Does religion make you "good"?

Here's a question that few people seem to consider: Why do so many folks assume that religious people are automatically trustworthy? Or perhaps we could ask the question on the flip side: Why is it common to automatically suspect someone who isn't religious?

Oh, I have a good idea how some folks think. They like to identify fellow members of their community using religion. This is why, when you go up to the mountains of North Carolina, you'll stop in at many places of business and find stacks of directories, all listing local businesses that are run by Christians. People just assume that if a roofer or plasterer has a little fish in their ad, they are more trustworthy than some guy with a foreign-sounding name who's been in business for twenty years.

But what gets me is how people can be so blind to the obvious problems with this sort of prejudice. If you say "He's a Christian," I expect most Christians will create in their minds some sort of image of the ideal Christian. You know... follower of Christ, sort of like one of the Twelve Disciples or something. But let's be realistic here. Think back to all the people in history (or even the last century) who have called themselves "Christian." We're talking a pretty wide range here, folks. Everything from C.S. Lewis and Dietrich Bonhoeffer to Charles Manson and Jim Jones. Desmond Tutu to Pat Robertson. Oy vey.

It gets worse when you give a person who has "deep religious convictions" a positive response. Then you can range from Gandhi to Bin Laden.

The main thing to remember here is that in the real world, you can't assume that "religion" will automatically make any particular stranger more trustworthy than any other. You can't assume that she or he will be "on the same page" as you are, ethically speaking. I guess it all comes down to one of my pet peeves: prejudice. Once we recognize the value of our assumptions of what religion or lack of it will mean about a person before getting to know her or him, then we can put them into proper perspective. I think that will remove one serious obstacle to true civilization.
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Agitators are a set of interfering, meddling people, who come down to some perfectly contented class of the commuinity and sow the seeds of discontent among them. That is the reason why agitators are so absolutely necessary. - Oscar Wilde

Oy vey, indeed.

Often I have found that people who advertise their religious beliefs tend to be the more left wing or 'wacko' (thats the scientific term Laughing

) of their faith. The ones that are moderate 'live and let live' types are the ones that don't overtly advertise the fact they are religious.

You have to admit that in the south, it is a great marketing tool, and church is a wonderful place to get the word out about your product/service.
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"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do" -Mark Twain

I'm reminded of an old sports quote that fits here pretty good. Religion doesn't build character. It reveals it. Religion can't take an inherently bad person and transform him into a saint.
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Carl Sagan:
"I don't want to beLIEve. I want to know."

It's the "us, versus the unsaved" mentality that most non-believers, (and other religious believers) have a difficulty with. It's the inability for many Christians to accept diversity that makes their own message hypocritical.

This is the issue I have with "extremely" Christian people. They have this exclusive attitude.

There's a few born-again folks at my work that I've gotten into heated discussion over "what if I was born ok the first time"? They act like because they've hit the bottom and came back up that they are better than those who never hit the bottom.

Then there's the guy I work with who likes to patronise businesses that are "good Christian people". I ask "but what if there product and service is crap and over priced?".

Now of course this is not the norm. Church I frequnet has many folks that are good people and members of the community who are not all moon-eyed and close-minded.
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Procrastinate now, don't wait until later.

I for one would really like to hear a moderate christian's view on this.

I think we're all (well the majority of us anyway) wired to know what is right and what is wrong.

Religion can guide your actions and give a sort of outlet. You get around like-minded folks and you can grow yourself into what you want to be. It can provide a strong sense of community.

But I think it can also hurt those that don't think for themselves. These are the people not comfortable with the unknown. They must have right or wrong, up or down, black or white. They panic when situations are not absolute. These people use religion as a sort of drug addiction because they are afraid to think for themselves.

That is why solid leadership is critical in organized religious settings. Because you'll have many going along with your every word like sheep. If you get a leader of a church/parish that is one of those uncomfortable with the unknown, she/he will try to lead in absolutes and that is what turns many folks away from religion and churches. They don't beleive in the dogmatic teachings and are put off with it being rammed down their throats.

So many religions have turned into status houses and have forgotten the purpose of the church. Frustrating. Leads folks like me (I consider myself a moderate) away from being an active member.

This is interesting. Here's my $.02.

I think there was a need for this sort of leadership a long time ago. Many villages and towns main purpose for existence was for their local church.

Over time as we've grown and micro-evolved, (that one was for Jovic Razz

) the need for this sort of leadership has decreased, or at least in the in U.S. and other modern societies where people are more educated.

The challenge is that relion is world wide. Can't change things all over the world because of different conditions in many countries.

I think in order for the church to remain influential in people's lives, they need to serve as guides rather than rulers. I'm not saying that churches should give up what they believe in. But how they retain active membership and benefit the community must change.

I also think some things in the Bible, or at least how we interpret them, need to considered as outdated. I'm Catholic and even the Pope is starting to consider changing the churches stance on the use of condoms. Back in the day, Churches needed more people so they wanted families to have 10 kids. But in todays world, that's just wrong and excessive.

Even the Bible has shown evidence of change. Old Testement: Eye for an eye. New Testement: Turn the other cheek.

Hey, Jovick's back.

Maybe this will answer your questions on the whole good thing

Roman 3

3:9 What then? Are we better off? Certainly not, for we have already charged that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin, 3:10 just as it is written:

“There is no one righteous, not even one,

3:11 there is no one who understands,

there is no one who seeks God.

3:12 All have turned away,

together they have become worthless;

there is no one who shows kindness, not even one.

3:13 “Their throats are open graves,

they deceive with their tongues,

the poison of asps is under their lips.

3:14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.

3:15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood,

3:16 ruin and misery are in their paths,

3:17 and the way of peace they have not known.

3:18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.
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Marty
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“I consider looseness with words no less of a defect than looseness of the bowels”

Romans doesn't seem to have a very high opinion of people does it? But then the entire bible is pretty much the same way.

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The thing that really amazes me is athiest spend more time in Gods word than alot of christians HMMMM, Why would you reference a book that you argue against? Why not write a new book Yea thats it a new book!