Addendum: Atheism and morality (Introduction)

by xeno6696 , Sonoran Desert, Friday, October 22, 2010, 11:43 (5124 days ago) @ dhw

dhw, 
> 
> MATT: An irony here that makes me wish we had a full-Christian on the forum: "How can a God that demands submission to it be compatible with a society that focuses on the betterment of the individual?"
> 
> I think a Christian would probably say it's God's will that all individuals should better themselves, and part of self-betterment is helping one's fellow creatures. Submission to God would merely mean doing good in his name instead of in the name of humanity.
> -Yes... I do read and reread these responses, especially when the questions are so fruitful. -
I know you're not a Christian... but a deep question I've had for some years is...-Why is man himself--not enough?-Doing good for God's sake? To me this has always seemed the actions of a bad actor. -The self must be in any action. I've never understood why doing good and then attributing that clearly human act to God is something that should even be allowable...-Removing the self from the cause of actions seems to me another cop-out to responsibility. Neither does a man wish to take credit for his bad actions, but now not the good too? -"Never has a man flown so high, yet missed the mark entirely!"--Nietzsche, when critiquing Moses.-But back to my original question, "How can submission to God exist at the same in a society of self-improvement?"-Do you see the same problem with this as I do? The spirit of submission is exactly opposite of that from the spirit of self-improvement. One is "humble." One takes no credit for anything. Takes no risks; at one time one would have said that it "takes the man out of the man." The other is hard, gives criticism as easily as takes it. Is focused on making his spirit submit to his own will. To me I see no way for both of these attitudes to exist within the same body...

--
\"Why is it, Master, that ascetics fight with ascetics?\"

\"It is, brahmin, because of attachment to views, adherence to views, fixation on views, addiction to views, obsession with views, holding firmly to views that ascetics fight with ascetics.\"