The REAL Golden Rule

[Cognostic]

“Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment .” (John 7:24). Jesus wants us to judge righteously. As long as your judgment is RIGHTEOUS you are AOK with your good buddy Jesus.

Remember it is not the act of judging but the attitude that is all important to Jesus. Be Righteous and Judge your little heart away. After all, the world is filled with sinners. “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged” Tia needs to read a little further. (Matthew 7:2).

Matthew 7:1-2 Jesus says, “Judge not, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

In the first 2 sentences Jesus gives a very clear statement…“judge not” and then He gives a clear reason why “or you too will be judged…” Jesus’ command to not judge others is given as a motivation for us to avoid judgment ourselves. It’s important however for us not to stop the discussion there because Jesus didn’t. Let’s listen to the illustration Jesus used to clarify even further what He meant when He said “Judge not.” Matthew 7:3-5 “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

So, what is Jesus teaching against? The mere act of judging others? No. Jesus didn’t teach against judging. He taught against a specific kind of judging. The type of judging he spoke against was a blind, ignorant, hypocritical, self-righteous judging that overlooks one’s own faults, failures and sins and only sees faults, failures and sins in other people.

AS LONG AS YOU FEEL RIGHTEOUS YOU JUST GO AHEAD AND JUDGE AWAY, JUST LIKE OUR FRIEND TIA.

[Andy-Stout]

I sure would appreciate being included in this two-way conjecture of who I am. Hint: I’m a blond-haired atheist who was raised Catholic; sent to a private Catholic school for 7 years (along with my twin brother and younger sister). The more the nuns and priests worked at indoctrinating the 3 of us, the more we became “devoted atheists”. Like Dorothy, when i awoke from my dream, I realized “there’s no place like rationality”. That is my “home”. I am an enthusiastic humanist who embraces human rights, justice, facts, reason, logic, science. equality, compassion, and good laughs around a fire with my good friends. I love astronomy and want everyone to buy the book “The Stars” by H.A. Rey! It is pure magic.

My dream when I was a kid was to be a teacher. What could be more rewarding than to share with others what you are passionate about? I was 21, working in a boring Real Estate company, and it just hit me—Fucking QUIT and become a damn teacher, already!!! So I did and at university I took an entry Philosophy course…BANG! I found my calling. I loved it and it loved me. I graduated “top student in Honours Philosophy”. My twin brother became a graphic designer, so I copied him and got my Graphic Design Diploma and became was an award-winning graphic designer!

BUT, I still wanted to be a teacher… Then, luck landed me a dream-come-true—I got to start and create my own Graphic Design course, at a new college in my own city. I was finally a teacher! And I was teaching others my true passion!!! My dream came true.

Hey, I know there’s no “god” up there, but maybe there is a guardian angel?!!! Ha.
I’m now retired and live in a dream house with a dream wife and I love to promote atheism, human rights and rationality. I loathe religion and I am an avid antitheist.

[MrDawn]

I find it funny that most Christians like to quote scripture from a fairytale book that can’t verify it’s own claims to Atheists even though that Christian knows that an Atheist doesn’t believe nor do they support Christianity. You’d think Christians would be smarter than that instead of thinking it will help when it does exactly nothing.

Just so you know because I don’t think you do.
An Atheist is someone who disbelieves in the existence of deities and rejects all of religion.

Think about that next time before asking one to go read and commune with a Christian.

Because Atheists don’t believe in that hocus pocus. Period.

That’s like me asking you to go commune with a Pagan and do animal blood sacrifices. You wouldn’t like it.

[Andy-Stout]

Quoting the Bible to an atheist is as idiotic as quoting Mein Kampf to a Jew.

[Tin-Man]

@Andy-Stout

I sure would appreciate being included in this two-way conjecture of who I am.

Damn. Took you long enough. Was wondering how long it would be before you went, “What the fuck?” In all fairness, though, I do owe you an apology for my warped sense of humor. This site is one of the few places where I can put it to full use to amuse myself. (I’m aware enough to know most others certainly don’t think I’m very funny. ) Anyway, now that you finally noticed, welcome to the conversation. Oh, and stop being such a divisive bastard.

[Andy-Stout]

“A divisive bastard” is exactly what I am. It’s all because religious people are such divisive bastards! Ha.
They beat me to it!!!

Dammit… Why didn’t I think of writing a book about a tyrannical magic genie who hates the “evil” people he created that he drowned them all, and threatens to burn the rest alive!!!

I could be a millionaire! Who knew that billions of people on this little planet NEED to be treated like naughty sheep and scolded by a figment of their own imagination???

I will go to my grave, wondering how fellow human being who possess an amazing human brain, can just toss it away.

[Andy-Stout]

I was spanked, so my (“incongruous”?) joke was that as a result of suffering this pain, I am now all for spanking—the spankers.

And you ("Bluedoc) felt it was necessary to take the time to criticize this harmless quip?! Ok…

[Bluedoc]

@Andy-Stout

And you ("Bluedoc) felt it was necessary to take the time to criticize this harmless quip?! Ok…

You’re right, you deserve better.

What am I thinking pointing out something that’s droll? Just for you and you only, it will never happen again.

Have a nice day.

[Andy-Stout]

The unHoly Bible is the worst hate crime on Earth. That is disputable.
Imagine human history without the curse of its horrific influence.

[Andy-Stout]

I wasn’t offended. I say worse thing all the rime. I just thought it was strange to make such a comment. No harm done. Hell, we atheists have to stick together! We’re all we’ve got.
I’m bananas over atheists… —>

[Cognostic]

@Andy-Stout

“there’s no place like rationality”.

And then you gave up rationality for delusion and bigotry. WTF are you talking about “rationality?” Are you actually so delusional as to assume anything you have said about Christianity or their Freedom of Speech is RATIONAL? Do you imagine the delusional attitude you have about Winter Solstice worship is RATIONAL? Honestly, you would not know ‘RATIONAL’ if it jumped up and bit you in the butt.

I think it’s great you managed to break away from all the religious shit, now you need to give up on all the anger and bigotry.

@Andy-Stout

I love to promote atheism

1. You are not promoting Atheism. You are hating religion. There is a big difference between the two.

2. You are not supporting human rights. As I have already pointed out several times, you are actively engaged in attempting to suppress the freedom of speech of those who identify as religious. If you spoke the same way about homosexuals, you would have been kicked off the site. If you spoke the same way about blacks, Mexicans, or any race, you would have been kicked off the site. You are a bigot and human rights is far from what you are teaching or preaching.

@Andy-Stout

I loathe religion and I am an avid antitheist.

You made my point for me with this last sentence! It’s apparent from all you have said, it is not just religion but the Christians themselves you ‘loathe.’ (Take away their freedom of speech.) There is nothing ‘rational’ in your approach to atheism. You are like the person to turn to atheism because they ‘hate god’ for some reason. I’m certainly no stranger to anti-theism, but there is such a thing as picking your battles and not running about on a soapbox sounding like a fool.

[MrDawn]

For all I know, Mr. Dawn’s brother is all the things he said he is and more. Perhaps, he is none of them. Saying he is a Christian doesn’t mean he acts like one. It is a generalization I typically avoid like the plague. Therefore, I apologized. @Tia_Thompson

That’s fine.

I think our definitions on Christianity are different.

You’re looking at it from a point of “I believe there is a deity who created the universe and humanity” and we Atheists see Christianity as well as Islam, Hinduism, Shinto, and all of those other religions as man made fairy tales. We don’t believe that stuff exists because there’s no evidence of any kind that says it does exist other than a bunch of hand written holy books from the middle ages making absurd claims.

So when someone declares that they are a Christian and that they believe that their is a “God”. To me, an Atheist. I identify them as a Theist. To you and being a Christian, you have a higher standard of what that is. But honestly, you and my brother are in the same boat because you both identify as Monotheists and that’s what you are.

You saying he isn’t a Christian is pretty stupid seeing as you both believe in the same bullshit fairy tales. He just follows the rules a lot less than you do. And to a lot of us on here. It makes no difference because the evidence against your God belief tells me it’s not real. So no point in saying your fellow Christians are not Christians.

You’re all the same to me.

[Andy-Stout]

Eating babies isn’t all that unusual. Democrats eat babies in pizza parlors.

[Tia_Thompson]

@MrDawn The message you are referring to was addressed to Andy Stout and erased before you wrote yours. I am confused as to how it was “mysteriously” resurrected to contend upon, but either way, you are entitled to both your opinion of your brother and your generalization of me. And I won’t even try to take that away from you.

[MrDawn]

@Tia_Thompson

@MrDawn The message you are referring to was addressed to Andy Stout and erased before you wrote yours. I am confused as to how it was “mysteriously” resurrected to contend upon, but either way, you are entitled to both your opinion of your brother and you generalization of me.

lol I’m not the one who walked onto an Atheist forum proselytizing scripture to Atheists, suggested to an Atheist to read scripture, go commune with a Christian, and then you cry “generalization” when called out on it. If anything, it makes you look like you have little understanding of what Atheism is. You have no problem judging your fellow Christians and saying “well they’re not a real Christian”. To me, that comes off as Christian Denomination bullshit like for example: where you have Baptists calling the Mormons a cult and they’re not real Christians. Save it honey, that don’t work here. No one buys that. Anyone claiming to be a Christian and says they believe in the Christian deity whether they follow the 10 commandments and bullshit verses or not is a Theist to me, period. You guys all believe in the same fairy tales.

[Andy-Stout]

1. ME—> "There’s no place like rationality”.

YOUR REPLY—> “WTF are you talking about “rationality?” Are you actually so delusional as to assume anything you have said about Christianity or their Freedom of Speech is RATIONAL?”

MY REPLY—> What are you talking about? You don’t provide any evidence to back up this unwarranted insult. If YOU were rational, you would understand that you are neglecting to provide a rational argument to justify this false assertion. I have an Honours degree in Philosophy and I am well versed in both Formal and Informal logic. Please don’t resort to ad hominems to try to sway or impress your readers. It serves only to reveal your inability to argue rationally.

2. ME—> “I love to promote atheism.”

YOUR REPLY—> “You are not promoting Atheism. You are hating religion.”

MY REPLY—> Ha ha… Yes! I’m “guilty” of BOTH. I DO promote atheism (i.e., rationality and humanism) and i DO hate religion (i.e., irrationality and intolerance). So should every good atheist.

3. ME—> “I loathe religion and I am an avid antitheist.”

YOUR REPLY—> “It’s apparent from all you have said, it is not just religion but the Christians themselves you ‘loathe.’ (Take away their freedom of speech.)”

MY REPLY—> I have made it abundantly clear that I loathe religion. I loathe religion as much as it loathes atheism. The big difference is that we atheists didn’t pick the fight, did we? We atheists didn’t burn theists alive and torture them for EIGHT CENTURIES, did we? And we atheists don’t have a “religion” or a “doctrine” that we impose on others, do we? But religion is very busy pushing its beliefs and its agenda on everyone in every society, isn’t it? They want prayer and creationism in our schools. They want a woman’s right to choose to abort to be illegal. They want their religion to be intertwined into society and the rule of law. That’s called a “theocracy”—and if you want to live in the Middle East, you’re free to leave.

Much as I loathe the harm that religion inflicts upon society, you are grossly mistaken that I want to suppress the freedom of speech of religion. Au contraire! I ENCOURAGE religion to scream its message of intolerance from the rooftops, for all to hear! If only more people were made aware of its blatant contempt for human beings and its disregard for human rights—the sooner atheism and humanism would finally be embraced.

[Andy-Stout]

I guess two wrong only make a bigger wrong.

[rat_spit]

I’d like to address one point.

No, it isn’t your duty to go above and beyond and do good deeds to and for your fellow man.

And I can see why many would cringe at the idea that there is some kind of “moral obligation” to donate to the poor, help someone in need, etc.

But morality on a communal level is about caring. Once you’ve established that you care about other people, the so called “obligation” to do good unto others is quite a natural response.

Simply NOT DOING harm to others doesn’t cement a community (assuming you even want to belong to a community - like a real living community who shares resources and recognizes contributions to the community). NOT DOING will allow the community to continue on the barest level. It is when you start to contribute; when you start to care about something beyond your own needs; that a relationship or a community can begin to COOPERATE.

That feature of “caring” (which Heidegger believed was the most fundamental feature of being) is severely lacking in today’s world.

It’s a dog eat dog world. The inequity of wealth is unbelievable. The attitude of me, my self, and I runs so deep through the hearts and minds of people that we no longer live in communities. We don’t know our neighbours. We avoid our neighbours. “Stay the fuck out of my business and I’ll stay the fuck out of yours! How about that?”

This is the attitude that prevails today. And, many cringe at the idea that there’s more to morality, because there’s nothing worse than someone at the pulpit guilt tripping us into putting money into the collection plate.

I get that. What I don’t get is a person who never learns to care about the well being of his fellow man. Never recognizes that he or she needs us as badly as we need them.

Bezo’s may have become a billionaire by making the necessities of life available to the masses. But he didn’t build a community. The side effect of that man now having the money and means to fly into near earth orbit is a disparate group of people who have forgotten what working together towards a common goal means.

And we’ve sacrificed our freedom for a slave like existence. We’ve failed to realize that when we ignore others, keep to our selves, and simply want that “fuck off” life style, we automatically buy into a job and play life style that distances us from the very freedom we once had to control our destinies. It’s our own damn fault for not caring.