The nearness to God factor. How do Atheists feel about moving higher or lower?

[LostLocke]

Taking away God, what do Atheists feel they gravitate towards?

The closest large massive body, which happens to be the Earth.

[Fidel_Castronaut]

lower

[archangle]

Religious people don't do anything good to be closer to god, they do it for themselves.
Just like Atheists. It's evolution.
Don't throw rocks at others because it may harm your chances of survival.
God doesn't need to be in the equation.
On top of that, if there is any such thing as free will, there's not much room to move between your personality, environment and history.
Personally, I think most people are as good as they can be.
I think you should reexamine your idea of being closer to god. It's really, who does god love the most, isn't it?
Sibling rivalry, daddy loves me more than you because I'm better behaved.

yeah, but what those that need help? so type of "goal".

What about the studies that show without rules people tend to hurt themselves?

[Rampant.A.I.]

Religious people don't do anything good to be closer to god, they do it for themselves.
Just like Atheists. It's evolution.
Don't throw rocks at others because it may harm your chances of survival.
God doesn't need to be in the equation.
On top of that, if there is any such thing as free will, there's not much room to move between your personality, environment and history.
Personally, I think most people are as good as they can be.
I think you should reexamine your idea of being closer to god. It's really, who does god love the most, isn't it?
Sibling rivalry, daddy loves me more than you because I'm better behaved.

But "closer to God = Good" can lead to the individual automatically rating all of their actions that actually effect other people as more virtuous than the actions of others, even when they aren't. It leads to delusions of grandeur: Any action you take is divinely inspired, religious hate and even terrorism are justifiably good as the will of God.

And practically, the individual can be a total religious a-hole who thinks he's more virtuous than anyone else, where few others do. Take Fred Phelps.

Believing you are good doesn't make you good. Dogma doesn't make you good. Displaying religious symbols doesn't make you good.

Actions are deemed good or evil, independent of the actor's internal justification of their actions.

Having a set of rules to follow doesn't exempt the individual's actions from external judgement. Actively working to strip rights and demonize other people using religion as an excuse, does not make you a good person.

Posting a thread announcing you're "better" than all the heathens here, actively working to be a better person like the heathens are "incapable" of doing, does not make you a better person.

It's an excuse. A justification. And it's meaningless.

[Mystic]

I don't know if people misunderstand what I'm saying or purposely doing a straw man.

I said nothing of religious or people believing God being better or closer to God.

I'm saying, in absence of God, what do people feel they gravitate towards since I feel when we become more good, we reach higher stages, which are closer to God as there are infinite stages, and you can go higher up or lower, and when I think of higher and lower, I think of it with respect to a metaphysical existence.

I'm asking to see people's opinions. I've been here for some time now, and I've always made it clear, that I don't deem theists superior to atheists, nor do I think disbelieving in God will make you a non-righteous person or distance you from God. I've said the exact opposite in fact, saying, I think Atheists can be as close to God as Theists can be, if they do good and are loving people.

[Faith No More]

I never have much of an idea of what you're saying, because you're always using such ambiguous language.

[truthBtold]

What was in ur easter eggs?? More good? High? . Good is good.. what stages?? Stage left? Cause u aint right!!!!

[Fidel_Castronaut]

What's a god?

[Ryantology]

Do you believe being more good will gravitate you towards a higher reality?

I believe sparking a bowl of lemon haze brings me towards a higher reality.

[FreeTony]

There has been lots of academic work done to look at how social animals such as humans interact with each other, and how they form functioning socities, how morals and empathy interact etc etc. Feel free to ignore all of that and claim we are only good to please some invisible being that doesn't return the compliment.

States with large proportions of Muslims are notorious for their fair and moral treatment of everyone. After all, God loves a public hanging.