(August 22, 2018 at 2:44 pm)Khemikal Wrote: Does religion make a good man better, though? In what way, by what means? No quibbles about it making a bad man worse.
Well, it's not too surprising that people generally absorb and react to information in ways that are congruent with certain innate values or qualities that they already possess. A lot of theists feel that there are sound and effective moral principles in their religion for socializing, bonding, and loving others, and so for them there is more emotional encouragement and motivation to enhance themselves. It strengthens their desire to do good and help others.
But ultimately the moral values of a religion cannot possibly be regarded as having an actual categorical reality or existence all by itself, except until someone acts upon them and thereby causes it to become real, because morality is always subject dependent, and hence "good" and "evil" are both acts of creation.
