My inquiry is into whether the Lord Almighty is real enough for you. How do you distinguish between good and evil?
Is God real enough for you?
- Thread starter Cortex_Colossum
- Start date
No, not real at all. I don't think there is such a thing as good and evil, those are religious concepts.
How do you distinguish good and evil?
I distinguish good and evil like I distinguish beauty and ugliness. The knowledge that a god (assuming there is one) exists would determine the path in life one takes, whether it is good and evil. Good is taking resonsibility for one's actions and evil is wrecklessly choosing the wrong path. Now, although some may say that evil does not exist and that it is merely an idea, that does not give one a free pass to act any way one chooses. Remember, taking responsibility for one's actions is good while acting wrecklessly without conscious thought is evil.
If God were my role model, I would have learned that he doesn't have to take responsibility for his actions, so neither do I.
An "almightly" or omni-whatever-ent god can't be real for any mortal creature. The super-natural in any form can only be, in the best imaginable case, surreal; more commonly, unreal. For me, this is not a matter of personal concern, since i have no dealings with the supernatural.
Good and evil are human societal concepts, and since i'm a human, living in a society, those matters do concern me. Good is whatever enhances life, well-being and happiness - that which is to be desired, attained and cherished. Bad is whatever causes physical damage or emotional distress - that which is to be avoided, prevented and remedied. Evil is human intention and action that destroys good and promotes bad.
Good and evil are human societal concepts, and since i'm a human, living in a society, those matters do concern me. Good is whatever enhances life, well-being and happiness - that which is to be desired, attained and cherished. Bad is whatever causes physical damage or emotional distress - that which is to be avoided, prevented and remedied. Evil is human intention and action that destroys good and promotes bad.
So, you acknowledge that good and evil have nothing to do with god.
What if I believe in God, but choose not to follow his teachings?
Why such a negative outlook on God? I imagine God to be a perfect entity who controls all life forms and God can be recognized without the senses but by the mind.
No. That is not what I said, quite the opposite.
Then you would be making a wreckless mistake that could put you in danger of irresponsibility.
Then what does god have to do with beauty and ugliness? :bugeye:
I simply began by comparing good and evil with beauty and ugliness respectively. Then I went on to say that knowledge of God can determine whether one chooses an evil or good path in life.
I imagine God to be like a cranked up Southern Baptist preacher driving a monster truck through a gay pride parade.
Haha. Don't think of God as a material being. Think of God as a spiritual entity that is pure and perfect and incapable of corruption.
No, you said:
Which is fairly incoherent... You also said taking responsibility for one's actions is good. One does not need to believe in a god to take responsibility for their own actions.
Cortex_Colossum
And it is highly likely that the only place he exists IS in your imagination.
Then why are so many "god fearing" people the most "evil" and "ugliest" people ever to exist? I think god is a scapegoat for the things people do anyway.
Subjectively.
"Everything I Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarden"
Robert Fulgrum
"Do unto others as ye would have done to you."
"As ye have done to the least of these, ye have done unto me."
Morality does not need superstition or the supernatural, it just requires reason.
Grumpy
And it is highly likely that the only place he exists IS in your imagination.
Then why are so many "god fearing" people the most "evil" and "ugliest" people ever to exist? I think god is a scapegoat for the things people do anyway.
Subjectively.
"Everything I Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarden"
Robert Fulgrum
"Do unto others as ye would have done to you."
"As ye have done to the least of these, ye have done unto me."
Morality does not need superstition or the supernatural, it just requires reason.
Grumpy
God likes to enforce his laws through random violence. We should all follow his lead. The monster truck is a spiritual metaphorical vehicle, not a material one.
Do you see where your assertion fails? My image of God isn't yours, and there is no objective way to confirm which is correct. So God is an idea that is completely useless as a moral guide.
I never said believe in god, I said the knowledge of god can make one determine whether to choose a path of good or evil.