How much of your morality was/is tied to God looking over your shoulder?
by Open mind 10 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Open mind
Last week's Watchtower study, Jehober is Watching You, was the catalyst for this, but I'll add this bit from Christopher Hitchens:
"When priests go bad, they go very bad indeed, and commit crimes that would make the average sinner pale." God is Not Great, pg 186.
Do you think that the stronger a person's religious indoctrination was, the more dangerous they become if they stop believing in the Celestial Policeman?
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MissingLink
If fear of punishment, or looking for a reward is the reason for not being evil, then possibly. As a dub I followed most of the rules (all the important ones). But I really think I'm a more moral person now that I'm free from god delusions.
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loosie
I don't think that punishment should be the reason you are moral. You should be moral because it is the right thing to do. I wouldn't cheat on my husband,..,god or no god.
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Open mind
Theist: "Without God, people would just feel free to run roughshod over each other. "
Non-Theist: "So if I could actually convince you that God doesn't exist, you would begin to rape, pillage and steal?"
If nothing else, I think this is a good exercise for believers and non-believers alike to take stock of exactly upon what their morals are based.
When I first read an exchange like the above, I was hit by how childish my so-called JW morality really was.
Loosie:
I don't think that punishment should be the reason you are moral.
I agree. I think. Still working on that though. Here's why.
The naturalist approach says that humans with more altruistic tendencies have been selected for over millennia. Altruism serves the interest of the species best. The species will punish non-altruistic individuals. We're back to punishment. Only this time, from fellow humans instead of God.
Am I missing something here?
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WTWizard
When I was a beginning witless, it was almost all that Jehovah hated certain courses of action and thinking, so I quit doing or thinking those things. After a while, it was because the hounders would have ways of telling if I was doing something wrong or not doing enough of what is right.
Ultimately, I got tired of the way Jehovah and the witlesses were consistently treating me, so I started giving both as many slaps in the face as possible. And that includes objectively looking at the Bible, and realizing that Jesus and Satan actually taught pretty much the same thing. Plus, I found a much more simple system of morality. Thus, I use that much more simple system as the standard to practice.
And if Jehovah God or the Washtowel Slaveholdery hate it, fxxx them.
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Open mind
WT Wizard:
I found a much more simple system of morality.
Care to elaborate?
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blondie
Actually, many jws are more concerned about what jw humans might see and do many things that only God could see (in their doctrine).
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Open mind
Very true Blondie. Appearances are everything for many, if not most, JWs.
How will your reputation with fellow JWs, not Jehovah, be affected if it is discovered that you see this movie, wear that piece of clothing, buy that car, etc. There's also the oft-used guilt trip of "What kind of Witness do you think that would give?"
Personally, I'm finding it to be a very bizarre and often exhilirating experience to be in my 40s and rebuilding my ethics from ground zero.
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Sunnygal41
well, since I was 14 when I was brainwashed into the dubs, i really feel like i never got a chance to think for myself and form my own value system, so, i followed the things the wts taught. however, since leaving, my view now is that it is okay to do, as long as you don't harm anyone, including yourself. i think that pretty much covers it.