Comments for The Shipping News

Comment on There’s Probably No God… by theshippingnews

theshippingnews — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 22:54:21 +0000

Hi, Joe: I don’t take your question as sarcastic at all. I actually think it’s a very reasonable question. Honestly, I don’t know how the majority of atheists would respond to this. I doubt any of them would claim to have all the answers. But I also doubt that they would consider themselves immoral because of their faithlessness, if that’s even the right word for it. I don’t think doing the right thing depends on one’s belief in Christ or any other god figure.

Yesterday, I wrote an entry about a Congolese rebel group that wants to establish a government based on the biblical commandments. In an attempt to further this goal, they had clearly violated a number of the very commandments they claimed to adhere to – including the murder and mutilation of innocents. This kind of violence in the name of god (and I don’t mean the Christian god only) is a horrific example of people doing wrong in the name of religion. I don’t see that their faith has served them better than a law-abiding, life-respecting atheist (or bright or secular humanist or any others who are less inclined to believe). In fact, their brand of faith has made the world a poorer place in my mind.

This isn’t the only example of Christians who have done terrible things in the name of their god. I know some Christians would agree that such acts of violence are not a true representation of the Christian god – but it does point to another issue. Not all Christians agree on the same standards of behavior in the name of their god. So it seems entirely possible to me that the supposed guideposts of the Christian faith aren’t quite clear enough to create a single, unified model of ethical behavior.

It seems to me it is far more ethical to be a good parent, a contributor to society and a loving human being than it is to be labeled Christian or atheist or anything else. We know as humans that there are things that are wrong and right. We know it. Whether or not we accept the premise of a god. To act on it – to live our lives by doing the right thing – is an act of will – not of faith.

Comment on There’s Probably No God… by Joe

Joe — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 22:25:57 +0000

This is an honest question, so please don’t take this as sarcasm. If you hold to an atheist worldview, how do you determine what’s “good” and “bad”, as the sign says “just be good for goodness’ sake” ? What is the atheist morality based on ? Are all atheists agreed on what that is ?

I’m a Christian and have wondered this for some time, especially in light of this sign campaign.

Thank you -

Comment on Cafeteria Commandments by Caleb & Sol

Caleb & Sol — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 04:26:59 +0000

“In God we make our boast all day long” – Psalm 44:8

Thanks for your thoughts!

-Sol
http://www.calebandsol.com

Comment on Imagine No Religion by theshippingnews

theshippingnews — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 22:17:54 +0000

Because I find it hard to accept that god exists, I can’t believe that god gave us anything – faith or religion or anything else.

In my mind, they are both the creation of men as flawed and imperfect as I am.

Comment on Imagine No Religion by davis

davis — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 22:59:13 +0000

Not quite sure how to say this, but it is kinda funny. God never gave us religion. He gave us faith. Faith is plain and simple, no details. Ahhh the devil is in the details, so came religions. it works great with our need to be self important and to create the us and them.

Comment on The Search for the Sacred by Dave Woolcott

Dave Woolcott — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:36:37 +0000

Thanks for the thought provoking post. I think there is more to life than the ‘rational’ or ’scientific’. Call it the ’spiritual’ or the ’sacred’ I guess. Trying to work out how and where it intersects with life is hard. Thanks again for the thoughts!
Dave

Comment on The Search for the Sacred by kshemraja

kshemraja — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 18:51:43 +0000

i can’t read this because of the colour. shame because i would like to

Comment on Should We Be Content to Believe and Obey? by Melanie

Melanie — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 19:52:56 +0000

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud as I read the above.
There are so many similarities between Onfray’s quote and Eagleton’s statement and the way life was for women years ago.
Example:
Woman is forbidden to seek awareness; she should be content to believe and obey. She must choose faith over knowledge, suppress any interest in science, and instead prize submission and obedience.
And:
Man needs no justification.

There is a reason that people have the right to chose a religion – noone need be burdened to accept a religion they do not agree with. But, it is a person’s right to follow their religious beliefs instead of following scientific principles.

Comment on One-Size-Fits-All Humanity by Melanie

Melanie — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 19:41:16 +0000

I have say that reading this made me rather angry. When someone uses the “God is punishing me” ploy, they are clearly trying to absolve themselves of their bad decisions (note I did not say mistake) without asking forgiveness from those they have hurt.
There is not a person on this earth who is perfect, even if they try their hardest to be. There is not a soul alive who can say they have never intentionally or unintentionally hurt someone.
God does not punish people for making wrong decisions – people punish themselves without even realizing it, often on a regular basis blaming God or others for their misfortune.
The clincher for me is…why would anyone who has an ounce of goodness in their hearts, call someone that they hurt so very badly looking for sympathy for themselves – that is just sick and might I add evil.

Comment on Wanting To Live In The Now by Melanie

Melanie — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 19:27:33 +0000

There is an abvious difficulty in religion vs. science:
Science is something that grows beyond all boundaries and will continue to do so. Religion does not grow and is meant to remain the same, used as a guideline for those who believe in a particular faith. All a person can do is apply what they know to a given situation and so stem cell research must simply be covered under a “guideline” in each religion.
It is not about who is right and who is wrong when you stand back and look at it. It is about who can advance and who cannot.