Re: Psalm 14

On 2008-03-30, Gareth McCaughan <Gareth.McCaughan@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

My own take on this, for what it's worth, is that Psalm 53
isn't commenting on the foolishness of atheists but on the
atheism of fools. By which I mean: it's not saying "you
know those people who say there's no God? well, they're
fools" but "you know those fools? well, here's how stupid
they are: they actually think there's no God". Or perhaps
"they behave as if they think there's no God". It *assumes*
that saying in one's heart "there is no god" is a terrible
thing, it doesn't *argue* for it.


I was talking to a Hindu yesterday and the old idea came up, that if
people didn't believe then what would stop them doing things like
stealing?

It's an interesting question. I've always seen stealing as wrong
regardless of any belief, but why? (And if so, why is it better or worse
than "I'll be judged after I die" or "I'll get a bad reincarnation" or
"I'll get bad karma [in the mystical sense]"?)

There's the feeling of not wanting to harm others which is strongest for
me, but understanding why? There's the non-mystical not-really-karma
understanding of karma that kind of thing leads to problems in this
world. There's the "better for community so better for us all",
especially where you see communities damaged by the selfishness of the
few.

Maybe it's just upbringing.

- Richard

--
_/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ Richard Corfield <Richard.Corfield@xxxxxxxxx>
_/ _/ _/ _/
_/_/ _/ _/ Time is a one way street,
_/ _/ _/_/ _/_/_/ except in the Twilight Zone
.

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