(March 16, 2015 at 9:24 pm)Dontsaygoodnight Wrote: Personally, I believe that God does have a hand in bringing goodness to the lives of people no matter what they believe. Lot's of people do the same thing. Someone clothed you, fed you, and sheltered you before you could do this for yourself. People did this for you. But, I believe, that although a person has no knowledge of God or even written law, that this person can grow and develop into moral person, because i believe that the basis for morality is love. If a person can love then that person can do what is good for who he loves. This comes naturally. What comes with much more difficulty is to do what is good for those that hate and abuse you. That is what Christian theology is mainly about. It also becomes very complicated because you have a claim to justice against anyone who does evil to you. It is a sacrifice. You bear what was unjust and in exchange you give something good. This is what Jesus's death demonstrates in Christianity. I can't know for certain, but I would think that an atheist can wish for the good of his persecutor in the way one can wish that he might "see the light", so to speak, and become less cruel.
Personally, I believe that evolution does have a hand in bringing goodness to the lives of people no matter what they believe. Lot's of people do the same thing. Someone clothed you, fed you, and sheltered you before you could do this for yourself. People did this for you. But, I believe, that although a person has no knowledge of evolution or even biology, that this person can grow and develop into moral person, because i believe that the basis for morality is empathy. If a person can empathize then that person can do what is good for others. This comes naturally. What comes with much more difficulty is to do what is good for those that hate and abuse you. That is what humanitarianism is mainly about. It also becomes very complicated because you have a claim to justice against anyone who does wrong to you. It is a compromise. You bear what was unjust and in exchange you give something good. This is what justice demonstrates in human rights. I can't know for certain, but I would think that a just person can wish for the good of his persecutor in the way one can wish that he might "see the light", so to speak, and become less cruel.
Skepticism is not a position; it is an approach to claims.
Science is not a subject, but a method.
Science is not a subject, but a method.
