tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1933519781770237941.post495001328213012843..comments2023-07-19T03:55:53.082-06:00Comments on Atheist Ethicist Journal: The Relevance of DeedsAlonzo Fyfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05687777216426347054noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1933519781770237941.post-78902166067902606802007-08-09T07:35:00.000-06:002007-08-09T07:35:00.000-06:00alonzo,I didn’t mean to come across as condescendi...alonzo,<BR/><BR/>I didn’t mean to come across as condescending. This is why I pointed out that Christians believe Scripture holds a higher standard of morals than common thought or society does, but I acknowledge that some do not believe in Scripture. Maybe I should have used the word stricter? What I meant was some things that Scripture holds as immoral, society may consider moral, so there is a difference in the strictness of morality.<BR/><BR/>As noted in the post (identifying Atheist Revolution), if the person measures a Christian by the Scripture, by quoting, “know them by their deeds”, then to me, that seems to associate Christianity with a higher (or different) standard of morals than one who does not agree or accept the stricter morals contained in Scripture. So although the writer would consider a Christian a hypocrite that does not remain true to the Scriptural morals they claim to hold, the writer would not consider one that breaks them, but that does not accept the Scripture as authoritative, as a hypocrite. Is that hypocritical?<BR/><BR/>Again I didn’t mean to come across as condescending, for I do not believe atheism, in and of itself, means, “that by virtue of my atheism I am not and cannot be as good as you.” Just as simply claiming to believe in God does not mean someone will necessarily be as good as an atheist can be, so they choose to do so.<BR/><BR/>TimSplinters of Silverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02899357787697070658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1933519781770237941.post-24117340380420449912007-08-08T22:28:00.000-06:002007-08-08T22:28:00.000-06:00Sorry, writer, but your assumption that scripture ...Sorry, writer, but your assumption that scripture is a higher standard is quite incorrect.<BR/><BR/>Scripture is 2000 years out of date.<BR/><BR/>Calling it a higher standard of morality is akin to calling the works of Hypocrates a higher standard of medicine.<BR/><BR/>Actually, Writer, I suspect that you were not even aware of how condescending and insulting your comment was. To say that you hold yourself to a higher standard is to say that I hold myself to a lower standard - that by virtue of my atheism I am not and cannot be as good as you.<BR/><BR/>That is an insult.<BR/><BR/>I will give you the benefit of the doubt and call it unintentional, but it is nonetheless real.Alonzo Fyfehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05687777216426347054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1933519781770237941.post-29787458564480804202007-08-08T12:59:00.000-06:002007-08-08T12:59:00.000-06:00I am a Christian, but I believe you hit the nail o...I am a Christian, but I believe you hit the nail on the head with this post.<BR/><BR/>As you said, "believers are fond of claiming moral superiority over nonbelievers". Believers should realize and understand that we should hold ourselves to a higher standard because we believe in a higher standard (i.e. Scripture) that some do not, but should not forget that we are equally capable of falling short of that standard as those which do not hold to it can.<BR/><BR/>TimSplinters of Silverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02899357787697070658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1933519781770237941.post-37425430881725550142007-08-08T08:15:00.000-06:002007-08-08T08:15:00.000-06:00zIt is perfectly legitimate and sensible, in the c...zIt is perfectly legitimate and sensible, in the case of an individual, to condemn him for his wrongs - not only for his more direct transgressions, but his hypocrisy.<BR/><BR/>It is also appropriate when a person condemns others for doing something that is not wrong, who then gets caught doing the same thing himself (e.g., homosexuality) that his hypocrisy be brought to the fore.<BR/><BR/>These cases can even be expanded to include all other hypocrites - all who perform relevantly similar actions.<BR/><BR/>The problem comes when people carry these accusations beyond the set of those who are actually guilty.Alonzo Fyfehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05687777216426347054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1933519781770237941.post-30856352782386470292007-08-08T07:53:00.000-06:002007-08-08T07:53:00.000-06:00A reverend in Colorado is being charged with a cri...A reverend in Colorado is being charged with a crime today. Upon seeing it on the news, I felt some satisfaction at seeing a person who is ostensibly devoutly religious exhibit the same failings that other people have.<BR/><BR/>It would seem to be that when religious leaders (or republican or democratic or atheist leaders) display behavior that is obviously immoral, it would be an opportunity to point out that that being religious (or republican or democratic or atheist) doesn't automatically make a person more moral.<BR/><BR/>That is to say, point out that "not all of ______ are moral" (which is very different from "all ____ are not moral"), and use it as an opportunity to explore what makes a person moral and how to best encourage moral behavior.Cameronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550676050413627351noreply@blogger.com