(January 16, 2021 at 7:30 pm)bonbonbaron Wrote: Hi, I''m new here. So... I came here because I could use some pointers if you have any.
I left Christianity a decade ago after reading the whole Bible. I had too many intellectual problems with it. But now, a decade after the fact, I still find myself looking at people in terms of "good" and "bad". But I've seen "bad" people be rewarded lavishly by nature for stabbing their friends in the back and stealing their girlfriends AND friends; these people are some of the most loved people I know. I still see that through the lens of "fairness"; I see it as being a bad person, being immoral, etc. I would love to come out of this mindset and adopt another one more in tune with the way the universe actually works. I don't want to be that weak person who thinks he'll get what he wants by being "good". Unfortunately I don't have a good feel for how much of life should be seen as "climbing the dominance hierarchy" and "being kind to your fellow man". I dunno. I'm just confused right now, and if this post made no sense, I wouldn't blame you.
If you get what I'm trying to say though, I'd really appreciate some pointers. I'm sure I'm not as seasoned in the "real-world" thinking as a lot of you atheists-for-life are. Thanks.
The world sucks. Backstabbing assholes frequently get their way. People with noble objectives are frequently frustrated. So what?
Is that a reason to not be a good person? At first glance it may seem like a good reason to not have anything to do with morality. But looked at another way, this could be seen as a call to moral action. After all, a hideously unfair world needs morality the most. A person who goes around doing good deeds is a real asset in a world full of pricks. In a world that is already perfect, what purpose does a morally correct deed even serve?
Morality is a very worthwhile endeavor to pursue, especially in a world as horrible and unjust as ours. The fact that our world is unjust should spur you toward moral action, rather than away from it. The religious often like to frame morality in a sense that good is worth doing because of the rewards it entails (such as a good afterlife, etc.). But REAL morality is directed towards the goal of making the world a better place, not securing yourself tickets to a more pleasant afterlife.
One thing you should drop from your religious upbringing is the idea that some people are "better" than others. Work on doing the right thing yourself, as best as you can. And if someone appears to be "bad," take that as a good reason to keep your distance. Or if you see this person doing something that hurts another human being, stop them. Or try to help the person whom they harm.
But never take it as a cue to think they are entitled to less than you are. That's not your call to make. Maybe they earned whatever it is they have. Despite being an asshole, they worked hard for whatever it is they got. Who knows? Certainly only a person who is privy to every detail of their lives could say if they deserve whatever it is they have. It is inconsequential to the moral practitioner whether good people are rewarded or bad people are punished. What matters is: "Do my own actions improve the world or make it worse?"
I don't recommend adopting an amoral world view. But if you do adopt such a worldview, at least do it for the right reasons. Are you really convinced that one kind of action is no better than another? Then go ahead and be a moral nihilist. But if you do become a nihilist, ask yourself: Have you given other hypotheses due credence?
You rejected religion because of "intellectual problems." (Same here by the way.) But --since you can reject a belief system due to intellectual problems-- doesn't that mean you can reject wrong actions because of intellectual problems? It is my belief that you can. So, rather than adopting an amoral view, you might consider adopting a moral view with no "intellectual problems." (ie. a nonreligious one.)
