ChatterBank1 min ago
Remembrances
53 Answers
If you are an atheist, would you ever take part in a remembrance gathering , such as following the latest terrorist outrages in France?
If so, given your unbelief, what would be the point?
If so, given your unbelief, what would be the point?
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Now let look at the the conscience. The Bible calls “a pure heart,” or ‘a clean heart.’ ( Matt. 5:8) This is a heart whose only motive and desire is to serve.
The reasonings of the heart deeply affect one’s conscience for good or for bad. So, if you examine your conscience and the way it operates you may discern the heart’s desires and motives.
We will see whether you have a good heart or a bad one.
Then you become aware of your moral obligations, you will be able to look into the workings of your heart and mind, and see the kind of person we truly are within.
Because you must know what in our heart if we want to train the conscience properly.
Jesus says “Out of the heart come wicked reasonings, murders, adulteries, fornications, thieveries, false testimonies, blasphemies. These are the things defiling a man.” (Matt. 15:18-20) Not only wicked reasonings that defile spring from the heart, but also virtues that purify. For Jesus said: “A good man brings forth good out of the good treasure of his heart, but a wicked man brings forth what is wicked out of his wicked treasure; for out of the heart’s abundance his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45)
So to improve your conscience and moral we must know and understand our heart.
The moral nature of the whole person. The conscience must do more than tell us what we ought to be; it must identify what we are in real life.
The reasonings of the heart deeply affect one’s conscience for good or for bad. So, if you examine your conscience and the way it operates you may discern the heart’s desires and motives.
We will see whether you have a good heart or a bad one.
Then you become aware of your moral obligations, you will be able to look into the workings of your heart and mind, and see the kind of person we truly are within.
Because you must know what in our heart if we want to train the conscience properly.
Jesus says “Out of the heart come wicked reasonings, murders, adulteries, fornications, thieveries, false testimonies, blasphemies. These are the things defiling a man.” (Matt. 15:18-20) Not only wicked reasonings that defile spring from the heart, but also virtues that purify. For Jesus said: “A good man brings forth good out of the good treasure of his heart, but a wicked man brings forth what is wicked out of his wicked treasure; for out of the heart’s abundance his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45)
So to improve your conscience and moral we must know and understand our heart.
The moral nature of the whole person. The conscience must do more than tell us what we ought to be; it must identify what we are in real life.
King Solomon made a careful investigation of human affairs along with atheist. He had the time, assets and insight to be thorough in his search
‘ For there is no more remembrance of the wise one than the stupid one to time indefinite. In the days that are already coming in, everyone is certainly forgotten; and how will the wise one die? Along with the stupid one.” (Eccl. 2:14-16)
‘ For there is no more remembrance of the wise one than the stupid one to time indefinite. In the days that are already coming in, everyone is certainly forgotten; and how will the wise one die? Along with the stupid one.” (Eccl. 2:14-16)
@Theland
It would seem duplicitous to, as an atheist, attend a religion-based service of remembrance but, if it was for a family member, it would be churlish not to attend and who knows what after effects that might have, in terms with ongoing relationships with other branches of the family? Differences of opinion, over matters of faith, are not conducive to establishing new relationships with distant relatives, who you do not know well, or avoiding deterioration of relationships with the ones you do know well.
This is why I dislike seeing atheist/theist debate descending into exchanges of words, impugning another's intelligence, because this had irreverdibly altered the simple statement "I'm an atheist, actually", in casual conversation, to an unspoken but implied "I'm an atheist, actually {and you're stupid for holding any belief, contrary to mine}". Easy to do, from behind the cloak of anonymity offered by social media and no love lost, where total strangers are on the receiving end but inadvisable when it comes to the extended family. That said, once put on the spot by a direct question, from one of them, there's no evading it.
You have focused on a post-terrorism remembrance and, if I happened to be passing the site at the right moment, I would certainly drop what I was doing and join in. In practice though, it would be more likely that I would remain at home, for no better reason than I was unaware of what was planned or in the process of happening. By the time I'd seen it on the TV news, it would probably have ended before I could get there.
Joining in would, however, be merely an act of solidarity with the wider community. If none of the victims were people I knew, personnally, there would be a nagging sense of being an imposter, rather as you might, were you to attend the funeral of a (non-celebrity) person, who you never knew.
From the spirituality angle, I see remembrance as only that - remembering the person we've lost. I mourn the fact that their enjoyment of life has ceased, not the fact that I can no longer draw enjoyment from their company. What I certainly don't do is celebrate their moving on to a better place. For atheists, there is not that softening of the blow. We celebrate life and thus mourn its end, perhaps more painfully than do people of faith.
It would seem duplicitous to, as an atheist, attend a religion-based service of remembrance but, if it was for a family member, it would be churlish not to attend and who knows what after effects that might have, in terms with ongoing relationships with other branches of the family? Differences of opinion, over matters of faith, are not conducive to establishing new relationships with distant relatives, who you do not know well, or avoiding deterioration of relationships with the ones you do know well.
This is why I dislike seeing atheist/theist debate descending into exchanges of words, impugning another's intelligence, because this had irreverdibly altered the simple statement "I'm an atheist, actually", in casual conversation, to an unspoken but implied "I'm an atheist, actually {and you're stupid for holding any belief, contrary to mine}". Easy to do, from behind the cloak of anonymity offered by social media and no love lost, where total strangers are on the receiving end but inadvisable when it comes to the extended family. That said, once put on the spot by a direct question, from one of them, there's no evading it.
You have focused on a post-terrorism remembrance and, if I happened to be passing the site at the right moment, I would certainly drop what I was doing and join in. In practice though, it would be more likely that I would remain at home, for no better reason than I was unaware of what was planned or in the process of happening. By the time I'd seen it on the TV news, it would probably have ended before I could get there.
Joining in would, however, be merely an act of solidarity with the wider community. If none of the victims were people I knew, personnally, there would be a nagging sense of being an imposter, rather as you might, were you to attend the funeral of a (non-celebrity) person, who you never knew.
From the spirituality angle, I see remembrance as only that - remembering the person we've lost. I mourn the fact that their enjoyment of life has ceased, not the fact that I can no longer draw enjoyment from their company. What I certainly don't do is celebrate their moving on to a better place. For atheists, there is not that softening of the blow. We celebrate life and thus mourn its end, perhaps more painfully than do people of faith.
@Theland
Remembrance, in the long term is an odd thing. If you've not researched your family tree, think about how much you remember of your grandparents and compare that to how well you remember your great-granparents. That is some indication of how good, or not, family memory is and how well you are likely to be remembered.
Times change, though, and technology will give your descendants an unprecedented ability to know you well. You lucky thing. ;-)
Remembrance, in the long term is an odd thing. If you've not researched your family tree, think about how much you remember of your grandparents and compare that to how well you remember your great-granparents. That is some indication of how good, or not, family memory is and how well you are likely to be remembered.
Times change, though, and technology will give your descendants an unprecedented ability to know you well. You lucky thing. ;-)
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