(January 16, 2016 at 1:23 am)Cecelia Wrote: No, Theists don't want to be accountable for their actions. They want to be forgiven for their transgressions ultimately. Even if they don't deserve it. They want to be forgiven simply for believing in an invisible man who allegedly inspired an alleged true story featuring talking animals, various things that break the laws of physics, and who supposedly killed more people than Hitler.
I think this quote is very applicable:
"Morality is doing right no matter what you are told. Religion is doing what you are told no matter what is right."
I really hate platitudes. Life is messy, even for the atheist and nothing is either/or.
"Accountable for their actions", not that simple. I would say the comic book excuses make no sense. But even without them it isn't "you are always responsible" or "never responsible" but "case by case". It is true as individuals we can take steps to avoid making mistakes on our own, but at the same time it is also true that others can have an effect on us no matter what we do.
And it isn't the idea that forgiveness is bad. I am no fan of revenge. But I certainly am no fan of holding grudges. The comic book version of forgiveness as the bible portrays is vile. It takes away my autonomy. I think it is ok to forgive. You can still part company and forgive without having to deal with that person again. But it is still up to you, not a third party.
I would say your last sentence is more in tune with our natural behavior and we don't need comic book excuses to do the right thing. But it still is not a perfect world in any case.
