Is this the core belief of Atheism?

[ZEE]

Athiesm

I'm Demonic family, boys and girls. Don't care or want to convince anybody anymore about the rules of "the game." I am healing now with the help of The Family, who have taken my pain as their own. We weep together. Once we heal with our love for eachother...


RETRIBUTION SHALL BE SLOW, EXACT, AND MERCILESS TO ALL THOSE THAT CROSSED.

[ZEE]

None shall be exempt from "The List." All is remembered. None is forgiven.

[Kidlicious]

Kid, it's because to make such a statement you must not know what it's like to feel good for having done something difficult but worthwhile. Instead you're confused and think that physical comfort is all that matters.

What?! I just said exactly that it is not all that matters! Christopher Hutchins, for example, used to say that, feeling good about yourself is the only reason you need to do good.

[Aeson]

They aren't talking about physical comfort you dufus.

[Kidlicious]

They aren't talking about physical comfort you dufus.

It's their responsibility to make it clear. Regardless, do have a problem with theists doing good simply to be obedient to God?

[Aeson]

It would be better to do good things because they are good ... that way if God tells you to do something bad (like occassionally happened in the OT ... murder a bunch of children) you wouldn't do it.

[Aeson]

It's their responsibility to make it clear.

When someone says, "I felt good after helping that poor child avoid starvation" you really shouldn't need to be told they don't mean they feel like they were just massaged and pampered in a spa. Anyone who's done good things knows the feeling they are talking about.

[Kidlicious]

It would be better to do good things because they are good ... that way if God tells you to do something bad (like occassionally happened in the OT ... murder a bunch of children) you wouldn't do it.

It would be better if resources weren't scarce too. Then all of your socialist ideas would work in the real world.

People are wicked and they. This was the problem with your atheist forefathers. They thought that people were good and only corrupted by civilization. Then came the blood bath.

[Kidlicious]

When someone says, "I felt good after helping that poor child avoid starvation" you really shouldn't need to be told they don't mean they feel like they were just massaged and pampered in a spa. Anyone who's done good things knows the feeling they are talking about.

Sigh. It looks like you're saying that either people should behave only in your own self-interest or that people do not behave according to their own self-interest. Which is it please?

[Proteus_MST]

Sigh. It looks like you're saying that either people should behave only in your own self-interest or that people do not behave according to their own self-interest. Which is it please?

Actually the belief that people only behave in their own self-interest is something that is promoted primarily by religionistas.
To express it with words:
"If there is no rewarding/punishing god people have no incentive to abstain from evil (and/or do good)"

Obviously it is impossible to them to imagine people doing sefless things (or abstaining from evil thing) without always having the imagination of divine rewards (or punishments) in the back of their head

[Kidlicious]

Actually the belief that people only behave in their own self-interest is something that is promoted primarily by religionistas.
To express it with words:
"If there is no rewarding/punishing god people have no incentive to abstain from evil (and/or do good)"

Obviously it is impossible to them to imagine people doing sefless things (or abstaining from evil thing) without always having the imagination of divine rewards (or punishments) in the back of their head

Not exactly. That is closer to Jewish belief. The Christian belief is that the Holy Spirit within us does good. That's not to say that people don't do good, but it doesn't save them from the consequences of their sins.

Now my claim is that belief in Karma, for example, makes people do more good, because the believer believes that they are repaid for good deeds.

[Aeson]

Sigh. It looks like you're saying that either people should behave only in your own self-interest or that people do not behave according to their own self-interest. Which is it please?

I wasn’t saying it, but the second is true. Technically, people do not behave in their own self interest, they generally behave in their perception of their self interest at the moment the decision is made, which very often is not optimally in their self interest, especially in cases of short term vs long term self interest being at odds with each other. And sometimes for other reasons which have little to nothing to do with self interest (clumsiness, involuntary spasms, turrets, reflexes, etc)

[Aeson]

As for what I was saying, I was saying it is very sad to hear that you do not know the great joy and satisfaction that comes from doing something good. It is a very rewarding experience. I highly suggest trying it out.

[Aeson]

It would be better if resources weren't scarce too. Then all of your socialist ideas would work in the real world.

People are wicked and they. This was the problem with your atheist forefathers. They thought that people were good and only corrupted by civilization. Then came the blood bath.

My views on charity and helping others were initially largely derived from reading and being taught the teachings of Jesus ... which do tend to be a bit socialist.

[Kidlicious]

As for what I was saying, I was saying it is very sad to hear that you do not know the great joy and satisfaction that comes from doing something good. It is a very rewarding experience. I highly suggest trying it out.

This is where you are wrong. When I was a child I thought like a child. But when I became a man I put childish things behind me. Now I know the joy of the Holy Spirit doing good and subjecting myself to the will of God. Now I do far more good, and I'm happier.