(July 21, 2013 at 4:03 pm)BettyG Wrote: Not true. Good deeds are a response to faith. We do them, not just because God commanded us to or that God will reward them, but because we are grateful for what God has done. Doing charitable works helps us to grow in virtue. One cannot say one is kind unless one does kind acts. Same for patience, prudence, justice, etc. You really can't say you have faith in God and then not do what He commanded.
Obviously not correct, as pointed out above, doing good is by no means a behavior exclusive to Christians.
Ultimately, you keep on God's good side to stay out of hell and live forever. That's the point. That's the enticement Jesus came up with to get more people on board. It's an appeal to the most base selfishness humans possess, and proof enough, for me, that the whole thing is a sham. If God was really interested in establishing meaningful relationships with people who wanted that connection only for its own sake, there would be no reward for saying yes and no punishment for saying no.
