Why does God have to be the reason you do good things?

1. 60

   mischeviousmeposted 12 years ago

   This question is for whoever wants to answer.
   
   
   Why does one feel it's good to be good for God's sake, can he/she not do good on their own, no reason necessary?
   
   Does it have to do with God and not just because one is a good person, perhapse a gentleperson?
   
   
   The motivations of people confuse me, even though I too am capable of such things. Which brings me to my last question...
   
   If a person were to break into your house and all they stole was food, would you call the cops or would you give it to them?

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      Deborah Sextonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      *************************
      
      I don't actually think that way.
      
      I have compassion and that's what leads me to do good things.
      
      That's a misconception about people who believe in God.

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   2. 72

      AEvansposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      If they broke in and stole food? I would let them have it we are supposed to feed the hungry. God is not my reason for doing good deeds, I do them because I am a Christian and that is what I am supposed to do. I do things from my heart and not for selfish reasons.

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         A Troubled Manposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Believers are unable to think for themselves, to have the capacity to reason morals and ethics and understand the differences between doing something that would help others as opposed to feeding their own selfish need to please their gods.
         
         I can give you an example from this thread...
         
         

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   3. 61

      kessposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      This is th e natural course of reasoning....
      You cause you are...
      You are cause of God.
      So ultimately you do because of God.
      
      A man's reason for living is his God.

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   4. 60

      LewSethicsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Torquemda, the Grand Inquisitor of the Spanish Inquisition, believed he was doing his victims a favor when he tortured these heretics (people who believed a little differently than himself) to drive demons out of their wretched bodies, then he gave them absolution (declared that god had forgiven them) and killed them before they could fall into sin again.
      This is an example of someone doing good in god's name.

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         jonnycomelatelyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I would guess that this was what he tried to portray of himself on the surface.  Yet inside himself was a desire for sexual gratification, enjoying seeing his victims suffer.
         
         How many public figures have we seen in this modern age, using "Gaad" as a cover for their secret private lives?  All in the name of their religion.

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   sofsposted 12 years ago

   You are obsessed with God aren't you? Maybe it is time to get on his side. He is Good and people who love Him love to do good..

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      mischeviousmeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      And I love christians just as much as I love buddhists or catholics etc, etc,... I do however hate what they do sometimes. Like I keep saying though, everyone is like this to some degree. But why say it's because you're a christian? Why not say it was what should have been done? Why act as if you're obligated in some way?

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         Deborah Sextonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         *****
         
         Well, I'm not a Christian and never say it is because of anything, but compassion and caring.
         I usually run to the aid of the underdog.

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            mischeviousmeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            "I do them because I am a Christian and that is what I am supposed to do".
            
            Sorry AEvans, had to quote you...
            
            Why does the title have to be there for some of us? Why can it not be for the love of life?

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3. 78

   schoolgirlforrealposted 12 years ago

   He's really not, he's the one who inspires me. by following his example, Jesus's example, Jesus seems to be the best teacher there ever was for morality.
   
   God is just a bonus.

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4. 79

   Shadesbreathposted 12 years ago

   God is just a word to describe a complicated set of emotions and motivations and , for those who will tolerate it, evolutionary precepts of social benevolence.
   
   When you challenge "Why does it have to be God?" you are basically just saying "Hey, I know you have developed a tenuous grasp on why there is a difference between 'us' and the animals, but, you are wrong."
   
   Of course they are wrong. We're all wrong. There is a huge stack of dead religions that prove how stupid every religion is.
   
   But that doesn't mean the quest is wrong.
   
   The word God can just as easily describe the "condition" in the human animal that makes it aware of social obligations and the value of relationships and cooperation as it can be a word that describes some cool all-powerful magic being that snapped its fingers and created everything.
   
   It doesn't matter how people process the idea. It's really just about striving to get along with people or not bothering to. The stories, lame and ancient as they are, are, yes, lame and ridiculous if taken literally, but, for the most part, and you can pick any of the religions of the last 10,000 years, they all poke at the purpose of cooperation... and reveal, by the imposition of priests... of men... why religion will always be about power and lies, but completely separate from the idea of God, which is an ideal, not a truth that can be defined by monkey people like us. At least not yet, and likely not for a long, long time.

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      mischeviousmeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      And I like to call it attitude... Are they not the same in some ways? Attitude and condition?
      
      
      con·di·tion
         [kuhn-dish-uhn] Show IPA
      
      noun
      1.
      a particular mode of being of a person or thing; existing state; situation with respect to circumstances.
      
      2.
      state of health: He was reported to be in critical condition.
      
      3.
      fit or requisite state: to be out of condition; to be in no condition to run.
      
      4.
      social position: in a lowly condition.
      
      5.
      a restricting, limiting, or modifying circumstance: It can happen only under certain conditions.
      
      
      at·ti·tude
         [at-i-tood, -tyood] Show IPA
      
      noun
      1.
      manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc., with regard to a person or thing; tendency or orientation, especially of the mind: a negative attitude; group attitudes.
      
      2.
      position or posture of the body appropriate to or expressive of an action, emotion, etc.: a threatening attitude; a relaxed attitude.
      
      3.
      Aeronautics . the inclination of the three principal axes of an aircraft relative to the wind, to the ground, etc.
      
      4.
      Ballet . a pose in which the dancer stands on one leg, the other bent behind.

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         jonnycomelatelyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Ok, I have another question.
         
         Do we all need to believe the one and the same thing?  Can we have totally opposing views and, whether "right" or "wrong," we just accept the different views, without trying to change each other?

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            kessposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            If life is against itself then it is death.
            So life is in total harmony with itself.
            
            Thus in life all thinks the same way, however
            This does not mean that they do exactly the same thing
            Because each circumstance is different...
            
            But if one were to tranferr himself into anothers shoe,
            he would do exactly as the other has done for he would think exactly as the other did.
            
            This is how life maintain it harmonious unity.
            Thus it is ONE.

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         2. 60

            mischeviousmeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Of course... I'm just musing again....

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   Disappearingheadposted 12 years ago

   I think you are holding on to a stereotype here.
   
   People do good because they are inclined to do so in the situation they are in at the time. I've never heard of people doing good because of God.

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   Emile Rposted 12 years ago

   You can attempt to rationalize the reasons that motivate you to do good, but the bottom line is you do good because it makes you feel good. Name any act that is performed to benefit another and I would argue that you get more mileage out of the resulting emotional reaction than the recipient of the good deed.
   
   God is simply minus an o to hide this fact from yourself. It's humble, in a way....but also self deluding.  Omitting the o can also push us to not act in a way that benefits us emotionally. When we act in a manner that  purposely sets us at odds, because we are at odds with 'God' we are, in essence, at odds with what we perceive as the good in ourselves.

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