Christening/ baptism should I or shouldn't i?

Humphrey10

January20 wrote: »

margaretclare, I usually respect your opinion greatly however I find this quote highly offensive! I do not believe in God but that doesn't mean I believe in anything. That doesn't mean I have no morals, no code of conduct.

You do get some people who don't seem to have any 'natural' morals, the only ones they have come from their religion, for example those who think certain kinds of discrimination are OK, because their religion either says they are OK or doesn't specifically forbid them.

Not all religious people are like this thankfully, but those who are have a hard time understanding that atheists don't go around eg murding people, because the only reason they do not murder people is because their religion forbids it.

poet123

And thankfully not all atheists think that believers are either mentally ill or brainwashed.

Lotus-eater

poet123 wrote: »

And thankfully not all atheists think that believers are either mentally ill or brainwashed.

Well no, it's a bit like the silly, black/white debate. They're good and bad Black and White people.
They're good and bad religious and non religious people.

I put up with anyone till they start judging people for what they are without knowing them.

As an atheist, if I had a choice of who to trust first, it would probably be a religious person rather than a atheist, unless they start preaching or telling me I'm doing it wrong, or I'm going to hell unless I believe. (previous poster didn't surprise me in the slightest with her views)

poet123

Humphrey10 wrote: »

All the people I have ever met who call themselves 'christian' or 'muslem' or whatever have either been brainwashed into believing all that stuff by their parents, or are mentally ill so will believe anything, or have such unhappy lives that the only way they can survive is to delude themselves that when they die they will be happy (and it's much easier to just believe in a magical man in the sky than it is to sort their life out).
So get in quick with the baptism and brainwashing (I notice you are already taking them to church - good start!) before they are old enough to make their own minds up, or else you might not like what they decide.

Humphrey10 wrote: »

You do get some people who don't seem to have any 'natural' morals, the only ones they have come from their religion, for example those who think certain kinds of discrimination are OK, because their religion either says they are OK or doesn't specifically forbid them.

Not all religious people are like this thankfully, but those who are have a hard time understanding that atheists don't go around eg murding people, because the only reason they do not murder people is because their religion forbids it.

If you are an atheist why would what others believe concern you so much?

The above is such an impartial set of comments,;) :Dand yet only the religious are supposed to be dogmatic. It proves the point that atheist or religious you can still be inclined to blinkered thought.

Person_one

Lotus-eater wrote: »

As an atheist, if I had a choice of who to trust first, it would probably be a religious person rather than a atheist, unless they start preaching or telling me I'm doing it wrong, or I'm going to hell unless I believe. (previous poster didn't surprise me in the slightest with her views)

Huh? Why?

How can you tell anyway?

There was this story in an old book once about a Samaritan...

January20

Humphrey10 wrote: »

You do get some people who don't seem to have any 'natural' morals, the only ones they have come from their religion, for example those who think certain kinds of discrimination are OK, because their religion either says they are OK or doesn't specifically forbid them.

Not all religious people are like this thankfully, but those who are have a hard time understanding that atheists don't go around eg murding people, because the only reason they do not murder people is because their religion forbids it.

my ex mil is highly religious, would go to church every day if she could. I have never met anyone so racist, discriminatory or intolerant of others in my life! She would call me a heathen because I refused to go to church.

The one thing that I remember though is her telling me that her beliefs had helped her greatly in her life. She had had quite a bit of hardship and she said she didn't know what she would have done without religion. I suppose it's easier to cope with bad things if you think it's God's will and he has plan for you and your loved ones.

Person_one

poet123 wrote: »

If you are an atheist why would what others believe concern you so much?

The above is such an impartial set of comments,;) :Dand yet only the religious are supposed to be dogmatic. It proves the point that atheist or religious you can still be inclined to blinkered thought.

Humphrey's first quote was a bit much, but I don't think the second one was 'blinkered' at all. I've definitely come across that line of thinking from religious people who genuinely believe that human morality only exists due to religion, that if everybody was atheist it would be an amoral free for all.

Neither Humphrey or me are saying that all religious people feel that way, obviously most don't, but margaretclare exemplifies it perfectly.

I've been told I must be a Christian because of the way I dress, not sure how that works! (I don't wear a habit or a cross or a 'Jesus Loves Me' T shirt)

poet123

To be fair to MargaretClare I read her post as saying that if you don't believe in religion and so adopt that moral compass, at least have a moral compass, don't simply drift and accept that anything goes.

I didn't read it to mean only the religious can have a moral compass.

Person_one

poet123 wrote: »

To be fair to MargaretClare I read her post as saying that if you don't believe in religion and so adopt that moral compass, at least have a moral compass, don't simply drift and accept that anything goes.

I didn't read it to mean only the religious can have a moral compass.

I think you read it in an entirely different way than she meant it, have another look.

I would suggest that the basic morals shared by most religions, don't kill, don't steal, try to be nice to each other, are actually a function of social evolution and its only because the religious were the ones doing the writing that we have this idea that 'morality' originated with belief in a deity.

Lotus-eater

Person_one wrote: »

Huh? Why?

How can you tell anyway?

There was this story in an old book once about a Samaritan...

Well duh , you would have to know first whether they were or weren't, otherwise it wouldn't work would it? :rotfl:

Why? Probably because the majority of religious people I've met have been lovely people, who have good morals and a strong belief in doing the right thing.
Their right thing, usually fits in with my right thing.