" Are you Good Without God ? " Billboards Saying this Attacked in California

by flipper 28 Replies latest jw friends

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  flipper

  LEAVING WT- It would be good if everybody observed and respected the first amendment. I'm glad you feel free to be good without God.

  BURN THE SHIPS- Very true. It was a violation of property rights as well as violation of freedom of speech.

  AWILDFLOWER- Very interesting your comments on Denmark having low crime rates. I wasn't aware of that. But I do believe as you said we all have a inner value system within us , and if we leave religion and God out of that it becomes more our own. WE end up taking credit for our good values and behavior instead of God or religion getting the credit. No competition, exactly.

  BEKSBKS- I view it like you do BEKS. I feel like I've become a much more empathetic, caring person after exiting the witnesses and I care about people because it's right and makes for better relations as well as making myself feel better. It becomes more your own when some cult or church isn't telling us we HAVE to do this or that. I've found my standards are actually quite higher than the WT society anyway ! LOL ! Don't have to shoot very high to trump their standards
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  wobble

  I am a better person since leaving the WTB$, but we never had God there anyway, so it is not a comparison.

  I feel that now I am without God, the moral standards I live by are absolute, I cannot go against them without denying who I am. I would have to become a different person,worse than I am now, and I do not want to do that.

  By coincidence, this very morning, I joined the British Humanist Association, which consists mainly, but not exclusively, of Atheists. It does great work for the benefit of all humans.

  I certainly believe that people like the members of this organisation are "Good without God"

  Love

  Wobble
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  pixiesticks

  Secular Humanist here! And I'm proud to be 'Good Without God'! I'm more good without God than I was with him that's for sure!
  I agree with Wobble's way of putting it.
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  cantleave

  I think a person's moral fibre is not dependant on their belief system. It is dependant on how they view the concept of respect. JW's (and other religious zealots) often have no respect for anyone unless they belong to the group and follow the rules. When you think about it this is would be the same as being in a street gang, look after your own - screw the rest.

  I used to give a talk where the premise was, without God people will create their own morals and these will generally be based on selfishness. Since I have left the Cult I have noticed that this simply isn't true. I see atheists reacting in compassionate manner to disasters, doing what they can to help others. And I see Christians and others with a strong belief in God living amoral lives and showing no care or respect to their fellows.

  Personally I do what good I can and since leaving the JW-cult my options for this have actually increased.
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  designs

  I think a lot of us experienced that moment when going to someone's door with a magazine wasn't really changing the world for the better So many more positive and constructive ways to help out in this world and leave it a better place for our future generations.

  I am neither an atheist nor an agnostic but I have lost the anthropomorphisms that defined the Big ?
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  awildflower

  Congradulations Wobble!!
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  OnTheWayOut

  Look- I don't have all the answers to the universe. But I do know I can be " good without God " - in fact I'm more open minded since exiting a mind control religious cult. I feel religion narrows ones views to close minds which would otherwise be open to much needed information which is valuable.

  First of all, I am very disappointed. I was going to continue looking to Mr. Flipper for "all the answers." Oh well, I will have to forge ahead with my own path.

  Second, many people (on this board) think an Ex-JW atheist must just be bitter about the mind-control cult. Bitterness got me looking, but facts got my attention while I was looking.

  Third, don't be so sure that it was God-fearing, church-going Christians that attacked the signs. It's typically kids. It might be funny to make it look like fundies attacked the signs.
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  quietlyleaving

  wobble

  I feel that now I am without God, the moral standards I live by are absolute, I cannot go against them without denying who I am. I would have to become a different person,worse than I am now, and I do not want to do that.

  thats a nice way of putting it - this is the way I'm heading too
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  Elsewhere

  An atheist person is good because it is in his/her nature to be good.

  A religious person is good because he/she is under threat of eternal damnation.
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  BurnTheShips

  A religious person is good because he/she is under threat of eternal damnation.

  I am a religious person, and I try to be and do good because I love good, not because I fear Hell. I am driven by love, not fear.

  At least I try to be.

  I have my own ideas and thoughts. But I am glad that there are moral atheists too.

  It is better to be a moral atheist than to be an amoral believer.

  BTS