The Divine command theory is flawed. People have rebelled against what they have been taught was right even at the cost of their own lives. Right and wrong do not have to be taught to people for them to know which is which. People teach their children what they believe but it is almost never 100% of what their parents taught them. Another flaw in the Divine Command Theory is that not teaching children isn't an option unless you abandon them. Learning is part of living. Humans
obviously have their own individual ideas about what is right and wrong and it's rare to have two humans that say that they agree 100%
about what is right and wrong. If the Divine Command Theory had any merit then you would have many people that are exactly like each other in every way except appearance. That is not the case.
Even with a simple idea like "Love thy neighbor as thyself" There will be various different ideas about what that means to do.
But that's even more flawed. Not only do we have people that want to cause harm after being raised in a culture that forbids it, but there are cases of children being raised with little or no human contact who do not act in line with Christian moral theory. Or worse that, have you ever met a two year old? The only morality they can reasonably be aligned with is egosim.
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Graffiti outside Latin class.
Sed quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
A juvenal prank.
Actually, in christianity God defines us as inherently corrupt. Born with a sin nature we will eventually do something that we should desire to be forgiven for. I know I have and I do believe that everyone else has also. Christians believe that God not only defines what is right and wrong, he created them both for the purpose of free will. Righteousness can't exist if you can't choose unrighteousness and free will can't exist if you cannot make the choice individually.
The difference between us and God is that we are the created not the creator. The reader of a book cannot explain the author's sincere intent better than the author.
I'm not sure whether you are joking or serious but I like the optimism if you're serious. In St. Mark 10:25 Jesus stated that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter heaven.
They were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? And Jesus replied, "With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
To me this suggests that God does what he wants to do. The do-over and repenting after death are truly in his hands according to this verse though I know many christians would tell me I'm taking it out of context. I believe that God knows best and will try to persuade his children to come to him in their hearts of their own free will. I believe that God is biased for us more than we are biased for our own children.
Nope. That's why I said personally. I'm curious about individual ideas. I never group people, Atheists can't be identical through and through any more than any other groups that have one thing in common.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Are atheists afraid of judgement?
well, the reason atheists would still fear the judgement of courts is because they believe courts exist and that their judgement will affect their lives. Seeing as they don't believe there is any heavenly "judge", there is no reason for them to fear heavenly judgement
You seem like a smart person but you also seem like you detest the idea of a God. I can't comprehend something coming from nothing without something existing that can defy what is impossible. If you don't feel the need to explain any of your myriad ways then don't. Your analogy about explaining complex ideas to a child is very similar to how religious people avoid answering questions. I guess you don't feel like throwing your pearls before swine,huh? Well I appreciate you sparing me your high minded sermon, especially if it's filled with analogies that are obviously weak attempts at insults.
Regardless to what you may THINK I'm not trying to convert anyone. I care about people and I'd like to know why they think what they do when their thoughts seem extreme to me. I'm willing to answer peoples' questions when they feel my beliefs are extreme. Even if my answer is "I don't know" I'd rather admit that than pretend that I know everything.
That is exactly what I just said. God defines things as right or wrong. I don't see how this in any way escapes the issue that right and wrong are based on definitions.
I was created by my parents, but I don't reflect all of their views as you pointed out. I define morality based on what I feel is logical and conducive to a functioning, free society.
I'll answer the question of why an atheist might be afraid of judgement. Most humans are and atheists are humans. Convincing yourself that there is nothing to fear is sometimes an important part of proceeding with something that you WANT to do, for example driving or riding a roller coaster. That's why.
That is good. What I'm saying is that humans are not worthy to judge YOU or anyone else for that matter. Only God is worthy as he knows whether you are living the life that you believe is righteous or not.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Are atheists afraid of judgement?
I myself know when I do something I feel is correct. God doesn't factor into it at all.
And humans are quite definitely worthy to judge, as long as they can apply a logical argument. I used to believe in the death sentence, but people convinced me otherwise.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Are atheists afraid of judgement?
I understand that many atheists would agree with you. I know that there are some people, atheists or not, that have NO fear of the judgement of the courts. I was curious as to how Lordlucien feels. I do appreciate your sharing your thoughts on the matter. I'm going to respond later but I'm putting my son to bed after watching our show. I just want you all to know that I'm responding to each post as best I can.
KMC Community Forums
Nov 21st, 2010 10:55 PM
