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Leveraging other's love for their families

Leveraging other's love for their families

Spirituality

F

Joined
28 Oct 05
Moves
34587
Clock
07 Mar 20
2 edits

Atheist: The "fear of reprisal" thing doesn't work on people who don't believe that there is anything real to justify or instil the "fear". That's why the threats of being 'tormented in burning flames for eternity' are morally incoherent with regard to non-Christians and other non-believers. There is no threat of "eternal torment" or "love" of a supernatural being that's motivating me to a morally sound person.

Christian: Somebody in your home starts doing damage to you, your family, your property even from within your family you think consequences are not justified? It doesn’t matter does it if it’s family members or strangers? You think the only consequences should revolve around behaviour modification instead of punishment?

Atheist: Do not try to use my family to illustrate or explain your superstitions. It's creepy. I have never mentioned your wife or your children or your family members to make any point about my observations about the human condition. Your belief that people will be tortured by your God figure for their thoughtcrimes after they die has no connection to my family or my love for my family or my responsibility to protect my family in any way whatsoever.

Christian: I did not mention your family.

Atheist: Huh? Just leave my family - in my home - out of it in future. There is no analogy - other than a creepy one - between punishments for people who commit crimes against my wife and children in our home [or anywhere else for that matter] and your belief in God punishing people [for eternity] for not believing in Jesus.

Christian: But I never mentioned your family.

Atheist: Just cut it out.


If people find supernatural punishment for non-belief morally incoherent, does it raise legitimate questions about the ability or willingness of those non-believers' to protect their families from people who do them harm or their ability or willingness to seek punishment for crimes against their loved ones?

divegeester
watching in dismay

STARMERGEDDON

Joined
16 Feb 08
Moves
120562
Clock
07 Mar 20

@fmf said
[quote]Atheist: The "fear of reprisal" thing doesn't work on people who don't believe that there is anything real to justify or instil the "fear". That's why the threats of being 'tormented in burning flames for eternity' are morally incoherent with regard to non-Christians and other non-believers. There is no threat of "eternal torment" or "love" of a supernatural being t ...[text shortened]... do them harm or their ability or willingness to seek punishment for crimes against their loved ones?
I’m not completely clear what your question is asking.

F

Joined
28 Oct 05
Moves
34587
Clock
07 Mar 20
1 edit

@divegeester said
I’m not completely clear what your question is asking.
It harks back to KellyJay questioning me ~ in view of me finding his torturer God ideology unbelievable ~ about whether I would therefore not want to see punishment meted out to people who came into my home and harmed my wife and kids. A kind of subtlely dehumanizing 'debating point' on his part. A wee bit of online disinhibition, perhaps.

I have brought it up to see if he has the integrity and courage to address it once and for all and then stop behaving like a huffy and unprincipled teenager. Or maybe he will tackle it in a post addressed to someone else. Or maybe there is another poster who will step in and defend his attempt to leverage family and question the parental instincts of those who don't share his belief in his own religious doctrines.

So, it boils down to this: if one does not find the notion of eternal supernatural torture to be a morally coherent punishment for lack of belief, can one still be morally or psychologically capable of loving and protecting one's family by supporting punishment for crimes against them?

So, it's not a question for you, divegeester.

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