Which is a superior foundation for morality: Christianity or Secular Humanism? [Spirituality & Religion]
While i think that Christianity has a number of good moral positions it also has some pretty wretched stuff which is (at least notionally) based on what a god wants. On the other hand, secular humanism holds as it's metric the idea of human flourishing and reduction of harm. It can encompass absolutely every moral virtue claimed by Christianity but is beholden to none of the harmful, punitive dictates that come from religious dogma.
Therefor i say that Secular humanism has the superior foundation for a system of morality.
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Love is better than hate. Jesus taught us to love. Here are some Bible quotes proving love is better than hate. I have listened to my atheist friends who tell me that they treat people the way [i]they [/i] are treated, not as Jesus taught, which is to treat people the way they [i]want[/i] to be treated themselves. I am praying for the people who have treated me poorly, and for that man who raped Tori. Do you pray for him? Being a loving Christian is hard at times but God calls us to love people regardless how they treat us.
You might think this is too long and tedious to see on your post and delete it but these are good verses for humanity to follow.
Matthew 5:22 Love Your Enemies …43You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘Hate your enemy.’ 44But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.… Berean Study Bible · Download
1 Samuel 24:17 and said to David, "You are more righteous than I, for you have rewarded me with good, though I have rewarded you with evil.
Proverbs 19:11 A man's insight gives him patience, and his virtue is to overlook an offense.
Proverbs 25:21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
Luke 6:27 But to those of you who will listen, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
Luke 6:28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
Luke 23:34 Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up His garments by casting lots.
John 13:34 A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another.
But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which spitefully use you, and persecute you;
@Carazaa "Those who can look at the bible objectively, who are not handicapped with the requirement that it be worshiped or respected, notice that there are problems with using it as a guide for behavior: 1. The bible argues from authority, not from reason, claiming that “might makes right.” 2. The bible nowhere states that every human being possesses an inherent right to be treated with respect and fairness—humans don’t matter as much as God does. 3. The biblical role models, especially Yahweh, Elohim and Jesus, are very poor moral examples, often ignoring their own good teachings (what few there are) and ruthlessly pursuing their own tyrannical teachings. 4. Many moral precepts of the bible are just plain bad, even dangerous. 5. On closer inspection, the few “positive” teachings are uninspired, unoriginal, inadequate and irrelevant."
[quote]Here are some Bible quotes proving love is better than hate.[/quote]
Sorry, stopped reading there. I don't know whether that was a deliberate straw man or an unintentional assumption but let's be clear:
This is [i]not [/i]a debate asking if love is better than hate. This is a debate asking if secular humanism is a better moral foundation than Christianity.
@Pikachu If you haven't realized that christianity is about love and what Jesus did was the ultimate act of love, and human secularism does not come close to the moral superiority of that, you have missed the truth of the Bible, as well as understand what all moral foundations are based on. Love!
@Carazaa God sold the Israelites to the king of Mesopotamia for eight years (Judges 3:8). It doesn’t say what God did with the money. He also sold them to the Moabites for 18 years (3:14), to Canaan for 20 years (4:2-3), to the Midianites for seven years (6:1), to the Philistines for 40 years (13:1) and to the Babylonians for 70 years. That’s more than a century and a half of slavery— more than twice as long as slavery existed in the United States. Is this moral?
@Carazaa People need to bring back animal sacrifices to get forgiven for their sins. God likes burnt sheep.
Leviticus 6:6–7 “And he shall bring to the priest his guilt offering to the Lord, a ram without blemish out of the flock, valued by you at the price for a guilt offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord, and [b]he shall be forgiven[/b] for any of the things which one may do and thereby become guilty.”
If you want to characterize Christian morality as one based on love then you're welcome to make that case. What you are not welcome to do is say that secular humanism is based on hate. (unless you can logically argue that stance). So when you say love is better than hate you're setting up a straw man of what secular humanism is.
[quote]human secularism does not come close to the moral superiority of that[/quote]
So that's your stance, obviously. Now see if you can make a good case for it.
I would immediately counter by pointing out that a) willing self-sacrifice is a moral act under secular humanism too and b) punishing people who don't praise someone for a sacrifice is [i]not[/i].
Already that seems to be a point on the side of SH.
If you want to hold the bible as the guide to Christian morality then i think the choice becomes very clear. The Bible is crammed full of immoral things done by, for and with the blessing of god. Things like killing Egyptian children to show how powerful he is. Ordering Abraham to murder his own son to prove his loyalty. Allowing Job to be tortured and his family killed to win a bet.
All acts which you personally would, justifiably and [i]without hesitation[/i], call immoral if carried out by any person besides your deity because you recognize them as immoral acts. All acts which are still immoral under secular humanism no matter who carried them out. That looks to me like another point on the side of SH.
I proved my point! I wanted to stop reading after the first sentence but since I am a Christian that would be too mean, and I want to treat you the way I want to be treated even though you stop reading whenever you want. So you are probably a secular humanist because they are self serving. At least you didn't delete the Bible verses [i]this[/i] time 😂
I made my case but you didn't read it. The Bible is the most moral book in the world. God is more loving than us, and since he is just he doesn't have to save us who are so hateful towards eachother. Ofcourse he has the right to judge the murderer, the rapist, the haters with death, He is God who made us. What do you think should happen to a rapist? The Bible is written to prove his point that he will not put up with hate he is the judge, not us, and he helps the helpless. Why is secular humanism not loving? Because its self serving. "I treat people the way they treat me" quotes Matt Dillahunty. This is what Satan teaches the world, in disguise of being an angel of light.
Not as Jesus has commanded us, to crucify the flesh, to love our enemies, and pray for those who despitefully use us. And God proved it by dying for the world who hates him. Would you be tortured for someone who hates you? Or would you even love someone who hates you? Think not!
@BlueSkyKing The Jewish rituals proves to us there must be a punishment for sin, but no matter what we do we still can't earn Gods high moral standards, hence Jesus, God himself became the slaughtered lamb who takes away the sins of the world.
Resorting to attacks as your argument gets weaker 😂.
Here is the definition of secular humanism
[quote]with regard in particular to the belief that humanity is capable of morality and [b]self-fulfillment[/b] without belief in God.[/quote] from the dictionary
This is Satan parading as an angel of light and only CHristians can see that it is [b][i]self [/i][/b]serving since we are walking with the Spirit of truth John 16. You yourself wrote that increasing flourishing and reducing harm is the goal, for who youself?
@Carazaa Now explain to me why you have [b]yet again[/b] lied to me. You promised to block me and to keep me blocked, yet now I see your piffle once agin popping up on my feeds.
