tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10584495.post7558266524968762537..comments2024-03-28T12:34:14.649-07:00Comments on dangerous idea: How religious belief can affect moralityVictor Repperthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10962948073162156902noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10584495.post-40320585016246234112019-07-16T15:21:51.308-07:002019-07-16T15:21:51.308-07:00Maybe Allen's intention was to show the workin...Maybe Allen's intention was to show the working of moral psychology and its interaction with religious teaching. Wasn't the main character brought up in Judaism? Very much 'all in the mind'.David Brightlyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06757969974801621186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10584495.post-72233773900821817202019-07-07T14:57:54.097-07:002019-07-07T14:57:54.097-07:00Some years back, I tried to compile a list of &quo...Some years back, I tried to compile a list of "great art" that was explicitly atheist. I don't mean art made by atheists, but art that was <i>about</i> atheism, in the same way that most Renaissance was about Christianity. High on my list was the movie <i>Crimes and Misdemeanors</i>, directed by Woody Allen. In that film, the main character "gets away with murder" and (eventually) does not even feel bad about it.<br /><br />But interestingly enough, even the genius of Woody Allen could not disguise the fact that his character, at the end of the movie, was but a shell of his former self - a half man, as it were. One felt sorry for him for not feeling sorry for himself. In fact, the last scene of the movie is truly horrifying, like you're watching a corpse move about and speak. As Solzhenitsyn wrote, great art will speak the truth despite the artist's intentions. Woody Allen may well have intended to show that morality was "all in the mind" and that evil was an illusion, but he ended up demonstrating the exact opposite.Starhopperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18350334327301656588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10584495.post-75170168098260041582019-07-07T12:33:13.330-07:002019-07-07T12:33:13.330-07:00The simple fact is, that in this world, people can...<b>The simple fact is, that in this world, people can commit murder, get away with it, and be happy about it. </b><br /><br />But sometimes they think they got away with it <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/jeffrey-epstein-arrested-for-sex-trafficking-of-minors-source" rel="nofollow">but not in the end.</a> Sometimes the bad guys get caught and expose a whole lot of other bad guys along with them.<br />Amen.bmillerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05855545675821692382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10584495.post-17410152418601228412019-07-06T21:19:49.239-07:002019-07-06T21:19:49.239-07:00Norman Geisler RIPNorman Geisler RIPbmillerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05855545675821692382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10584495.post-70405176929209548172019-07-05T19:36:34.652-07:002019-07-05T19:36:34.652-07:00Ha! It's only a matter of time now.
And I th...Ha! It's only a matter of time now.<br /><br />And I think only people who are unfamiliar with small children think they are blank slates without innate tendencies or personalities from the get go.bmillerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05855545675821692382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10584495.post-16711910290407162552019-07-05T18:51:01.036-07:002019-07-05T18:51:01.036-07:00Well, they must be well into Phase 2 of their Gran...Well, they must be well into Phase 2 of their Grand Plan. In this parade, they had converted their go karts into miniature big rigs, complete with sound effects. My 2 year old grandson was outside himself with delight! (He's obsessed with trucks and heavy equipment. Don't tell me there's no innate difference between girls and boys! His 6 year old sister is all into mermaids, rainbows, and unicorns.)Starhopperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18350334327301656588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10584495.post-73026691554272228012019-07-05T18:30:11.431-07:002019-07-05T18:30:11.431-07:00What is it with the Shriners and the go karts?
Mu...What is it with the Shriners and the go karts?<br /><br />Must be part of their plot to take over the world, but I can't figure out how the karts play into it.bmillerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05855545675821692382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10584495.post-87307961635158815602019-07-05T18:25:39.543-07:002019-07-05T18:25:39.543-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.bmillerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05855545675821692382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10584495.post-31585581168577649342019-07-05T08:07:04.945-07:002019-07-05T08:07:04.945-07:00I went to my hometown parade down Main Street and ...I went to my hometown parade down Main Street and watched all the fire engines roar past, then all the school bands, and floats from all the local businesses (plus the Shriners in their little go karts). Then went home to a dinner of BBQ ribs and pasta salad. No fireworks for me, though. Stayed home watching Humphrey Bogart in <i>Sahara</i> (1943), while the rest of the family went out to see them.<br /><br />I might just make Bogart a 4th of July tradition from now on!Starhopperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18350334327301656588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10584495.post-8283808331894267512019-07-04T18:07:04.949-07:002019-07-04T18:07:04.949-07:00A happy and safe 4th of July to all.A happy and safe 4th of July to all.bmillerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05855545675821692382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10584495.post-58732447413894159512019-07-03T05:04:55.740-07:002019-07-03T05:04:55.740-07:00The simple fact is, that in this world, people can...<i> The simple fact is, that in this world, people can commit murder, get away with it, and be happy about it.</i><br /><br />The simple fact is, being religious does nothing to change this.One Browhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11938816242512563561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10584495.post-87805101046366923212019-07-02T20:13:13.841-07:002019-07-02T20:13:13.841-07:00The belief in an inherent purpose and the belief...<b>The belief in an inherent purpose and the belief in ultimate justice, either through karma or through a final judgment, provide energy for the moral enterprise of many persons. I'm not saying you can't be moral without them, but for a lot of people, they sure help. When we think about religion and morality, we think about specific teachings, but there is more to it that. </b><br /><br />As Augustine said:<br />“Our hearts were made for You, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in you.”<br /><br />People were made for a purpose whether they realize or not. That's why they may achieve what they set out for, but feel empty at reaching the goal if it's not the real thing.bmillerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05855545675821692382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10584495.post-14284344136577863282019-07-02T19:19:39.918-07:002019-07-02T19:19:39.918-07:00David Bentley Hart argues that Christianity elevat...David Bentley Hart argues that Christianity elevated human dignity and transformed pagan society:<br /><br /><a href="https://churchlifejournal.nd.edu/articles/human-dignity-was-a-rarity-before-christianity/" rel="nofollow">Human Dignity was a Rarity before Christianity.</a><br /><br />He goes into more detail in his book, <i>Atheist Delusions.</i>Bilbohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06231440026059820600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10584495.post-52418278316660344482019-07-02T19:12:28.946-07:002019-07-02T19:12:28.946-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Bilbohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06231440026059820600noreply@blogger.com