(May 22, 2013 at 11:26 pm)ChadWooters Wrote: I think without that extra prompt of religious conscience you can very easily not even be aware of how self-serving your own motives can be.
I think you can very easily not be aware of(or not care about) how self-serving your own motives can be despite your religious beliefs. Likewise, I do not think religion plays much(if any) part in the ability to truly assess the results of our actions as I am not aware of any evidence that shows that to be true. I think that ability lies within us. Perhaps some people need religion to tap into that.
(May 22, 2013 at 11:26 pm)ChadWooters Wrote: At the same time I believe that purely physical process have no meaning without being assigned to them.
Hypothetical question(and I realize that it is a difficult one for theists to answer and not a realistic scenario). Do you think there would be a significant change in your behavior and how you treated people if it was conclusively proven that god did not exist?
What makes you think that humans cannot find significance or meaning on their own?
(May 22, 2013 at 11:26 pm)ChadWooters Wrote: I cannot say the same for myself. The best I can do is to stay out of the way while the Lord works through me.
I think that even if your god exists, you sell yourself short.
(May 22, 2013 at 11:26 pm)ChadWooters Wrote: Some younger people may be less intellectual about their atheism and if they live it to its logical conclusion...well, we disagree on that. You probably think you've freed them from a cultural delusion, whereas I see something vital being stunted.
I disagree with what you believe the logical conclusion is, and yes, I think they would be freed from a cultural delusion. I think religion is responsible for stunting something vital.
Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own - Bertrand Russell