fiicere
Then why be moral as a theist? What's YOUR motivation?
I think I can permanently alter the state of the universe. Theists believe in the human soul, which is eternal, and is therefore infinitely more important than merely physical occurences.
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Such as? What can you do that an atheist cannot?
Commit actions which have permanent consequences.
Both have the same goals. Both want to survive and prosper. The theist expects to survive death, that's why they are theists, the entire purpose of following the rules of a religion - to achieve immortality - i.e. to survive.
Ultimately survival and happiness are the only meaningful goals, whether theist or atheist. Do you have a better goal?
Sort of. I don't really think survival is an issue.
Now we're getting into something fuzzy. I just want to clarify that I have no proof (although it works out nicely with my other beliefs for consistency. If you're curious, ask) for what I'm about to say. Obviously, I assume souls exist.
The problem for me has always been time. How can God be both eternal AND in the present moment? How can we? How can God see the future without it being predetermined? My take on it is that things have a nature. For example, think of Gravity. It applies different forces on different objects at different times, but it itself is always the same. Similarly, if you knew me well enough, you'd know that when I come home and see a box of chocolate on the table, I'll help myself to one. It doesn't mean that I had no choice in the matter, but, after a fashion, I already MADE my choice by choosing to be the kind of person who eats chocolate.
So, it would seem to me that life is the state where a soul is making a choice. THE choice, if that helps. I believe, through the interactions I have with others, that I can change the outcome of that choice.
Personally, I don't believe in hell or heaven in the traditional sense. No torture rooms or burning lakes for me except as metaphors. What I do believe is consequence. The consequence of living a certain lifestyle is true inner peace and harmony, because one is fulfilling one's purpose in the universe. Consider that feeling you get when you are hanging out with the people you truly care about and who truly understand you. The consequence of living the other is the discord of knowing that you are at odds with everything else in the Universe. Consider the feeling of guilt you would feel if you knew you had done something important so monumentally wrong it is irredeemable.
If I, in my life, can help anyone else to be a "better" person, then I truly believe that it will have repercussions for all eternity FOR THAT PERSON. Heck, even if I can't convert anyone, it's not a black and white thing. If someone were to become a marginally better person because of me, they would live with the consequences of that change forever.
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he will eat forever.