if you dont have religion, what stops you doing what you like?
By ESKARENA1
@ESKARENA1 (18261)
9 responses
@pendragon (3348)
• United States
28 Apr 07
I don't have an established religion, but I believe in God and a gut instinct for good over bad, I don't kno what any religious reward would be, but I prefer to do right, above and beyond.What I'm saying is I don't need reward as a cajolement to do right, if thats what befalls me, great,but doing good should be instant gratification.
1 person likes this
@pendragon (3348)
• United States
28 Apr 07
All people are born with a "God-sized hole" in their beings, and most try to fill that with a religion of some sort,it gives them community and rules, which as eternal children some people need to be told what to do and think, and that's fine, better than feeling lost and cold out in the universe,it's a way to belong to something and playing by it's rules seems a small price.I feel that doing good is instantly gratifying, a lot don't they feel the need to be rewarded by humanity or the benevolent deity they've been raised to believe in and I hope it works out for them,lol.I thimk God is depicted as vengeful ,etc because he is viewed and written about by human hands willing to ascribe all human characteristics to their faceless God, we need vengeance to feel justice so of course the one who looks after us all must have a vengeful streak.I think it's human solace projecting itself.Thanks for responding.
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@ESKARENA1 (18261)
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28 Apr 07
thank you for clearing that up for me, it makes a lot of sense
blessed be
@ESKARENA1 (18261)
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28 Apr 07
i certainly agree that good should be gratification enough in its own right, however, if this is true for all of us, why do many of us still subscribe to religion to provide a moral code for us? Why also is god depicted as both jealous and vengeful?
@jfpicard (179)
• Canada
25 Apr 07
Morale and laws is what is keeping us from wrong doings. I doesn't take religion to know that killing, robbing is wrong. If it's the religion that keeps you from doing thoses things, then I think that you have a problem. Anyway, if, like most the religions says, God is forgiveness then why I would not forgive anything wrong that you will done?
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@ESKARENA1 (18261)
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25 Apr 07
yes, you can do what you like if you ask gods forgiveness afterwards, nice get out clause isnt it?
@ESKARENA1 (18261)
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26 Apr 07
i didnt see your response as either rude or disrespectful
keep on posting
blessed be
@arkaf61 (10881)
• Canada
26 Apr 07
Very good question eskarena.
I think what stops me is the same that stops most people, my own values and my perception of what is right or wrong.
I believe people should do what makes them happy just as long as it doesn't impact negatively in others.
I am not alone in this world and all my actions have consequences that can affect others, it is up to me/ my responsibility to remember this and make sure that my actions don't have a negative impact in others. As for hurting myself, or doing something that affects me negatively.. it's not a sin, just stupidity.
Religion can help guide people to have this awareness of others and make sure that no harm is done to others, so does law, but really we should all be able to distinguish between positive and negative, right or wrong. It might be slightly different for each one of us, but it should be there.
@ESKARENA1 (18261)
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26 Apr 07
i think our values are what makes us restraign our reactions to provocation (if this is desire or simply in anger) working with murderers and rapists I can also vouch for what you say about murderers being gentle with children. One of my child murderers is quite literally charm personified, but is also evil beyond measure. What is missing amongst these people however, remains a problem to me
blessed be
1 person likes this
@arkaf61 (10881)
• Canada
26 Apr 07
Forgot to say, that although most of us are capable of following our code of right and wrong, and our values some people have trouble with theirs for a variety of reasons including personality disorders, living examples, or just flawed character - that can come from the above mentioned reasons or not - or even from being conditioned not to have certain values. WHen that happens we have murderers, dictators, robbers, etc.
They do have their codes, and even their values, but they are a bit warped.A murderer can be an extremely gentle person with children for example and have a code of values that will not allow him to hurt one, or a robber can be extremely honest when dealing with his family - that's his code , his values.
They can be rehabilitated sometimes, and learn to create values that make them more responsible in society, more aware of how they impact others.
Again sometimes people use religion to relay this teachings, but in my opinion it's just one tool that can help, not the only one.
1 person likes this
@easy888 (10405)
• Australia
25 Apr 07
Hello,eskarena,I do not have any religion and I am free todo what i like, I have no restriction,i have 100 % freedom.I enjoy in the freedom,may be that is the reason why i do not have any religion so that i will not have to stop to do somthing i like.
@ESKARENA1 (18261)
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25 Apr 07
agreed, what stops you killing a person that really works you up. Say someone nipps in front of you and takes the last parking space or pushes infront of you?
@derek_a (10873)
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25 Apr 07
I don't adhere to any particular religion. Zen is not considered a religion, but more of a way. It can be added to catholicism, wicca, druidry. Zne is just a system of focus. Focus on the now.
As a result of practising my zazen (Zen meditation, I have come to realise more and more how I am living subject to the law of karma. It's not considered evil or good, just karma. It just that everything (even physical laws if one cares to look) is circular. All comes back, so develop hatred for someone who's done you a bad turn and you may well feel justified or even good for a while, but problems will start to happen (maybe to your health or you make wrong decisions - or anything) and then you'll feel a victim in life. 10 or more years ago it suddenly occurred to me, if I just sent out love to everyone, I would feel good and things in my life would just flow.
It was like a revelation that the Zen masters we telling the truth in saying that everything is one - separation is an illusion, but we each have to disover that for ourselves. Orthodox religion (well some orthodox religions) try to force this on us, that we will go to hell if we don't do this or that etc. And we must! I don't like such "shouldism"..
So no, religions doesn't stop me doing what I want, in fact, years ago it had the opposite effect.
@ESKARENA1 (18261)
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25 Apr 07
wow that makes a great deal of sense to me. I feel all things are interrelated and certainly have experienced the law of karma in my life. You are of course right, if we only give out love, it will come back to us
blessed be
1 person likes this
@ethlene_c2h6 (241)
• Philippines
25 Apr 07
even if a person doesn't belief in God, he still have conscience. this will stop him from doing whatever things he like esp if it's bad!
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@ESKARENA1 (18261)
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25 Apr 07
for sure, but do those intent on doing things that you and i consider bad share the same point of view. If conscience stops people doing things, what about murderers?
@recycledgoth (9894)
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25 Apr 07
What stops me? My strict upbringing essentially and my own ideals of right and wrong. My parents brought me up to "do right" and I have tried to stick to that in adult life, and brought my son up the same way. I don't need a religion to tell me it is wrong to kill or a religion to tell me how to live my life so long as I retain my own humanity and deep feelings of right and wrong
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@ESKARENA1 (18261)
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25 Apr 07
of course my friend, in which case why do people NEED religion? odd that, isnt it?
@hezoid (2144)
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26 Apr 07
Plain and simply - Morals. I don't think having a religion necessarily stops people from doing what they want, and i certainly dissagree with any implication that people who don't have religion are more likely to do that exactly and only what they don't. To me, doing exactly and only what you want is solely to do with how moral a person is, religion is irrelevant.
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@okn0tok (569)
• United States
26 Apr 07
Well unfortunately whether someone has a religion or not, someone in their family at some point does. They will be handed down a set of values particular to this.
However moral sets of values are NOT only attributed to religion, many are secular, cultural, & philosophical(ethics).
But essentialy;
Most morals come from the Ten Commandments of the Jews (and later the Christians and Islam).
Some others include the Golden Rule, The Noble Eightfold Path of Bhuddism, The ancient Egyption code of Ma'at, The Yamas and Niyamas of Hindu, the ten Indian commandments and the principle of the Dessek.
