No Fear of Eternal Judgment (priest, quote, bishop, God)
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My wife and I were just talking about how we have no fear of death. We feel like when it happens, it happens. Just as we accept the death of the plants around us, we accept that we are part of the natural, organic world, and we will die, too.
We talked about how some religions for some people (note my modifiers) instill a fear of death, that is really a fear of judgment - judgment of how you lived your life by some god. Some believers ask themselves, "Will I measure up? Will God approve? Have I done enough? I am so painfully and embarrassingly aware of my flaws and mistakes."
I am so glad that I do not bear the weight of those concerns. I don't care what a god thinks of me, because I do not believe a god exists. I have no feelings of guilt for sins of commission or sins of omission. I do not have to shamefully confess supposed wrong doings before a priest, or a bishop, or a god.
Yet, I live a very ethical and socially responsible life. I am a good person. I don't need the fear of divine judgment to keep me in check. I care about the feelings of others: my wife, my children, my community. I apologize to them if I hurt them. But, I owe nothing to a god. I break no divine laws because they do not exist.
There is something really freeing when one lives one's life without the fear of eternal judgment.
Yet, I live a very ethical and socially responsible life. I am a good person. I don't need the fear of divine judgment to keep me in check. I care about the feelings of others: my wife, my children, my community. I apologize to them if I hurt them. But, I owe nothing to a god. I break no divine laws because they do not exist.
There is something really freeing when one lives one's life without the fear of eternal judgment.
Do your ethics include forgiving those who have done wrong to you, even to the point of desiring good for, and seeking opportunities to do good to, those who treat you badly? I'm just wondering if you have found that that is, generally speaking, also part of a natural ethics code or if that is something taught by religion which goes against nature. Just pondering.
Do your ethics include forgiving those who have done wrong to you, even to the point of desiring good for, and seeking opportunities to do good to, those who treat you badly?
Absolutely. That is but an example of pro-social morality. Humans, and other primates, evolved in small familial societies. Pro-social morality evolves in societies because it is important to have a way to reconcile members of the society after wrongs have been done, else the society would dissolve, and we would be left with lone individuals.
Historically, we stand a better chance for surviving and reproducing if we stick together than if we go it alone. It makes sense that pro-social morality would evolve when you look at it that way.
Absolutely. That is but an example of pro-social morality. Humans, and other primates, evolved in small familial societies. Pro-social morality evolves in societies because it is important to have a way to reconcile members of the society after wrongs have been done, else the society would dissolve, and we would be left with lone individuals.
Historically, we stand a better chance for surviving and reproducing if we stick together than if we go it alone. It makes sense that pro-social morality would evolve when you look at it that way.
I'm just wondering how many people, even if they hold to it as an ideal way to live and interact, are actually able to live up to their ideal on a regular basis.
I'm following the free flow of thoughts that were prompted by your o.p. and in the process I may be veering away from your intended purpose, I'm not sure. My apologies if that is the case. It just seems to me that regardless if one is concerned only with one's own standards or that of a divine being, unless those standards are quite low (which yours do not appear to be) there are going to be many times when one fails to meet them. Even if there is no "eternal judgment" on the line, there is still an internal judgment which one may find it very difficult to cope with.
It just seems to me that regardless if one is concerned only with one's own standards or that of a divine being, unless those standards are quite low (which yours do not appear to be) there are going to be many times when one fails to meet them. Even if there is no "eternal judgment" on the line, there is still an internal judgment which one may find it very difficult to cope with.
True. But, the concern of god's judgment weighing over one's head feels different than the way the recognition that one does not perform ideally in a number of situations and the desire to do a little better in the future feels.
Different people deal with their own imperfections differently. Some are harsh with themselves, demanding perfection and are slow to forgive themselves. Others, such as myself, am patient with myself and am quick to move forward. I don't excessively guilt myself. I am quick to apologize when I recognize that I offend others, change my behavior, and move on.
I am more than ok with not being perfect. It is not an obsession of mine to live my aspirations to the fullest. I am not a fanatic. I see others become fanatical about living green or some other principle. That will never be me again. I am a human, I do what humans do. When I die, that will be the end of me and I will receive no reward for fanatical devotion to some principle. So, there is no point to stress myself out about it. I am easy-going in my personality. I do what I can when I think something is right. But, I live my life without judging myself too harshly; and I'm surely not bearing the weight of a foreboding divine judgment over my head.
True. But, the concern of god's judgment weighing over one's head feels different than the way the recognition that one does not perform ideally in a number of situations and the desire to do a little better in the future feels.
If a person believes in a punitive god, then yes, it does feel different, I absolutely agree. But if someone believes in a god who's corrections are compelled by love, disciplinary in nature, and serve a worthwhile purpose, then it doesn't necessarily induce fright.
Quote:
Different people deal with their own imperfections differently. Some are harsh with themselves, demanding perfection and are slow to forgive themselves. Others, such as myself, am patient with myself and am quick to move forward. I don't excessively guilt myself. I am quick to apologize when I recognize that I offend others, change my behavior, and move on.
I am more than ok with not being perfect. It is not an obsession of mine to live my aspirations to the fullest. I am not a fanatic. I see others become fanatical about living green or some other principle. That will never be me again. I am a human, I do what humans do. When I die, that will be the end of me and I will receive no reward for fanatical devotion to some principle. So, there is no point to stress myself out about it. I am easy-going in my personality. I do what I can when I think something is right. But, I live my life without judging myself too harshly; and I'm surely not bearing the weight of a foreboding divine judgment over my head.
So, in reality, you're saying it comes down to personality, regardless of belief in a deity (as long as the belief is not in a god who threatens "eternal judgment"). Someone who is obsessive or perfectionist is going to be stressed, whether they believe in a god or not.
So, in reality, you're saying it comes down to personality, regardless of belief in a deity (as long as the belief is not in a god who threatens "eternal judgment"). Someone who is obsessive or perfectionist is going to be stressed, whether they believe in a god or not.
I guess because you added the bits about how you didn't care about what a non-existent god thought, the tenor of your post seemed to indicate a broader indictment of belief in a deity in general. I appreciate you clarifying your point.
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I guess because you added the bits about how you didn't care about what a non-existent god thought, the tenor of your post seemed to indicate a broader indictment of belief in a deity in general. I appreciate you clarifying your point.
