For those who don't think or understand that although things on some topics have improved, there is also a downfall in others.
Look at this video clip and ask yourself if the kids would be responding this way 20/50 years ago.
Religion VS Atheism and the decline of ethics and morals
by EndofMysteries 82 Replies latest watchtower bible
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cofty
The 2 boys at 2:55 are brilliant.
Most of the kids were great actually. A few were brats. There have always been brats.
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OUTLAW
Look at this video clip and ask yourself if the kids would be responding this way 20/50 years ago.........................................
Children behaving like children,didn`t just happen in the last few years..
..................Children have always behaved like children..
..You would have gotten the same reaction20/50/100/2,000 years ago..
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.................................Stealing candy from Children........
............ Isn`t proof the world is getting worse without religion..
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...OUTLAW -
kaik
There were never good ethic and moral times when I have studied history and social development in Roman, medieval and Enlightened eras. For example in the 18th century France before the French Revolution, 1/6 of all children were given away by their own parents. Parents absolutely did not care about their offsprings; they were used as a cheap labor, sex object, and a way to channel frustration. Many children died in hars labor condition and it was not uncommon for child as young as eight to be executed as this happened well into 1840's in Europe, including UK. Prostitution and sex slavery was widespread and so were VD, where syphillis was also considered as a noble disease. Sick people were chased out of the community, which including victims of plague, influenza, leprosis, or cancer. There was no safety nest, no social services; Church charity was unable to do much.Crime was also high on roads, cities, and seas. Piracy was threat to all coast communities until the French Revolution. Bands of bandits were danger everywhere including such rich countries like Netherlands and Belgium. People had more chance to die by violent crime in the past than today. There was never any good lost ethical, and moral society. Today's world is much better with less religions indoctrination.
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Band on the Run
I believe we currently live in a much more ethical world than in the past. Religion has been a force for good and great evil. There is no link between religion and morality. The concentration camps were set up by Christians. The French resistance was mostly composed of atheist, communists. All I can do right now is think of the early Dylan song, With God on our Side.
YHWH is not moral. What ethics does He have?
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LisaRose
I think that religion Can be a force for instilling ethics and morals, but it very much depends on the culture and the religion involved.
Allowing a woman to be stoned death for adultery is not really my idea of good morals. Historically even Christian churches have allowed or condoned things that we now consider to be abhorrent. They also publicly condemned things that they turned a blind eye to in actuality, like child sex abuse.
I think these days it is culture, not religion that dictates ethics and morals. A hundred years ago most churches would not allow sex outside of marriage, today it is rarely an issue, that change was driven not by religion but by changes in society. I think religion Can still be a force for good, but to do that they have to change and adapt and be more about charitable works, mutual support and personal development.
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EndofMysteries
Most here were raised religious. I know personally before I could 'understand' why things were right and wrong, I was just told what was right and wrong and God saw everything, so if I wasn't being looked at, even if I didn't understand why it's wrong, I just didn't do it because he was watching.
Those who don't believe in any God/accountability, what are you teaching your kids? Especially before they can understand what is right and wrong?
Let's take stealing for example. How would you teach a 3 or 4 year old not to steal, and in a way in which if they were not being watched and could get away with it, that their conscience would kick in?
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Phizzy
Teach them the Golden Rule, that is what most parents do instinctively without invoking God.
Once a child learns that the way of life that has been demonstrated to work best for all is, to do the " least harm and the most good " that you can, they are able to see what is right and wrong. Children are far from silly, they understand very complicated concepts if explained properly.
To have your moral compass set by someone else is very dangerous, as we all found out in the W.T, we may well have sacrificed the life of our own child to their Blood doctrine ! What kind of ethical or moral position is that ?
To be able to set your own compass means not only that you can choose much higher standards than the Bible or Religions adhere to, but that you are unlikely to drop them, they are part of who you are.
Imposed morals and ethics can be easily ignored.
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DJS
There is a news article this morning that lists the 10 most religious and least religious states. Not surprising the 10 most religious are in the south (and Utah). The 10 least relligious are in the NE and NW/W. There is a strong correlation between the states' religiosity and its: political persuasion, crime, poverty, illegal drun use, welfare recipients, gun violence, and most importantly education levels, etc. I shouldn't have to explain the correlation to anyone on this board who has been following along. But if you haven't, the most religious states have a correlation to having more: violence, crime, gun violence, divorce, illicit and illegal drug use, lack of educational status/achievement, welfare, food stamps, poverty. ETC>
It has been this way for a long time and it will be this way in the future until we replace religion with ethics and education.
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DJS
There is a news article this morning that lists the 10 most religious and least religious states. Not surprising the 10 most religious are in the south (and Utah). The 10 least relligious are in the NE and NW/W. There is a strong correlation between the states' religiosity and its: political persuasion, crime, poverty, illegal drun use, welfare recipients, gun violence, and most importantly education levels, etc. I shouldn't have to explain the correlation to anyone on this board who has been following along. But if you haven't, the most religious states have a correlation to having more: violence, crime, gun violence, divorce, illicit and illegal drug use, lack of educational status/achievement, welfare, food stamps, poverty. ETC>
It has been this way for a long time and it will be this way in the future until we replace religion with ethics and education.
...OUTLAW