Comments on: Interview with Secular Student Alliance Director http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2007/10/07/interview-with-secular-student-alliance-director/ by Hemant Mehta Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:26:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Mriana http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2007/10/07/interview-with-secular-student-alliance-director/#comment-75263 Mriana Mon, 08 Oct 2007 05:42:01 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2007/10/07/interview-with-secular-student-alliance-director/#comment-75263 I also think this goes back to my question of "What if tomorrow one woke up and decided there was no god? What would they have to base their morality on if it was based solely on God said, "NO"?" To me there needs to be more and I think an education helps to base our own morality and values on the more. Many Christians seem to have the idea that without God one can't have morality and values, but this simply is not true. It's not nihilism, but it is based on an education and what we gain through science. I think the more we learn the more we come to appreciate our humanity and human-ness. Not that one is better or worse, because I think even the religious could have more of a grounding of their morals and values with an education- Spong is an example of this and do have patience with me, please, while I play both sides. OK so God said, "No.", but why? What is the reason behind it? There has to be more or it's meaningless, IMHO- though some religious people will disagree with me. Science gives us this, with or without a belief in God. IMHO, it is a more stable and grounded moral and value system to be able to say, I do or do not do this or that because... not because a deity said to do so or not do so. Otherwise, it all falls apart when one takes God out of the picture. I also think life is more fulfilling with an education and can think for themselves above and beyond the limits of superstition and religious ideology. There is even more reason to appreciate this life when we form our own values and morals, esp if they are based on scientific knowledge. This knowledge also brings even more awe and wonder to the universe, I think. We are not fallen creatures, but rather rising creatures as we learn more and more about ourselves and the universe. However, we can become stagnet if we don't expand our knowledge and try to better ourselves. I think that is what makes life fun and challenging- learning and trying to improve ourselves and humanity- esp since this is the only life we do know we get. I also think that is even more reason, as Bishop Spong often puts it, "to live life fully, love wastefully, and be all we can be" (with or without a god concept). I also think this goes back to my question of “What if tomorrow one woke up and decided there was no god? What would they have to base their morality on if it was based solely on God said, “NO”?” To me there needs to be more and I think an education helps to base our own morality and values on the more. Many Christians seem to have the idea that without God one can’t have morality and values, but this simply is not true.

It’s not nihilism, but it is based on an education and what we gain through science. I think the more we learn the more we come to appreciate our humanity and human-ness. Not that one is better or worse, because I think even the religious could have more of a grounding of their morals and values with an education- Spong is an example of this and do have patience with me, please, while I play both sides.

OK so God said, “No.”, but why? What is the reason behind it? There has to be more or it’s meaningless, IMHO- though some religious people will disagree with me. Science gives us this, with or without a belief in God. IMHO, it is a more stable and grounded moral and value system to be able to say, I do or do not do this or that because… not because a deity said to do so or not do so. Otherwise, it all falls apart when one takes God out of the picture.

I also think life is more fulfilling with an education and can think for themselves above and beyond the limits of superstition and religious ideology. There is even more reason to appreciate this life when we form our own values and morals, esp if they are based on scientific knowledge. This knowledge also brings even more awe and wonder to the universe, I think. We are not fallen creatures, but rather rising creatures as we learn more and more about ourselves and the universe. However, we can become stagnet if we don’t expand our knowledge and try to better ourselves. I think that is what makes life fun and challenging- learning and trying to improve ourselves and humanity- esp since this is the only life we do know we get. I also think that is even more reason, as Bishop Spong often puts it, “to live life fully, love wastefully, and be all we can be” (with or without a god concept).

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