Loftus: Are We Angry Atheists?

by leavingwt 237 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  tec

  James, agreed.
• 

  PSacramento

  Sometimes we get caught up in pointing out all that is bad because we desire changes to be made, changes that MUST and SHOULD be made, that we forget the good too.

  Here is an example:

  In the year 2000, researchers at U.S. universities and the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research at the University of Connecticut undertook the massive Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey, drawing 30,000 observations from 50 communities across the United States. The survey questioned individuals about their "civic behavior," including their giving and volunteering during the year preceding the survey.

  Analyzing the data, professor Arthur Brooks of Syracuse University divided respondents into three groups. He referred to the respondents who reported attending religious services every week or more often as "religious." This group made up 33% of the sample. Brooks called those who reported attending religious services less than a few times per year or explicitly saying they have no religion as "secular." These people made up 26% of the sample, leaving those who practice their religion occasionally to make up the remaining 41% of the sample.

  Brooks found the variance between "religious" and "secular" giving to be dramatic. Religious people are 25 percentage points more likely than secularists to donate money (91% to 66%) and 23 points more likely to volunteer time (67% to 44%). In real dollars, this translates into an average annual giving of $2,210 among the religious as compared to $642 among the secular. Regarding hours volunteered, religious people were found to volunteer an average of 12 times per year, while secular people volunteer an average of 5.8 times. To put this into perspective, religious people are 33% of the population, but they make 52% of donations and 45% of times volunteered. Secular people make up 26% of the population, but they contribute 13% of the dollars and 17% of the times volunteered.
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  Nickolas

  Perhaps, PSacramento, the incentive of some religous people is the expectation of eternal reward for their good deeds? In that regard, don't you think the secular givers, who have no expectation of payback, are the real altruists?
• 

  Nickolas

  You cannot blame Jesus for the KKK, any more than you can blame atheism for Joseph Stalin or Mao.

  Very true. Hate and psychosis are states all onto themselves.

  I should clarify that I do not support the abolition of religion. Abolition of anything doesn't work. Witness alcohol and cannabis. What I support is the critical examination and exposure of religion leading to enlightenment and intellectual evolution of our species. (Hmmm. Am I sounding like a zealot?).
• 

  THE GLADIATOR

  ...don't you think the secular givers, who have no expectation of payback, are the real altruists?

  A good point, which I have made a number of times.

  God people should not be confused with good people. They are just one 'o' short good.
• 

  PSacramento

  Perhaps, PSacramento, the incentive of some religous people is the expectation of eternal reward for their good deeds? In that regard, don't you think the secular givers, who have no expectation of payback, are the real altruists?

  Indeed, you have a valid point and in my view doing good for goodness sake ( as the saying goes) is always more worthy than doing it for recompense or because we are told to.

  Of course that is the whole point of Christian Grace, we are NOT required to "do good" for our salvation, we do good out of love and compassion that comes from KNOWING that we are saved by our faith in Christ.

  A good christian, like a good atheist, does good out of love.
• 

  james_woods

  A good christian, like a good atheist, does good out of love.

  And unfortunately, the reverse is true: A BAD christian, like a BAD atheist, does bad out of hate.
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  PSacramento

  Well Said James, well said indeed.
• 

  Nickolas

  Yes, indeed, PSacramento. And I also know that there are fake atheists out there, too, who give "just in case", like a kind of insurance policy.

  A recently deceased lawyer is waiting impatiently at the gates of Heaven while St. Peter goes over the ledger of the man's life. "Says here", murmurs St. Peter, "that on September 5, 1975 your gave a freezing, starving homeless man a nickel and a dime."

  "Yes, indeed I did!" replied the lawyer proudly.

  St. Peter turns to the archangel to his right and says. "Gabe, give this guy fifteen cents and tell him to go to hell."
• 

  PSacramento

  Gotta love the lawyer jokes, LOL !