Are believers better equipped to know the difference between right and wrong than an atheist is?

Question

For example:

I'm an atheist and I don't drink and drive, I have no problem with jews, and I respect authority.

Mel Gibson is a catholic (which is christian) and he drinks and drives, makes sexual advances towards the cop that arrests him, and shouts out anti semitic remarks.

Does knowing you will be forgiven by the higher power that you think exists mean that you can do whatever you want?

I seem to be doing better in life than mel gibson with just my man made ethics and knowledge that there is no evidence of higher powers. I know there is no afterlife because I've never been shown evidence to prove otherwise. I appreciate my life and the lives of those around me because I know that this is all we have. That is why I don't drink and drive.

http://people.monstersandcritics.com/article_1185578.php/Mel_Gibson_in_Lethal_Weapon_5_The_Revenge_of_sugar_****

Answer 1

there is definitely something wrong with christians' heads.

1. they say stuff like, "well, if there's no god, then why should we bother following any rules?? what's to stop us from going out and doing all of the raping and stealing we want?" --- they're admitting that if there were no punishment, that they would have no problem hurting others for their own needs.

2. they see things like "going to church" and "accepting jesus" as moral behaviour. HOW??!!! how does this help anyone other than the person who's practicing it?? to them, a man like mel gibson is actually a better human being than a man like ghandi. obviously, christians have ZERO understanding of what morality really is.

3. they actually believe that someone else's sacrifice (namely jesus) is enough to absolve someone of their sins. they use the analogy that "jesus paid our bail". but bail only goes so far. if you commit a murder, and are about to be sentenced to life in prison or death, and then some guy steps in your place and says he'll go for you, it won't get you off the hook. the judge isn't looking to satisfy some urge to punish somebody. he's trying to protect the streets. what good is it to put another man in your place in jail and let you go free if YOU'RE the one who murders people. --- christians have a different mentality though. they have a stone age mentality. yeah, you heard me. they're cave men.

there's a saying that goes something along the lines of:

"good people will be good naturally, and bad people will be bad naturally. but it takes religion to make a good person do bad things and a bad person do good things."

as sam harris pointed out once in an interview though, if you look at how religion makes bad people be good (i.e. pray, accept jesus, go to church) it really doesn't even come close to being able to out weigh the ways in which religion makes a good person do bad (i.e. stunt education on matters of the earth, our ancestry, and other sciences; deprive people of rights due to their sexual orientation; stunt medical advancement like stem cell research; prohibit education of condoms to the people of aids-infested africa; kill abortion doctors)

christianity is dangerous. more and more secularists are starting to wake up to this fact. we need to do our best to educate christians and let them see how false and evil their beliefs really are.

Answer 2

I wouldn't use Mel Gibson as the be-all and end-all of Catholics or religous peoeple in general.

Just as you would not want to be tarred with the same brush as an atheist who DID drink and and drive and do other bad things, you can't look at one man and say 'there's the example of that moral code'. Some Christians drink, some don't. Some live by a stricter moral code than others- which is true of any walk of life.

Answer 3

Darth Timon gives you as good an answer as can be and better than most.
I could tell you from my own experience as having once been a Christian believer, that I often did those things that fell into the category of sin....excessively and thought at the time, that since I was trusting in Jesus,l I would still have somehow gotten into heaven. False assumption of course, but that's one of the problems with Christianity, one thinks less of ethical living and more of reliance on the merits of the dead man god which of course, contradicts the Hebrew Scripture, and Prophets, particularly, Ezk. who expressly declared, that each person was responsible for his/her own sin and each person was not subject to the sin penalty of another, nor could any person substitute for another persons sin....so that makes the Jesus sacrifice a moot issue no matter how sincerely believed. It is a pagan lie, or at best, a hope that contradicts the Word of GOD, as to how to live. For one to have a ethical standard is good. The better and higher that standard, the better our community benefits which in turn betters our national life and the life of the world. Great ethics result in peaceful lives. I commend you all, both religious and non, both pagan and non, that you have good ethics. You are good neighbors. Sincerely

Answer 4

Believers are not necessarily better equipped to know the difference between right and wrong. In most cases, I don't think Chrisitians claim to be "better" people, but I do think their attempts to convert non-believers can be misconstrued as narcissm. It is unfortunate that Mel Gibson demonstrated such shameful behavior, but you have that type of behavior across all denominations & beliefs, and everyone makes mistakes, no matter what they believe. Those mistakes should not be perceived as what that religion stands for. Hopefully, the ethic called "forgiveness" can be applied by all...

Answer 5

Well let me ask you this. Have you ever done or said something that, later, you were truly ashamed of? I read about this and I also read that Mel Gibson was mortified over his behavior and apologized in a very humble fashion.

Christians have nothing over people who don't believe...they are not better people. They are sinners saved by the grace of God because they realize they cannot redeem themselves and have placed their faith in Jesus Christ. If a Christian is trying to make themselves out to be superior to others....that is a person with a pride problem. And as the bible clearly states "pride goeth before a fall". We are not better people...we can make very foolish mistakes, as well.

It's too bad that people love to jump on a person who has made a very public mistake and behaved badly. However, he was embarrassed and he did apologize. I feel very sorry for him. There, but for the grace of God (and the fact no one records stupid things I say and prints them in the paper) go I.

Answer 6

Mel Gibson can be forgiven of his sins just like everyone else. But he cannot keep going back and doing them over and over again! To truly repent is to be sorry with a Godly sorrow and take upon oneself an oath to God that says that you'll "mortify the deeds of the flesh", which means literally to kill the old person you used to be and be born again a new creature and walk in the conviction of your newfound salvation. I can't judge anyone, let alone mel Gibson, but I can say that if he doesn't find true forgiveness, then his true nature will ruin him physically and spiritually.

Answer 7

To answer your subject question, no. I do not believe so. Atheists do "bad" or "wrong" things just like believers (of any religion) do. The biggest difference simply is that many believers do 'right' in hopes of getting a rewarding afterlife, and don't do 'wrong' for fear of punishment by their higher power. Atheists simply do right or wrong because that's what they want to do.

Knowing the difference between "right" and "wrong" is not the same as living it. Most of us know the difference, many of us will do 'wrong" at some point anyway.

Answer 8

"Are believers better equipped to know the difference between right and wrong than an atheist is?" No.

That being said, your logic is flawed and your lack of understanding of Catholicism is astounding. Forgiveness of sin is achieved through confession and penance. In order to be truly forgiven, you must be truly sorry.

Catholicism does not involve or advocate a free-for-all behaviour system as you seem to believe.

You don't "know" that there is no afterlife. That is what you simply believe to be true. Beliefs may or may not be correct, but they are not facts.

Answer 9

Religion is useful in that it can create a system of rules and regulations that are for the benefit of society, but that individuals follow for additional reasons. However, religion is not necessary for the creation of ethics, it just makes the cost of enforcing them less (however, the cost of religion may or may not be greater than this increase of cost. On the other hand, Religion may well have its other purposes as well).

Personally, I'm agnostic, so I give everyone the benefit of the doubt.

Answer 10

Thanks For Your Question :)

well first don't judge your self with anyone ...judge yourself with what you were before and it doesn't mean that if Mel Gibson is a bad person or if bin laden is a bad person then Christianity and Islam are bad religions .....and last thing I'm a Muslim and I got evidence that there is afterlife....if you care to know msg me
on [e-mail]