Quote (CPK001 @ May 18 2013 12:44am)
Matthew 6:1-4 NIV
“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Mark 12:41-44 NIV
41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
Yeah don't point out that I replied with only Bible verses, I am aware of that.
Well, obviously I don't agree with their legitimacy, but I'm willing to argue on your terms. I don't see that Gates Foundation or Doctors Without Borders work in order to be seen, which makes the first one seem non-applicable.
The latter it appears to me would only argue the widow is doing
more good than the rich putting in more money, not that the rich people aren't doing any good at all.
I don't agree with the valuation, I have a much more grounded way of determining it -- i.e. who helped the most, though I would praise anyone giving what they can. But my thoughts aren't the point, I don't really think one can justify "atheists never do good" within Christianity without deviating wildly from common sense.
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If the perfect person, Jesus, never existed then there was no sacrifice for all of humankind. That would mean that Satan would still have power over us and we would be cut off from God without any relationship.
I can't respond, I don't think any of the bases from which you're arguing is true. It's too centered on your belief system for me to argue this point substantively.
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If there is no God and this life is all we have, then what is the meaning of life if we're going to live 70ish years at the most and time would continue forever more? Wouldn't it be better to prolong your birth if you could because of technology 200 years from now?
I say prolong because it is no secret that humans are always advancing in technology. Compare what is being said in the Bible where they had to walk everywhere and they could only tell the time by the sun itself. Look at where we are now and where we are going.
Sure, I think it's far better on average to be born now than to be born 200 years ago, and hope that it can be better than now in 200 years. I don't understand how this makes a difference with respect to a meaning of life. I don't know that there is an objective meaning of life, and it seems to me we have to figure that out for ourselves.
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An exemplar makes it so much easier for a system of morality because you have a walking, talking example of how you should live and what rewards will come.
Jews have a system of morality without this. Many of those belief systems I linked above have systems of morality, and most of them don't have such an exemplar. Beyond that, I don't see the ease of establishing a system of morality has anything to do with whether it's possible.
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I'm not sure what it is for you though, how you view death.
Well, I view death as the end for myself, that "I" in any meaningful sense will cease to be. Perhaps it's not true, as with anything I believe through empiricism, but I don't see a reason to accept some more complex answer, as I don't have evidence of such a thing, or even an alternative theory that is falsifiable, though I would be open to one if someone were to formulate one or if I thought of one.
If my death can mean good things for others, I'm prepared to die. For example, if I had a medical condition and became a vegetable, I don't want the people I love to have to spend tremendous amounts of money on this.
This post was edited by N1ccolo on May 17 2013 11:45pm