Posted on 03/20/2011 10:09:37 AM PDT by delacoert
It is repellent nonsense in my book for any number of reason, but I'm poking around the web for treatises on "Christian niceness" just to give the topic a chance.
One of my favorite finds so far is:
Pharisees were the most overtly nice people you could have met. They did everything the proper and expected way.
The only thing that being an atheiest can make you is legal.
The only thing that being a Christian (born again) can make you is Saved.
I don't follow you. What impact does my atheism have on my legal status?
Most public Atheists are eager to show they have “decent” morality... This in itself though shows a certain willingness to accede to the concept that morality is divinely derived. For the very definition of morality is one in which you try to do no harm as you pass through life... and that is a derivative of “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” a God inspired concept. Morality is a basis for living in harmony in human society... harmony being modified somewhat by laws that help to regulate unjustness. And where does society get the notion of what is just and unjust? There is a code written in our hearts... to deny that code, is to deny the code writer, and to deny the code writer is to give lip service to the moral code itself and can it when it infringes on one’s preference to disbelief.
If this is the definition of "nice" then I'm out.
"nice" doesn't mean a thing to me - it's not a virtue or absolute value that I can determine. It's more of an emotional good feeling. Sometimes virtue requires "un-niceness".
I can't help but think of the inevitible interview with the serial murderer's neighbor who goes on about how "nice" he/she/it was.
A message of true love and tolerance, which you can get from religions like Christianity or Buddhism, or atheistic humanism, make people compassionate.
“Nice” has nothing to do with the argument. People said that Ted Bundy was ‘nice’, up to a point. If God casts sinners into hell for eternity, does that make Him nice?
Agreed. How many preachers have cheated on their wives and beaten their kids and how many priests have molested children? How many so called religious people are nice for one hour on Sunday morning and immediately go back to their two-faced backstabbing drunken low-life mean hateful ways the rest of the week? Religion doesn’t equate with nice.
From my own personal experience:
When I was an atheist/agnostic I was a very, very angry, cynical person.
When I became born again 4 years ago (Praise God!) I’ve become (over time) far, far, far less angry and more positive.
I’m more of a “the glass is half full” rather than “the glass is half empty” now person.
People who knew me before I became saved have told me that they’ve seen great (good) changes in me over the past 4 years.
Ayn Rand was an atheist. Michael Moore is religious. Religion is independent of morals.
***Many Americans doubt the morality of atheists.***
Aethists can be moral. They will go to Hell not because of their morality but because of their denial of Christ.
I have known those who professed Christ who were true examples of living their faith, I have known athiests who would literally give you the shirt of their backs. I know a retired woman who calls herself a wiccan who volunteers at a homeless shelter.
Each and every one I would consider Nice people.
By the same token, I’ve known many of the above who were true P.O.S., not worth spitting on.
Religion or the lack thereof means little, it’s the heart inside that makes one worthy of drawing the next breath. Anyone who says “ours are better than yours” simply because they have a better publicity department is being foolish.
First off, atheism is a religion. They believe there is no God. So they’re theistic, but in a negative way. And that belief is illogical, because you can’t prove a negative.
I am NOT denigrating religious belief in what follows. Christianity has been a major force for good in our society, as well as a fount of good moral beliefs.
But it is not necessary to be religious to be moral. All that is necessary is to give being stupidly selfish and be intelligently selfish. Let’s take as an example, theft.
If I’m stupidly selfish, I take what I want. But there are consequences from that, depending who I stole from. They might take it back, and some of mine to boot. Worse, they might get together with others who’ve been ripped off, and do something nasty to me.
So is theft is my self interest ? If I’m intelligent, obviously not.
Clearly a case can be made for every other moral prohibition. If you’ve got a brain, you don’t do bad things because the common agreement between us is, you don’t do bad things to us and we won’t do bad things to you.
It’s pretty simple, and does not require belief in God.
Believing you’ll be writhing in agony in Hell helps you to be moral, but it’s not necessary - if you have a brain.
Did the author make the case about Denmark?
the state-supported Evangelical Lutheran Church accounts for about 84% (down from 92% in 1984) of those persons claiming religious affiliation. Several other Christian denominations, as well as other major religions, find adherents in Denmark. Islam is now the second-largest religion in Denmark.
.......
INCIDENCE OF CRIME
While both INTERPOL and UN Survey data are available for Denmark, INTERPOL data are more complete and current, and so will be used in the following analysis. The crime rate in Denmark is moderate compared to other industrialized countries. For purpose of comparison, data were drawn for the seven offenses used to compute the United States FBI’s index of crime. Index offenses include murder, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft. The combined total of these offenses constitutes the Index used for trend calculation purposes. Denmark will be compared with Japan (country with a low crime rate) and USA (country with a high crime rate). According to the INTERPOL data, for murder, the rate in 2000 was 4.03 for Denmark, 1.10 for Japan, and 5.51 for USA. For rape, the rate in 2000 was 9.32 for Denmark, compared with 1.78 for Japan and 32.05 for USA. For robbery, the rate in 2000 was 59.14 for Denmark, 4.08 for Japan, and 144.92 for USA. For aggravated assault, the rate in 2000 was 23.68 for Denmark, 23.78 for Japan, and 323.62 for USA. For burglary, the rate in 2000 was 1868.06 for Denmark, 233.60 for Japan, and 728.42 for USA. The rate of larceny for 2000 was 1224.71 for Denmark, 1401.26 for Japan, and 2475.27 for USA. The rate for motor vehicle theft in 2000 was 604.18 for Denmark, compared with 44.28 for Japan and 414.17 for USA. The rate for all index offenses combined was 3793.12 for Denmark, compared with 1709.88 for Japan and 4123.97 for USA.
TRENDS IN CRIME
Between 1995 and 2000, according to INTERPOL data, the rate of murder increased from 1.13 to 4.03, an increase of 256.6%. The rate for rape increased from 8.44 to 9.32, an increase of 10.4%. The rate of robbery increased from 39.09 to 59.14, an increase of 51.3%. The rate for aggravated assault decreased from 165.29 to 23.68 per 100,000, a decrease of 85.7%. The rate for burglary decreased from 2042.56 to 1868.06, a decrease of 8.5%. The rate of larceny increased from 599.94 to 1224.71, an increase of 104.1%. The rate of motor vehicle theft decreased from 683.55 to 604.18, a decrease of 11.6%. The rate of total index offenses increased from 3540 to 3793.12, an increase of 7.2%.
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/faculty/rwinslow/europe/denmark.html
The author has lost all credibility in my mind.
INCIDENCE OF CRIME
The crime rate in Sweden is high compared to other industrialized countries. An analysis was done using INTERPOL data for Sweden. For purpose of comparison, data were drawn for the seven offenses used to compute the United States FBI’s index of crime. Index offenses include murder, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft. The combined total of these offenses constitutes the Index used for trend calculation purposes. Sweden will be compared with Japan (country with a low crime rate) and USA (country with a high crime rate). According to the INTERPOL data, for murder, the rate in 2001 was 10.01 per 100,000 population for Sweden, 1.10 for Japan, and 5.61 for USA. For rape, the rate in 2001 was 23.39 for Sweden, compared with 1.78 for Japan and 31.77 for USA. For robbery, the rate in 2001 was 95.83 for Sweden, 4.08 for Japan, and 148.50 for USA. For aggravated assault, the rate in 2001 was 667.42 for Sweden, 23.78 for Japan, and 318.55 for USA. For burglary, the rate in 2001 was 1323.90 for Sweden, 233.60 for Japan, and 740.80 for USA. The rate of larceny for 2001 was 6988.81 for Sweden, 1401.26 for Japan, and 2484.64 for USA. The rate for motor vehicle theft in 2001 was 495.21 for Sweden, compared with 44.28 for Japan and 430.64 for USA. The rate for all index offenses combined was 9604.57 for Sweden, compared with 1709.88 for Japan and 4160.51 for USA. (Note that Japan data are for year 2000)
The data reported to INTERPOL make it appear that Sweden is perhaps the most crime ridden country in the world; however, these findings should be tempered by comparison with data reported to the United Nations.
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/faculty/rwinslow/europe/sweden.html
God Himself is "nice" at times..."mean" at others. But He is ALWAYS loving.
one only needs to look at that evil head spinning, hate filled, spilt pea soup spewing, vial, filthy so-called comedian on the HBO Channel Bill Mahr. Case closed!
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