Does Religion Make You a Better Person?

And how true, I dumped a contract because of their outstandish points made at me about my non religious beliefs. It was a long contract too and woulda done my bank account an awesome favor but I knew it would kill me not to kill them. Good thing they slinged it all out there before I let myself into it. You wouldn't believe what didn't matter to them.

 

Actions speak louder than words. You can claim to be what ever you want to.

 

People who behave this way will try to find anything to make themselves feel better than everyone. And it always tends to destroy a "good idea" because they bombard everyone with it. Its personalities like these that start off with no enemies, but then begin to create enemies with their bombardment of their ideas/philosophy. If its not christianity its something else. Just pick something. Politics, diet, whatever other strange cult or religion there is out there.
People also tend to use religion to serve their purposes. I remember doing a job taking care of the elderly, and one of the old men I met there was extremely catholic. He doesn't preach to anyone else... since his focus happens to be on HIMSELF. But 24/7 hes got the catholic radio channel on and hes always watching religious shows on television. Seemed like an ok person who was very into his religion. Also a veteran who served our country in the military. Then one day I found out he was a child molester, and that he was using this religion to cope with something he felt guilty about. It was a shock. Could never imagine that this person would have that kind of a history. But as caretakers we continued to do our jobs, we treated him well and just put his past aside and let him cope with his guilt as often as he wanted with his religion.
So I guess sometimes, people cling to religion because they... WANT to be a better person, or out of guilt. Sometimes it seems a lot of people are using religion to serve them. Fair enough and all. And if it does that, good for you. But if you are using religion to serve YOU it more than likely, its not doing getting you anywhere.

 

Somebody's lying too, and the whole fiction of being a "WORSE" person DOES have faith in becoming a "BETTER" person. The religion does SERVE for this bottom line ideology issue. Guilt is dispelled by the religion first of all. Nothing wrong with that.

 

I know lots of people with a bad past of some kind who lean on religion to clean what they did off the slate, once they think it's done they think everyone has a bad past and should do the same, then they think those who won't Follow this clean path are the dirty ones. My past isn't too bad, as a kid I stole a few things, was grounded and such and paid my price because I wasn't good at covering my bads but later in life those tricks came back to me and I told myself what an idiot I was and low and behold I am better, didn't take a preacher to cleanse my soul or me pouring money into a dish. Bets are if I went to church when I was a kid I mighta stole that money dish too, hahahaha.
Oh and if my parents had told me I coulda done lots of bad shit to people and then cleaned it all off my slate later by becoming religious,,, life would have been ten fold more fun,, dammit, I missed out on that trick. Instead they cheated me, they made me learn right then that it was bad and made me return stuff and took my privileges away for doing bad shit... That my friends is religion of the good kind,,, be good to your fellow man.
Did I wash a guys car several times any time he asked a good few times because I got caught writing "Wash me" on it,,, yes I did,,,

 

Is a prudent person a better person, or is a sensibly cautious person a better person?

 

Prudent I think, cautious people are those who hesitate and hesitation might mean you go in to pull a drowning man out of water too late, but caution can also save your life or some dollars, just don't be too cautious when driving, it makes people Nuts!

ETA,,,

Oh wait, you said sensibly cautious,,, ok now I am gonna go read a book or do something constructive. See ya,,,,,

 

Does standing in a garage make you a car?

 

That's not the same at all.
The only answer to your question is no, and the answer to original question can be both yes and no.
You seem pretty anti-religion haha.

 

Unless you're a car to begin with .

I don't know if I'm anti-religion. I have some close friends who are very religious, and I think that, if done correctly, religion can be a positive thing.

That being said, man is too corruptible and it's rarely done correctly . So I wonder if we are largely better off without it? I'm on the fence, here.

That being said, I like Jesus. John 8 is probably one of my favorite stories from any text, ever .

 

I thought she was just making fun of Anaximenes

 

But back to the original question: religion could make skinheadism funny rather than.. yeah, I'm funny .:afro:

 

One of my favorite things about religion, the Church, are the volunteers. They're AMAZING people. I've experienced religion / Church in two ways:

1. traditional Church on Sundays, CCD classes on Wednesdays, Bible study summer day camp. Participation until about 11 years old.

2. homelessness.

When a person is homeless, they find themselves having to live at the community level. There are open doors to religion / Churches that most people don't know about, or if they do know about it, it rarely enters the discussions.

It wasn't state social services agencies that gave me what the Church did, I can testify to that.

I've slept in Churches, bathed and ate. I've spent a few holidays having my holiday meal in Churches, with some truly awesome, warm-hearted people. It's precious to me.

My entire apartment is furnished by the generous, loving donations of religious Church people. The keyboard I'm typing on, the couch I'm sitting on, my kitchen table and even my bed. I actually live in a town that has a Biblical name (do people realize how many American towns are named according to the Bible?).

It's called "the Living Book" for a reason, and "the Living Word of God".

It feels good.

Does religion make you a better person? It can. It does, for some people. Think of the volunteers and who they serve (they serve A LOVE OF GOD, and they serve Humanity).

I can say very little good about social workers. I've known many and plenty, and there truly are only a few that I could ever praise. Even the social workers who wear ash on their foreheads, on Ash Wednesday, turn my stomach. When people lie, they're serving satan. Period. Though they'll never confess, I KNOW THEY LIE. If people think Christ was crucified to make lying a permissible way of life, they're perverting the meaning of the Cross.

 

No, not for me. I was born good....

natural born comedian, too...

 

I can't watch youtube...and I'm not sure if that is a bad thing or not.

Religion as in Organized Religion has definitely not made me "better".

Believing in God and being a spiritual person has definitely put reins on me, and made me more responsible and think of others, just for a couple of things. I know without a doubt I've been influenced in other ways also because of my beliefs.

Do you think beliefs and religion are necessarily the same? I don't go to church but I make a point to try and tithe in someway 10% of my earnings...yet that 10% does not go to a church.

I admire the people (apparently there are MANY ) that are Really Good people and their actions have nothing to do with spiritual reasons.

 

I read that as being part of a common-place, popular fight of condemnation and defense.

Non-religious people condemn religious people, then defend and exalt themselves as being the "real" good people, while the religious people are condemned as being some sort of bad guys. I hear and see it all the time. And I hate it. It is the height of arrogance and ignorance, to be bluntly honest.

There's too much seething hatred toward religions, the Church and the religious. Too much ignorance.

It isn't that non-religious people are bad, for being non-religious. It is that they're not right for hating or condemning others for loving God (and religion).

It should never be a "fight", anyway.

 

Oh my, I KNEW I should have stayed out of this thread, instead of expressing my opinion! This is what I get...

You have totally and completely taken my post out of context and given it meanings and nuances that are not there.

There is no fight. I didn't condemn anybody.

If a person wants to be a part of organized religion and they DO feel because they are a part of it, they are better, then hey, that's great! :sunny:

I say I'm "better" because of my beliefs...not because of organized religion.

I didn't see you answering any of my questions.

Is religion and spirituality the same thing to you?

I merely wanted to point out the tithing thing because I believe in the bible, and I think that is what is in there. Rather, the principle for tithing is definitely, without a doubt, in there...more than once!

So, I don't understand your problem saying my post is one of "condemnation and defense".

 

I don't see any problem with expressing yourself and communicating. I certainly don't feel regretful, and I don't expect you (or anybody else) to feel that way.

I responded to the concept of other people (who are non-religious) defending and exalting themselves as being good people, because that is a key element in a "fight" between the non-religious and the religious. That's what stood out to me, and that is what I responded to. And because, it is the subject of the thread (Does Religion Make You a Better Person). What I'm familiar with is people who damn religious people, and say they "don't need religion to be a good person". The rest of the "fight" is how bad religious people are, insults against their level of intelligence, mockery and ridicule... I seriously can't stand it.

I hope that clarifies where I'm coming from and why I responded the way I did. It is a generality, and not something personal or specific to you.

To answer your question (which I didn't think was being asked of me, specifically), I believe genuine spirituality is understood via religious texts and scriptures. That's my experience, anyway.

 

lol...yeah I was just asking out...but I agree...It comes from scriptures, texts, and imo personal experience.

we're cool. I wasn't putting anybody down.

I'm saying I may not be part of any "group", so to say, but having beliefs has/does make me better overall person.

 

I know people can be non-religious, and still be good people. But I think, if they take the position of damning or condemning religious people (not saying that you personally were doing that), then they're actually not being good at all. And I would feel the same exact way if religious people were damning and condemning the non-religious (which some do, often enough). I would speak up about it, either way.

I love all religions, I think they each have precious value and worth. There are two primary points that I personally find abhorrent:

1. haters of religion / Church / God / the religious
2. people (religious and / or non-religious) who pit and battle Gods and religions

I'm a born Catholic but I don't call myself "Christian" or "Catholic". I'm mostly a simple Humanitarian (though I do have some nihilism in me, and I'm not happy about it). As for religion making people a better person, I don't think of it as being better than others. I think of it as, yes, some people become better people because there are distinct feelings that religion offers, that cannot be found outside of it. It's one thing to be rich in the pocket, and another thing to be rich in feelings and emotions. I'm not in touch with the hatred of religion / Church. I'm in touch with it's precious value and worth.