What makes many people to always associate ethics, goodness, morality, & spiritu

1. 85

   gmwilliamsposted 8 years ago

   What makes many people to always associate ethics, goodness, morality, & spirituality
   
   with religion?   What makes those same people strongly contend that atheists, agnostics, and other non-religionists cannot be ethical, good, moral,  & even spiritual because the latter do not believe in a religion?
   
   

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2. 72

   manatita44posted 8 years ago

   Because we are using our minds and not our Hearts. We do not start from the root, which is within, but look outside of ourselves for answers. He did this to me; she did this to me; what's wrong with them? Always looking out.
   
   Ethics, morals, religion ... are all laws written by us. Why do you wish to be good? Not because of the book or books, but because of something inherent that you feel. Some call this Conscience, and Conscience is nothing other than the voice of Spirit.
   
   All begins within or inside, and when we change our angle of vision, so too, life changes for the better. The pursuit of harmony is an inner journey, not an outer one. The kingdom of Heaven is within. When we begin to change or transform our own nature, then lo, everything else around us, will begin to change. Other people are God's children, not ours.

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   1. 85

      gmwilliamsposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Great, insightful response!

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3. 67

   Gordon Wrightposted 8 years ago

   Fear of divine punishment keeps bad people in line. It doesn't make them good people, but it keeps them under control and that's an improvement.
   
   Hope of an eternal reward motivates good people to have the courage of their convictions. An atheist can be a very good person so long as there's not much personal risk involved.
   
   Then again, if it's the wrong religion, it can bring out the worst in people... especially if we expand our definition of religion to include ideologies and philosophies.
   
   Religion doesn't change an individual's real nature, but it does amplify some aspects and suppress others.

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4. 0

   ValKarasposted 8 years ago

   If we wanted to call it a "problem with religion", it could be about its normative and critical nature. On one hand they talk about "God's unconditional love", and then it somehow means norms, norms, norms, which simply doesn't mean love, love, love.
   
   We can't love someone without accepting that person and allowing him to be himself. The moment we start imposing our rules, our truth, our norms, we are invading his mind's space, we are intruding, we are permitting-and-forbidding  -  which means LIMITING that person by erecting boundaries to his freedoms to be, think, feel, and expand, which is the basic and dignified right of every human being.
   
   I never question a person "why he chose a certain religion", because it's simply none of my business. But such a person WILL feel called upon to question MY beliefs. What makes him so "divine", he is just another dude who can cite some passages from a book. I have met many of them on my 70 year long path, and when they didn't talk about their religion, they were gossiping, complaining, cursing, playing victims, with a full blast of a dark neurotic passion. Where was that faith, that love, that harmony, that forgiveness that they were preaching about? Whom are they really kidding?
   
   I simply don't feel like sharing my sense of divine with someone who compensates their insecurities by hiding behind something big. Like they automatically become qualified to explain divinity by reading about it. And again, I don't mind their believing whatever they choose; as long as they don't try to impose it on me and question my beliefs.

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