Anonymous wrote:I think about this from time to time. My ILs are all very conservative Christians, and they believe that human beings cannot be good without God. My parents and I came from another culture where we were not religious, and the idea that my parents, who were incredibly honorable and good people, could not possibly be moral simply for the fact that they were not Christians was really offensive to me.

+1

I do good things because I think there should be more good in the world. I am not worried about hell but I am more of the "treat others how you want to be treated" camp. I identify as agnostic if anything

I am similar. I do think that my parents had a big effect on me. The fact that they loved each other and loved me unconditionally and how they treated people in our community with a lot of respect. They volunteered in the community and I have done the same. If they had been mean or treated me poorly I might not be the person I am. I don't know. Like everyone I am not perfect, but strive to do right by other people.

I do good things because I think there should be more good in the world. I am not worried about hell but I am more of the "treat others how you want to be treated" camp. I identify as agnostic if anything

I am an inherently good person. I don't NEED religion to give me integrity. I need integrity to sleep at night; it's just who I am.

If you need the fear of god to be a good person, then you aren't a good person.

I am an atheist and I think that overall I am a very good person. I have always had a great deal of empathy, a very strong moral compass and sense on what is right and what is wrong. Times I have cheated on a test or done something I think was morally wrong have stuck with me and left me disappointed in myself. I give of my time and money because it feels right not because I want to buy my way into heaven.

People are basically good. Human nature does not need religion to shame people into being good.

If there is inherent evil, that is an aberration.

In oneself. There are a ton of bad people that hide behind religion. History is firm on this aspect.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there are some things that most of us wouldn’t do because religion and society agree they’re bad: murder, cheating, stealing.

What’s not so obvious is our day-to-day behavior. Being nice to someone who’s rude or incompetent. Reaching out to someone who could use a mental boost or other help. Restraining my snark on DCUM . Here’s where my (Christian) faith really guides me.

I do all of those things and more and am an atheist. I believe in not doing anything that could in any way harm another human being, or any living being for that matter. I believe in working to better mankind, the earth and environment, the world. I act out my beliefs. None of that comes from belief in a god.

I agree this is entirely possible for an atheist. But does the additional impulsion from religion help some people? I'm thinking of DCUM's mean atheists.

Anonymous wrote:I think there are some things that most of us wouldn’t do because religion and society agree they’re bad: murder, cheating, stealing.

What’s not so obvious is our day-to-day behavior. Being nice to someone who’s rude or incompetent. Reaching out to someone who could use a mental boost or other help. Restraining my snark on DCUM . Here’s where my (Christian) faith really guides me.

I do all of those things and more and am an atheist. I believe in not doing anything that could in any way harm another human being, or any living being for that matter. I believe in working to better mankind, the earth and environment, the world. I act out my beliefs. None of that comes from belief in a god.

Human behavior and morality is far from universal, anthropologists tend to be moral relativists for this reason. “Bad” and “good” are entirely subjective concepts.

Human behavior and morality is a function is culture and personality. Culture is a subset function of history. And history is intertwined with religion.

Of course atheists can be good people (I happen to be one myself) but how good and bad are defined and understood within a culture cannot be severed from religion.

My soul.

I was raised Catholic and my soul spoke to me and showed me how most of what they taught and their change in rules depending on their need to control and have money was incredibly wrong.

I could not have been taught that, I did not think of it myself, so it came from my soul

I think about this from time to time. My ILs are all very conservative Christians, and they believe that human beings cannot be good without God. My parents and I came from another culture where we were not religious, and the idea that my parents, who were incredibly honorable and good people, could not possibly be moral simply for the fact that they were not Christians was really offensive to me.

It doesn’t matter.

I think there are some things that most of us wouldn’t do because religion and society agree they’re bad: murder, cheating, stealing.

What’s not so obvious is our day-to-day behavior. Being nice to someone who’s rude or incompetent. Reaching out to someone who could use a mental boost or other help. Restraining my snark on DCUM . Here’s where my (Christian) faith really guides me.

I'm not clear if I'm a good person because I'm inherently good, because my parents taught me morals, because I follow my birth religion and fear God's revenge, fear legal or social implications or something else.

However, as I wouldn't lie, drink, steal, hurt, cheat, scam etc even when no one is watching or I can get away with it so its probably my nature but would I be the same had my parents didn't instill the empathy, sympathy, honesty and other such values and put the fear of God and law in me? It's hard to know.

What about you? Why you do things right and why you don't get tempted? In your opinions why some people feel fine doing bad things? How we become conscientious or opposite?