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« on: October 16, 2011, 11:38:30 AM »
I've just seen a poll regarding the religious views of the community with an interesting population of secular people.
I find ethical behavior and moral harmony to be very important. I find it fascinating that some of the most secular and scientific-minded people I know have some of the more honestly ethical values I've seen, as opposed to the common view of the "Hollywood Atheist". Of course, please don't take it that I mean that religious folks aren't humane---but I definitely assert that certain aspects of religion can definitely reduce the sincerity of moral pursuits. Furthermore, asserting that all in all atheists, agnostics, or secular individuals have an increased fervor of ethical interest is ridiculous. Attributing most any any characteristic to such a broad range of people is like trying to create a generalization about people who don't like baseball.
However, religion itself does have factors that do seem rather counter what we think of as ethical.
For example, which really seems more honest to you, the pursuit of doing good for the sake of doing good, or the pursuit of doing good in fear of burning in unending suffering for the rest of eternity?
I personally think of the prior, but that's just me.
So here I am, curious of the rest of you. From my experience here I honestly do not exactly expect a lot of you to be particularly... well... to be quite frank, a lot of you come off as selfish pricks at times. But I don't know you, I could be wrong. And I can't generalize the entire population like that. But the people in this forum just seem to fit the stereotype of the general population having such an apathy towards compassion so much that I can't help but expect a vast majority picking the poll subject that most veers towards apathy towards altruism towards others.
I'm just curious. I'm likely not to read further posts on this topic as things on this forum as it has a habit of sucking me into a vortex of negative emotion.
Alright, making the poll now. It'll have a religious comparison part of it. I'm curious if there's a perceived connection and what it is.
I apologize if the poll seems rather biased.