If there is no "God", why be good?

[Shuffington]

So theres a stop sign that I always run when I'm driving home. Its never any cars around and I dont even know why its their because its not a 4 way stop.... it should be a yield...

either way I said f*ck it... and have been running that stop sign (treating it like a yield) for 6 yrs..

Thats kind of how I see morality...

I look at things as more constructive and destructive more so than "good" and "evil"

Running a stop sign isn't constructive... and if it was a heavy traffic area I would follow the traffic law .... but the risk of things being destructive is sooooo low that its not even a risk...

kind of low Dro lusting after Kat.

 

[kzzl]

I follow my own creed as I derived from my upbringing and experiences. For the sake of being a productive citizen, human being, and black man. None of which for the sake of somebody else's god(s). I do so for my own sake and well being. And the well being of those I care about.

Good is subjective, though. According to what region, religion, and/or society you live in. Shit I do in Iran could be frowned upon in the US and vice versa. What's good for one groups god(s) might be blasphemy to another. Whats cool in 2012 might have had us burned in the center of town in the 11th century.

Thinking your god is the only "good"? Yeah, I've read about that before. SMH. That's how buildings get airplanes flown into them and continents of people get massacred civilized. But that's a whole other thread.

 

[Amotekun]

Slaves obey your masters....

If Black slaves ran away, started revolts, or just said fuck it I'm takin a break that would be disobeying their masters. Even refusing said master from raping a slave male or female is considered bad in the bible. Its a sin.

Which means Harriet Tubman, Denmark Vessey, Nat Turner, Frederick Douglas, all of Jamaica and Haiti are some sinners goin to hell, because I'm sure none of them repented for the sin of disobeying their masters.

The Bible actually gives the moral authority for a nigga to own another nigga.

Just so yall dont think Im makin this up:

Colossians 6:2

Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eye service, as men pleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God

Ephesians 6:5

Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ

Knowing the perversity of our ancestor's masters can you imagine the fucked up shit they made them do? However slaves would be in the wrong for disobeying it at all, or even grumbling about it.

Ephesians reiterated that point that not only are slaves to obey their masters they are supposed to do it with fear [respect and reverence] and trembling like they would Christ or God. Nigga! A slave supposed to fear his master like he do God. I wonder who put that shit in their. WHo the fuck does that benefit.

Black folks been scared of white folks like God ever since they picked up this fuckin book. Had white folks playin with their minds. 'Now you niggas dont go learnin how to read you here' ::Leaves bible as the only print source material around. Niggas are sneakin and readin thinkin they are gettin over meanwhile these cracca ass niggas are in the bushes cacklin and rubbin their hands because of this spiritual trick bag they are puttin on niggas.

Which results in niggas like Dro, SuperstarCole, Ether I am, Ajackson and a slew of other niggas who are the bend over fuckin backwards for white folks while shittin on their own kind.

Had any other race on earth been subjected to what black folks were subjected to, white folks would never be able to sleep comfortably with black niggas in a 500 mile radius of their position.

Native Tribes may only be 1% of the uS population but those niggas fought Europeans. A lot. Only reaosn they lost is because of small pox. Those eniggas immune systems were never exposed so they couldnt handle the onslaught.

Not black folks though. Niggas just want to forgive and forget and lets play nice even though at every turn europeans say fuck yo life nigga. A dog is worth more to them than you. IJS.

When I take all that shit into perspective. The bible is lucky i didnt have a fire goin at that time.

 

[irad4185]

Whether a God exists or doesn't people will still fear something and that fear will control our actions. Pets can behave good or bad and they don't even speak. Dogs don't need a lesson on morality to know not to bite a baby.

 

[Bodhi]

Dogs don't need a lesson on morality to know not to bite a baby.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...s-dismembers-month-old-baby-father-slept.html

It's because humans teach them what is "right" and "wrong" according to their standards

 

[ohhhla]

Individuals really need to look up the word "Agnostic"

Like it's not a belief system.

It's based on 'Knowledge'

 

[Amotekun]

SMH @ this thread being effectively deaded by moving it to R&R.

Niggas cant discuss complex and intelligent topics in the GNS.

 

[alissowack]

Oh.... So this is the original thread. So, just in case the imposter thread gets deleted or something, I'll just copy and paste like so:

I agree with the Einstein quote in respect to people using reward as a motive for why somebody worships God (and just for kicks, the Bible does talk about that). However, Dawkins seem only content with what the existence of God means morally...just like some religious folk may be. He is under the impression that the Bible is about earning a spot in Heaven through morals and maybe if he just (at least behind closed doors) do a thorough research on the Bible he would see that it is not.

 

[whar]

That is not what motivates Dawkins Alissowack. As an atheist I am often confronted by theist who honestly believe that since I do not believe in God I will do evil, or as it is generally conveyed "Why be good?". It is this belief that seems to rise in many theists that Dawkins is responding too.

 

[alissowack]

@whar. Is Dawkins really saying these things because he wants to differentiate between who believes what? Sure, it is the common argument towards people who believe in a deity that they believe atheists are incapable of doing good. But, in his argument, has he made any attempt to say that maybe the theist are wrong within their own religion? Has he really considered any counter arguments against it...because there are and from the "religious" themselves. Dawkins has made specifically clear who those "theists" are and his response in more on this "who are you (Christian) to say that I can't do good" variety.

 

[whar]

I am confused by your response. I am talking about the original Dawkins quote. If something else has been posted attributed to Dawkins my comments do not include that, however the original statement by Dawkins is not about differentiating between beliefs but rather how poor an argument is. It is an exceptionally weak idea to claim a belief in god is a prerequisite for doing good.

 

[alissowack]

@whar. I have a habit of trying to read between the lines. Whether I am right in my assumptions is another story. If this is just a defense of the quote, then I agree that some religious folk do have this assumption that all atheist are up to no good.

However this is Richard Dawkins. In his book "The God Delusion", he makes it very clear what he thinks about the "Christian" God and to think he is just making an innocent observation in his quote is only a half truth. There are people who believe in the God of the Bible who don't share this view and it would have been "fair" to hear from other Christians on the matter.

 

[VIBE]

Forgot about this thread since it was moved LOL

 

[GSonII]

I am not always good or bad and I don't believe in religion or the Gods they present. Why be good? Because you realize we are all kind of in the same boat as humans. I have been severely depressed so what do you do? You try to get away from people instead of putting your dread on others. Is some higher being going to bless you with the means to get away from people or the health to go get the means, no, not necessarily. Will a person bless you with that, maybe if you meet the right one. Will that person say they are of some higher being and try to get you on there right track? Maybe, maybe not, but you have a better chance seeing what people call the goodness of God through a person than through him or it. So, why would I not be good to people most of the time?

 

[bkkbully]

that little essay mattered little to me. im a Buddhist and im told that being, "Good" by following the precepts and through general acts, thoughts, or deeds will gain me merit which will accumulate and carry over to my next life leading me that much closer to Liberation...or at least thats what I've been told. but i dont think of it like that. i think of it like this, its simple. negative actions only bring negative results. weather it be now or in the long run, your gonna get bit in the ass for whatever you did wrong. so i choose to act right, i don't need a God or an old book to tell me that.

i'm a buddhist too and came in here to write the same thing

 

[bkkbully]

Good and evil only exist in the minds of sentient beings. Being conscious of the world around us, we eventually stumble upon something we can call "less favorable" or "more favorable". These things can equal to a "evil" and "good", respectively. We would never be able to get around that. IMO, suffering is the only concrete "evil". What we can believe to be "evil" is any number of things that lead up to suffering of mankind or any conscious being, individually or as a group. This seems to be true whether there is a god or not, and makes god unnecessary for good and evil to occur.

I do not believe in a creator god, but I believe in doing good for the universe because our actions are like throwing a rock into a pond. When you do, it creates ripples in the water. Likewise, throwing negative energy into the universe creates "ripples"

 

[BiblicalAtheist]

Because believing heathens run the world.