Am I an agnostic or an atheist?

Quote: FrGamble

How can you say things like being kind to strangers or giving food to the homeless is the right thing to do? \.

Because it is? What's going on, why are you
up at 3:30 AM. I'm a little worried about you.
Is everything OK? Seriously, I'm concerned.

Quote: FrGamble

How can you say things like being kind to strangers or giving food to the homeless is the right thing to do? .

It is the right thing to do
I was raised as an atheist and continue to be an atheist.
I have very high morals.
I have a really strong conscience
I can not do wrong because if I do, I feel terrible, guilty and depressed.
I don't like feeling terrible , guilty and depressed.
If I do good such as being kind to strangers.
I feel wonderful. I love that wonderful feeling

All this without religion

By the way, even though I am an atheist, I really enjoyed the Popes visit.
My eyes were glued to the TV all weekend
Funniest moment, the baby in the crowd dressed as the Pope and brought to the popemobile for a blessing.
Pope had a wonderful laugh over it.
My favorite part of the visit was the prison , his sermon on washing feet and meeting the prisoners.
Francis is a wonderful man that inspires.
He inspires me to be kind :-)
I'm still an atheist, but a KIND atheist :-)

Quote: terapined

It is the right thing to do
I was raised as an atheist and continue to be an atheist.
I have very high morals.
I have a really strong conscience
I can not do wrong because if I do, I feel terrible, guilty and depressed.
I don't like feeling terrible , guilty and depressed.
If I do good such as being kind to strangers.
I feel wonderful. I love that wonderful feeling

All this without religion

and all this in spite of, not because of your atheistic viewpoint.

I am very glad you enjoyed the Pope's visit and I am super glad you have such a good heart, high morals, and a sensitive conscience. Those things come from someplace different than yourself. There is a law written in you that you cannot break. There is something higher than you that determines what is right and wrong. You might not understand why you feel terrible when you do wrong and you might not recognize that there is a God, but the fact that you feel the way you do is evidence that there is something more to you and to all of us than just our own intellect, will, and emotions.

(My favorite part of the visit was the prison , his sermon on washing feet and meeting the prisoners.) I too found that interesting but it's also interesting that the people in prisons today are not the same as in early church times. Murderers, rapists, thieves and such were put to death not sent to prison. I don't know if we're called to minister to them or not.

Quote: pew

(My favorite part of the visit was the prison , his sermon on washing feet and meeting the prisoners.) I too found that interesting but it's also interesting that the people in prisons today are not the same as in early church times. Murderers, rapists, thieves and such were put to death not sent to prison. I don't know if we're called to minister to them or not.

In early church times, many that were in prison certainly didn't belong their
In those days, if you could not pay your bills, you went to prison

correction, I should have mentioned jail instead of prison. Big difference.
Pope visited a jail, not prison
Those prisoners in the jail he visited have not been found guilty. They are innocent till proven guilty
They cannot afford bail or bail was not an option
Those prisoners he visited are awaiting trial to determine guilt.

Quote: FrGamble

You might not understand why you feel terrible when you do wrong and you might not recognize that there is a God, but the fact that you feel the way you do is evidence that there is something more to you and to all of us than just our own intellect, will, and emotions.

There's that wascally circular logic again that
makes soooo much sense to churchy type
people and zero sense to people who actually
think for themselves. I do something nice for
someone because it makes me feel good, and
then I forget about it. You, on the other hand,
do something good and are then wracked with
guilt because you felt good about it. A free
thinking life terrifies you, so you blame everything
on an idea you can't prove, god. You remain
locked in a box of your own creation, too scared
of your own shadow to even peek at the outside
world. Oh well, maybe next time, in the next life.

Quote: terapined

In early church times, many that were in prison certainly didn't belong their

In the middle ages in Japan, there were
no prisons. If you killed somebody or
stole a loaf of bread, you were executed
within a few days. They didn't mess around,
if you were a criminal, they didn't want
you in society. They also used crucifixion,
it was a very effective crime deterrent.

Quote: terapined

In early church times, many that were in prison certainly didn't belong their
In those days, if you could not pay your bills, you went to prison

correction, I should have mentioned jail instead of prison. Big difference.
Pope visited a jail, not prison
Those prisoners in the jail he visited have not been found guilty. They are innocent till proven guilty
They cannot afford bail or bail was not an option
Those prisoners he visited are awaiting trial to determine guilt.

Oh, jail not prison, O.K. we can wash those feet.

Quote: Evenbob

There's that wascally circular logic again that
makes soooo much sense to churchy type
people and zero sense to people who actually
think for themselves. I do something nice for
someone because it makes me feel good,

If you really did think for yourself and if you really did think that you and you alone were the source of all morality you would then ask yourself, "why would I every feel bad about doing anything I decide to do?" Your moral theory has no answer to a universal feeling that we all recognize, namely regret or guilt. If you alone determine for yourself what is right or wrong and you determine that I can steal this phone than why do you feel bad afterwards? If you determine that to give it back is the right thing, then why do you feel good about doing that? You don't need to reinforce to yourself what you already know? If you are god, just do what you want and who cares how you feel. The fact that you often feel bad or good is clear evidence that there is a moral law outside of yourself that you are bidden to obey whether you like it or not.

To decide whether or not to abide by "the law", or act according to the accepted standards or morality of your associates is purely a business decision.

As always follow the money.

"What is good? All that heightens the feeling of power in man, the will to power, power itself. What is bad? All that is born of weakness. What is happiness? The feeling that power is growing, that resistance is overcome.
Friedrich Nietzsche, The Antichrist, section 2
German philosopher (1844 - 1900)"