths cherish the Armageddon Prophecy where all those who do not subscribe to their rules will be killed. Hitler's version of Armageddon was the Holocaust.

Those who don't want their views criticised should avoid online forums.
Beco, we have seen what religion/religious people did to the children who were looked after in the name of god. .........SOME GOD!!!!
Andyvon // You seem as fixed and vociferous in your views as Keyplus.//

Did I imply there was anything wrong with having strong opinion and voicing them?
I think everyone needs to relax now. enough said. Night all!
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Dolt //we have seen what religion/religious people did to the children who were looked after in the name of god. .........SOME GOD!!!! //

Indeed. And this aberrant behaviour often stems directly from the nature of tehir philosophy which teaches they should seek guidance through faith rather than actually understanding the bases of their thoughts.

They are people designated as having special place in the church, as those who are more closely connected to God than the layman. Consequently they are more likely to believe in their thoughts as being guided by God Himself.

Add the fact that they have often adopted vows of celibacy it is little wonder that their thoughts have been expressed by very twisted behaviours.
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Keyplus, //Naomi – If you can think of many bad things that had and still has their roots in religion then please enlighten me on few.//

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East - together with all of its associated horrors - is unquestionably a direct result of religion.

No God of Abraham = no Jews, no Muslims.

No God of Abraham = no 'Promised Land'.

No God of Abraham = no problem!

You complain about homosexuality, of children born out of wedlock, of people living together outside of marriage (there's a whole lot of sex going on there, but that's just an observation of course), and then you talk about burglary, but whereas the first three may, in your opinion, be considered 'sin', in this country, unlike burglary, none are crimes. A 'sin' (oh how I detest that word!) is not necessarily a crime.

If you're looking for the roots of morality within civilisation, I suggest you read - and digest - Birdie's 02.10 post.

As for lying, Mohammed had something to say about that, so I won't take your word as 'gospel'.
Naomi – All of your post can be summed up in one word.

////The ongoing conflict in the Middle East - together with all of its associated horrors - is unquestionably a direct result of religion.////

Nothing to do with religion but misrepresentation of religion. If you talk about promised land then I must ask you to read the history of promised land and you would find that it is nothing more than “might is right” at this point.

As for Scholar Birdie’s post. I would have ignored that as I have done with him most of the time had you not asked me to refer to that. Birdie is talking about two different things there. First is World (as planet) and second human race. I do not believe that world (planet Earth) is few thousand years old. It could be billions years old and I have no problem with that however humanity (human) is not as old planet as planet itself and even science agrees with that. Even human history is not few thousands year old. Again that is Bible theory and I do not believe in that.
Keyplus, I really don't think you are so naive that you really believe it is a misrepresentation of religion. It is quite straightforward. The Jews believe they were promised the land of Israel by their God - who also happens to be your God. That promise is one the Jews have never forgotten, it is one they have never allowed anyone else to forget, and it is the sole reason they are there now. No alternative would have been acceptable to them - and fundamentally, that is why this world is experiencing the sheer lunacy it is currently experiencing. I am by no means unsympathetic to the Palestinian plight - in fact I think they have been treated abominably - but that is irrelevant to this discussion. I would venture to suggest that you read your history, but somehow I suspect you are now in a rather difficult position. You desperately want to defend religion at all costs - but in this instance there is no defence because, historically, religion alone is culpable.

You ignore Birdie's post because the truth frightens you. Self-sufficient people do not need religion in order to function as responsible members of society.
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given that man created religion in the first place its kind of a circulatory notion...man wrote the bible...with all its rules and teachings on how to be good...so how did he learn those things then...?

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