If you only do good because you are afraid of being eternally punished or just because you will be rewarded, you’re not doing good. You’re merely brownnosing for selfish reason.Do good, because it’s the right thing to do.
Not an atheist myself but I do know that most atheists are simply skeptics (as one famous one said, there are many gods that are disbelieved and they just believe one less than than Christians), not that they’re trying to justify doing anything. Plenty of Christians sure have no problem doing the most horrid things and then saying Jesus forgives them so if they just wanted to “avoid responsibility” then they wouldn’t have to reject God, and by claiming to be religious people would trust them more which would make it easier for them to hurt or be forgive by a jury of their peers for “finding Jesus” (creating the true moral nihilism because morality no longer matter, but rather belief). xAnd while atheists have their share of sociopaths right along with the religious they still see actual consequences inherent in THIS life and therefore tend to adopt a “golden rule” of their own (just as nearly every religion has done, especially modern ones). Many such atheists would call themselves “secular humanists” which are run by enlightened values, and you can find such secular humanists helping in organizations like Amnesty International, Save the Children, and Doctors Without Borders (including in Africa where they try to cure the sociopathic evil inflicted on society inspired by religion, typically Christianity and Islam).
xTherefore I see it as only fair to measure people by their actions and motivations rather than by what gods they believe or don’t believe in (as there are plenty of good people of all faiths & skepticism just as there are rotten apples).
What good does it do to wait for your reward in the afterlife? You’ll be expected to toe the line there also. Actually I hear the reward is that you get o worship your deity of choice 24/7/265 instead of just on Sunday. Yay.
“Afterlife” with rewards and punishments have been invented to keep humans from making hell of the only life we are going to have. Nietzche’s Zarathustra said: " Ah! this is my sorrow: into the basis of things have reward and punishment been insinuated—and now even into the basis of your souls, ye virtuous ones!… For this is your truth: ye are TOO PURE for the filth of the words: vengeance, punishment, recompense, retribution….Ye love your virtue as a mother loveth her child; but when did one hear of a mother wanting to be paid for her love?"
Children face the same philosophical questions that adults do. Children consider their actions in the light of parental pleasure or disfavor; adults consider in light of social position, or social pressure, or the law. Who guards the guardians? Part of the development of religious philosophy is to provide an even higher threat for adults with worldly power.
What if this life is simply a game being played by others in another dimension and we are simply the player and in the afterlife, we find that we are the player of that game of life?
“If you only do good because you are afraid of being eternally punished or just because you will be rewarded, you’re not doing good. You’re merely brownnosing for a selfish reason.Do good, because it’s the right thing to do.”~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~More succinct than the rest of the ‘philosophers’ herabouts.I’ll print that up and frame it.
I prefer to believe in what I believe in – not what someone else has said is true/false. Maybe that is what we are all supposed to do – follow our own conscience, and try to do the right thing whenever possible. Otherwise, why do we have a conscience at all?
You don’t need to believe in invisible deities to do the right thing by others or be a decent human being. To be included in the social order you need but emulate those with whom you want to belong.
Many people have a wrong view of Atheism and morality. Try doing some research, talk to some atheists, and you will find that Atheists’ morality is as high or higher than most Christians or Muslims, etc.
Getting back to the strip … Hobbes, being Hobbes, accepts life as it is and is happy with it. Calvin worries that being good in this life would be a waste if there’s no afterlife. Being Calvin, he’s in it for him all the way.
I met a sgt in the Army years ago that told of an aetheist he had met years earlier. You couldn’t discuss anything with him without the subject turning to aetheism.Then, a few years later he ran into him again – in a trench in Korea. After chatting for a few minutes and walking away, the sgt realized – not a word about aeitheism!
A lot of good food for thought here. Still, it seems to me that Nietzche and atheism and the (dis)organized religions kind of come up short. Doing good is not only the right thing to do, it is the logical thing to do. God and skepticism don’t necessarily have much to do with it. … Everyone serves as an example for someone else. If we had a lot more good examples than we do, the world would be a much better place. The impact we have on others spreads out through the world and down through time. People should pay attention to what kind of example they are setting. More good examples will mean that our children and their children will be happier and more fulfilled.
No person is completely worthless: he or she can always serve as a horrible example.
The Romans believed in after life before they were christian and after they became christians.Small percent of the world are christians I like to think the rest are my fellow men and women .You know the none christians.Like me.
Funny: Hobbes is satisfied with this life; Calvin wants a reward for his behavior. How they live up to their expectations!
.
Now my 2¢ on the afterlife:
To look on Christianity (or any other faith) in terms of reward/punishment in the afterlife does get rather silly, as many have noted. I think it makes more sense to look on it in another mode: that we need to know how the world works and so prepare for life (and aferlife, if it exists) better.
Example: if you knew you had incurable cancer, and were going to die in two to six months, most of us would live rather differently in those months than otherwise. Similarly, if we knew we should prepare for an eternity, it might make a difference in how we live now.
Similarly, to look on forgiveness as a free pass to do as you wish, because “Jesus will forgive me” is to miss the point. We are forgiven so that we no longer have to bear the burden of sins, not so that we can be free to become even more horrid. “Repent and be forgiven” does not mean “Sin and be forgiven”—if our kid acts up and has no intention of shaping up, we do not keep on forgiving them, but they find the consequences of their actions will start to grow and more and more limit them.
Another view…Doing good for fear of punishment, is still doing good and not doing bad and ignoring the harm you cause. However, it is a weak motive indeed.Doing good for love of the greater One who created us for good, is serving our purpose for good and benefiting all by our good fruit we produce and is a strong motive.Looking at the wonder of this world. An amazing sunset, a starry night, the incredible complexity of a human eye ball for vision, the wonders of the earth for sustaining life – it is nigh to impossible to believe that there is not a God, and to love this God and do good for love of this God is the highest motive a person could have.You don’t have to believe that, but that is the belief of so many who do believe in an after life with this wonderful God and who do good because they love him and they believe they will spend eternity loving him and being loved by him. This is the strongest motive for doing good in this life. That’s what I believe…
rentier almost 11 years ago
Oh, it’s better, to believe in afterlife!
margueritem almost 11 years ago
He means rewarded. If there’s no afterlife, he can behave as he pleases without fear of losing out on any rewards.
ratlum almost 11 years ago
Calvin you are heading for a life of a monk,but with out the peace of mind they claim to have.
MayoGalway almost 11 years ago
To paraphrase/tweak Dostoevesky> If there is no ‘afterlife’ then everything is permitted.
GodsBigParty.com almost 11 years ago
“Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” Hebrews 9:27,28 (NIV © 1984)
“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:11-15 (NIV © 1984)“But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith.” Romans 3:21-25 (NIV © 2011)RCKJD almost 11 years ago
If you only do good because you are afraid of being eternally punished or just because you will be rewarded, you’re not doing good. You’re merely brownnosing for selfish reason.Do good, because it’s the right thing to do.
Phapada almost 11 years ago
WOW… I LUV U ….
janerhynn almost 11 years ago
Not an atheist myself but I do know that most atheists are simply skeptics (as one famous one said, there are many gods that are disbelieved and they just believe one less than than Christians), not that they’re trying to justify doing anything. Plenty of Christians sure have no problem doing the most horrid things and then saying Jesus forgives them so if they just wanted to “avoid responsibility” then they wouldn’t have to reject God, and by claiming to be religious people would trust them more which would make it easier for them to hurt or be forgive by a jury of their peers for “finding Jesus” (creating the true moral nihilism because morality no longer matter, but rather belief). xAnd while atheists have their share of sociopaths right along with the religious they still see actual consequences inherent in THIS life and therefore tend to adopt a “golden rule” of their own (just as nearly every religion has done, especially modern ones). Many such atheists would call themselves “secular humanists” which are run by enlightened values, and you can find such secular humanists helping in organizations like Amnesty International, Save the Children, and Doctors Without Borders (including in Africa where they try to cure the sociopathic evil inflicted on society inspired by religion, typically Christianity and Islam).
xTherefore I see it as only fair to measure people by their actions and motivations rather than by what gods they believe or don’t believe in (as there are plenty of good people of all faiths & skepticism just as there are rotten apples).
chovil almost 11 years ago
Virtue is its own reward, but unfortunately no good deed goes unpunished.
edclectic almost 11 years ago
No good deeds go unpunished…
Bubba_Boo Premium Member almost 11 years ago
So true…
vwdualnomand almost 11 years ago
if there is a rewarding afterlife, then why do people have retirement accounts?
Red_Fez almost 11 years ago
Ted Kennedy could vouch for that.
GROG Premium Member almost 11 years ago
I find it hard to believe that your past actions have been inspired by the need to be rewarded in the afterlife.
Steverino Premium Member almost 11 years ago
This isn’t Atheism, it’s Calvinism.
rpmurray almost 11 years ago
What good does it do to wait for your reward in the afterlife? You’ll be expected to toe the line there also. Actually I hear the reward is that you get o worship your deity of choice 24/7/265 instead of just on Sunday. Yay.
watmiwori almost 11 years ago
…or punished…
jaimeaut almost 11 years ago
“Afterlife” with rewards and punishments have been invented to keep humans from making hell of the only life we are going to have. Nietzche’s Zarathustra said: " Ah! this is my sorrow: into the basis of things have reward and punishment been insinuated—and now even into the basis of your souls, ye virtuous ones!… For this is your truth: ye are TOO PURE for the filth of the words: vengeance, punishment, recompense, retribution….Ye love your virtue as a mother loveth her child; but when did one hear of a mother wanting to be paid for her love?"
DutchUncle almost 11 years ago
Children face the same philosophical questions that adults do. Children consider their actions in the light of parental pleasure or disfavor; adults consider in light of social position, or social pressure, or the law. Who guards the guardians? Part of the development of religious philosophy is to provide an even higher threat for adults with worldly power.
DredKnot almost 11 years ago
Balaam’s predicament here?
katina.cooper almost 11 years ago
What if this life is simply a game being played by others in another dimension and we are simply the player and in the afterlife, we find that we are the player of that game of life?
unca jim almost 11 years ago
@Robert Danielzik said;
“If you only do good because you are afraid of being eternally punished or just because you will be rewarded, you’re not doing good. You’re merely brownnosing for a selfish reason.Do good, because it’s the right thing to do.”~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~More succinct than the rest of the ‘philosophers’ herabouts.I’ll print that up and frame it.
meihong almost 11 years ago
Why does he want to know now? There are problems with being bad in this life, too.
Rise22 almost 11 years ago
I prefer to believe in what I believe in – not what someone else has said is true/false. Maybe that is what we are all supposed to do – follow our own conscience, and try to do the right thing whenever possible. Otherwise, why do we have a conscience at all?
Fetching almost 11 years ago
You don’t need to believe in invisible deities to do the right thing by others or be a decent human being. To be included in the social order you need but emulate those with whom you want to belong.
rlhsr23 Premium Member almost 11 years ago
Many people have a wrong view of Atheism and morality. Try doing some research, talk to some atheists, and you will find that Atheists’ morality is as high or higher than most Christians or Muslims, etc.
krisjackson01 almost 11 years ago
Getting back to the strip … Hobbes, being Hobbes, accepts life as it is and is happy with it. Calvin worries that being good in this life would be a waste if there’s no afterlife. Being Calvin, he’s in it for him all the way.
marvee almost 11 years ago
Calvin, you mean you’ve been on your good behavior up to now?
Aaron Saltzer almost 11 years ago
He needs to go to church. Lol Maybe he’d be a different person. I.e. Someone who puts others before himself, and isn’t selfish.
tuslog64 almost 11 years ago
Like to know now? Wouldn’t we all!(Or just know the cut-off point?)
tuslog64 almost 11 years ago
I met a sgt in the Army years ago that told of an aetheist he had met years earlier. You couldn’t discuss anything with him without the subject turning to aetheism.Then, a few years later he ran into him again – in a trench in Korea. After chatting for a few minutes and walking away, the sgt realized – not a word about aeitheism!
Number Three almost 11 years ago
Do you mean GOOD behaviour or BAD behaviour, Calvin?
Silly question really.
LOL xxx
ghretighoti almost 11 years ago
A lot of good food for thought here. Still, it seems to me that Nietzche and atheism and the (dis)organized religions kind of come up short. Doing good is not only the right thing to do, it is the logical thing to do. God and skepticism don’t necessarily have much to do with it. … Everyone serves as an example for someone else. If we had a lot more good examples than we do, the world would be a much better place. The impact we have on others spreads out through the world and down through time. People should pay attention to what kind of example they are setting. More good examples will mean that our children and their children will be happier and more fulfilled.
No person is completely worthless: he or she can always serve as a horrible example.
ratlum almost 11 years ago
The Romans believed in after life before they were christian and after they became christians.Small percent of the world are christians I like to think the rest are my fellow men and women .You know the none christians.Like me.
Popeyesforearm almost 11 years ago
I knew that would push your button
gene7lakes almost 11 years ago
Amen !!!
hippogriff almost 11 years ago
Number Six: I did that, age 3, without the bucket. Did you kick the bucket?
watmiwori almost 11 years ago
…or punishment…. ….keeping the so-called faithful more or less fithful….
locake almost 11 years ago
People should not be good because they fear eternal damnation, they should be good for nothing. : )
SHIVA almost 11 years ago
This column has a lot of trolls today. What’s up with that??
bmonk almost 11 years ago
Hey, it’s a comic strip!
Funny: Hobbes is satisfied with this life; Calvin wants a reward for his behavior. How they live up to their expectations!
.
Now my 2¢ on the afterlife:
To look on Christianity (or any other faith) in terms of reward/punishment in the afterlife does get rather silly, as many have noted. I think it makes more sense to look on it in another mode: that we need to know how the world works and so prepare for life (and aferlife, if it exists) better.
Example: if you knew you had incurable cancer, and were going to die in two to six months, most of us would live rather differently in those months than otherwise. Similarly, if we knew we should prepare for an eternity, it might make a difference in how we live now.
Similarly, to look on forgiveness as a free pass to do as you wish, because “Jesus will forgive me” is to miss the point. We are forgiven so that we no longer have to bear the burden of sins, not so that we can be free to become even more horrid. “Repent and be forgiven” does not mean “Sin and be forgiven”—if our kid acts up and has no intention of shaping up, we do not keep on forgiving them, but they find the consequences of their actions will start to grow and more and more limit them.
ootey almost 7 years ago
Another view…Doing good for fear of punishment, is still doing good and not doing bad and ignoring the harm you cause. However, it is a weak motive indeed.Doing good for love of the greater One who created us for good, is serving our purpose for good and benefiting all by our good fruit we produce and is a strong motive.Looking at the wonder of this world. An amazing sunset, a starry night, the incredible complexity of a human eye ball for vision, the wonders of the earth for sustaining life – it is nigh to impossible to believe that there is not a God, and to love this God and do good for love of this God is the highest motive a person could have.You don’t have to believe that, but that is the belief of so many who do believe in an after life with this wonderful God and who do good because they love him and they believe they will spend eternity loving him and being loved by him. This is the strongest motive for doing good in this life. That’s what I believe…