Good Person Vs Bad Person

[peace2u]

Good Person Vs Bad Person

I was recently watching a movie called Taken starring Liam Neeson in which his daughter gets kidnapped by some sex traffickers and that movie got me thinking about a simple argument to put forward to Atheists.

There are two people. The first is a righteous one who does good things throughout his life; like for example, gives money to charity, looks after his kids, takes care of his parents when they get old, does not steal, nor robs, he his good to his neighbours and plays a positive contribution to the society. One the other hand, the other guy is the opposite. He does all the bad things in the society; like for example, he may commit murder, rape, he doesn’t look after his family; he steals (like our bankers these days, lol) and so on. After certain amount of time, they both just die, say from natural death. Is that it? Now surely the good guy deserves some sort of reward for all his goods deeds while the bad guy deserves to get punished for it. I mean if there was no God, then good guy with his entire good act gets no reward and the bad guy with all his bad actions gets away with it? Surely that can’t be right? In Islam, one of the attributes of God is the ‘The Judge’ in which he judges people and rewards people for their good actions and punishes them for their bad actions.

Some people may argue that it’s the responsible of the law system in each country or the society it self to either reward people for good actions or punish the wrong doers. But, there are many good people who don’t get recognised for their good actions, but more important, there are many people in this world who get away with bad things like the sex traffickers in the movie Taken. Also, as we know, many times, criminals for example, who are brought to court, beat the system and get away it. If they get away with in this life, then surely not on Judgement Day by God.

Just wanted to know the response of some Atheists. Now I don’t want responses regarding what are good and bad, for example, some good actions in one country may be seen as bad in another country. Just on the common aspects of good and bad.

[leo-rcc]

What is there to respond to? People do good things and people do bad things. If they get away with it then they do.

[fr0d0]

From a Christian perspective of course both would be punished or rewarded depending on their status with God at death, or the equivalent to that should they not know of God.

Personally I think doing bad stuff puts you in living hell and doing good stuff puts you in living heaven. You immediately reap the rewards you sow.. no need for the theoretical guff.

[Wanderer]

Revenge is pointless and stupid.

Why does the bad guy need to be punished for his sins? The good guy should feel good in that he's doing the best that he can to better society, and should just pity the criminal, not hate him.

Something has to happen to trigger the criminal behaviours anyway... It's not like someone can just decide overnight that they're gonna kill/steal/etc.
I'd also like to mention that humans naturally feel empathy, it doesn't come from god. The ones that don't are born without it, or conditioned until they don't feel it.

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

and that movie got me thinking about a simple argument to put forward to Atheists.

You don't get it do you.


An atheist is simply person who does not believe in god(s) . There is no such thing as 'an atheist position' on ANY other matter. Your question is meaningless.


Wa salaam

[littlegrimlin1]

Well, that bad person was morally wrong. Morals are human created ways of how each person should treat eachother ideally.

However, to an atheist, the question is essentially meaningless. People after him will still think wrong of him and right of the other guy as being morally upright.

[Dotard]

I mean if there was no God, then good guy with his entire good act gets no reward and the bad guy with all his bad actions gets away with it? Surely that can’t be right?

It is, and quit calling me Shirley.

[Meatball]

After certain amount of time, they both just die, say from natural death. Is that it? Now surely the good guy deserves some sort of reward for all his goods deeds while the bad guy deserves to get punished for it. I mean if there was no God, then good guy with his entire good act gets no reward and the bad guy with all his bad actions gets away with it? Surely that can’t be right?

I'll answer from my philosophical position, but keep in mind that this is just how I personally feel, and that there is no 'stance' of atheists as a whole.

I agree with you that the good guy "deserves" a reward for being a good member of society, much like the bad guy "dererves" punishment for breaking social code by killing and raping and whatnot.

However, that doesn't make it true. When I help an old lady across the street, one might argue that I deserve a pat on the back and a cupcake, but that has no bearing on the 'absolute truth' of whether or not I will get a pat on the back or a cupcake.

Furthermore, the world and the events that happen in it are not "fair" or "right". In a universal sense, these words are meaningless. Why would a lion kill and eat an infant antelope? Surely that's not fair to the antelope? Surely it's not right?

[Dotard]

Furthermore, the world and the events that happen in it are not "fair" or "right". In a universal sense, these words are meaningless. Why would a lion kill and eat an infant antelope? Surely that's not fair to the antelope? Surely it's not right?

Poetic