A couple people I've spoken with who claim to be agnostic like to argue that it is impossible to know who God is and what he really expects from us (such as which beliefs about him or her are "right") and yet assure me that when they die God will surely give them a pass because they are good people. The criteria for their goodness is an oft repeated refrain: "I haven't murdered or raped or stolen from anyone."
Well, if this is the criteria for what makes a good person, then our expectations are pathetically low.
What makes a good person? Say we have man who hasn't murdered, raped, or stolen from anyone but regularly beats his wife? While the agnostics mentioned above wouldn't say he's a good person, wife-beaters justify their actions all the time: "Aw, honey, you know you shouldn't make me mad, I just can't control myself," "I'm just so crazy about you, you know I really love you," bringing their victims flowers and chocolates after planting black eyes on their faces.
Clearly this is an extreme example, but my point is that anyone can convince themselves that they are good people, because their circumstances are unique and therefore justify their actions. And the problem is, if God is unknowable, how can you ever be sure you meet his criteria?
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3 comments:
You know ... Ben was an agnostic before I mocked his misconceptions brutally. Just kidding I didn't really do that. I do however, think that a lot of agnostics, no matter how smart they are, have no basis for why they believe the way they believe. It all comes down to "I'm no ruling OUT God ... but I'm not accepting him either" I just don't really get it. I guess I can see an atheist viewpoint more than I can an agnostic ...
I think it's intellectual apathy (or plain ol' laziness). Agnostics have always struck me as the type of people who don't want to really bother figuring out what they believe about God, because to come to a firm decision would require them to change some aspects of their lives.
"I mocked his misconceptions brutally" - I say good for you! Lol.
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