With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.I've been debating with my parents about this one for a while. Can religion really make a good person do an evil thing? Does the fact that he did an evil thing make him an evil person? Is a man who saves a kitten from a tree simply to impress his girlfriend still a good person? Is it our actions or our intentions that define our morality? What do you guys think?
-Steven Weinberg
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Some Thoughts On Religion
So I went to view my blog page and this quote popped up at the top:
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3 comments:
define "good" and "evil"
Can religion really make a good person do an evil thing?
Yes. We frequently read about people who are described as good a christian that has been arrested for a heinous crime.
Does the fact that he did an evil thing make him an evil person?
No. A person could be coerced into an deed or could have been under the influence of drugs, alcohol or god.
Is a man who saves a kitten from a tree simply to impress his girlfriend still a good person? Maybe. Just because he did it to impress his girlfriend does not mean that he would not have done it otherwise.
Is it our actions or our intentions that define our morality?
Both. We can intend to be nice but be an ass in our actions or we could intend to kill everyone but not because we are afraid of getting caught.
BTW, I love this quote. I have had it as my email tag line for several years now.
People do evil things in the name of god, faith and religion all the time. Religion is inherently dishonest and therefore inevitably evil. Faith and religion are self-indulgent and self-gratifying pursuits, giving people a false sense of security and a belief they have a special place in the universe.
Good people can sometimes inadvertently do evil things. So an evil act, in and of itself, does not necessarily an evil person make.
If the man saves the kitten simply to impress his boy/girlfriend than the act is neither good or evil, it's simply a courting ritual.
It is our intentions, that define our morality. Even though, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Regardless of the outcome, when the intentions are truly pure and sincerely in-corrupt, than the actions are morally centered and by definition good.
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