Arianddu wrote:verslibre wrote:That, and the unfortunate fact that
absence of religion makes many individuals feel as though they're exempt from their own accountability.
Total and Utter Bullshit. You obviously don't know any atheists. Atheists recognise that they, and they alone, are responsible for the consequences of their actions. I don't know a single atheist who believes they are exempt from their own accountability. .
Absence of religion is just that. Absence of religion. Nothing more or less. I have never met an atheist or agnostic who believes that not participating in a religion means that they are free to wander about and do as they please because they're free from responsibility or accountability. That's one of the dumbest things I've heard all week and it's only Monday.
I think that it is the
presence of religion , not the absence, that makes (some, not all, calm down!) people feel as though they're exempt from their own accountability. How's that grab ya. It's real easy to do something or not do something and the only reason you can give is that god or the church says it's right or wrong. It's a lot harder to think for oneself and do something because
you believe it's right, say no to something because
you believe it's wrong, and not lay the reason for those beliefs at god's door.
Abortion is wrong, homosexuality is wrong, ....
Why?
The church/bible says so.
But what do
YOU believe.
I believe in the church/bible. God says those things are wrong.
But what do YOU say. Ok nevermind that. How about the pro-lifers that are running around killing doctors. A life is a life. What about that?
They're doing god's work (yes I HAVE heard that! I realze it's an extreme, but still!!)
*facepalm*
They never have an answer that doesn't circle back to what a book or a sermon told them.
Never. I've argued this with people and it's the same every time.
This is also not to say that this is always the case. I would venture that most modern people do not uphold everything just because a book tells them to, and do think on their own. I was raised Catholic and I've said for years that nothing with turn you from Catholicism more than being raised one, especially with the way the church is today. I drifted away from religion, my sister drifted away from Catholicism and is now Lutheran. She calls it "Catholic Lite". (Same great god, less eternal hellfire filling.) YET, she and I are very very much alike in our moral beliefs, political beliefs, family beliefs (does that fall under moral?). It's the
person not the religion (or lack of). If it comes down to the religion dicating you and not you dicating your beliefs, then you know what? You're doin' it wrong.
