If God sent your child to Hell.

[henryp]

For many of us, the idea of 'good' goes out the window when God does.  I'd be a stupendous person if I knew God existed.  I instead know he doesn't exist, so I stick with my own best interests instead.  

So this idea of "Just be good, and it'll work itself out" is a pretty lame attempt at inclusion, since it leaves out a bunch of people living 'badly' in a rationale way because God was dopey in his sales pitch.

So...wait.
You're saying you're a dick because you know there is no God? That's like a weird mirror image of theist sociopaths are only good because they believe their god is watching. How odd.

I do have what we casually think of as sociopathic tendencies.  I don't care about most other people.  I could pretend, I suppose, but I could't make myself care about some random person any more than I could decide to believe in God.  

If tomorrow God came down from the heavens, or wherever he hangs out and said "Just checking in.  I'm real btw.  Try to love eachother,"  I could find value in others through such a being.  

I think the idea of it being good because of some threat from God, rather than his saying people have value is an idea with authority is an important distinction.

As it relates to this topic, though, it's a clear dichotomy in how I behave. So the idea that "Just be good (according to general sentiment), and it'll all be cool" isn't the greatest situation for people like me.