How is religion the pinnacle of morality if it is based on rewards and punishments?

Question

Someone in a different question, when asked if they thought that it was creepy that god was watching them all the time responded:

"Not a bit, I am glad that God sees everything that I do.
How would I receive any rewards if He never saw me do anything."

Is that what it is all about? Is it an eternal suck-up just hoping god will notice you when you are being 'good'? How exactly does that promote a true morality? If you are being 'good' because you are either living in fear of 'god' or you are hoping for a reward, then you aren't being good because you feel it is right, you are doing it to benefit from it or avoid punishment?
If you are not acting altruistically then you aren't actually being 'good' you are just going through the motions.

Answer 1

You are self-righteous.

Answer 2

you actually hit the heart of the matter. That is the ever long debate even amongst Christians, works for heaven or grace for heaven? Truth be told, we live in a constant state of expectation - conscience or unconscience. When I turn the ignition of my car, I expect for it to start - unconsciencely. To mature spiritually is to do what is right with an unconscience expectation (you can never rid expectation). When the expectation is evident, you haven't really understood the goodness of the act. Working harder at understanding the goodness of the act is the true growth as a Christian. Too many people are off track and focus on the deeds, that's why Jesus said that on the last day many will say Lord, Lord...didn't we...; and he will say away from me you evil doer, I never knew you. The evil is conscience expectation.

Answer 3

i do not imagine that Christian morality is purely in accordance to punishment and advantages. it truly is a large area of it, even with the undeniable fact that it truly is meant to be about loving God and doing what pleases Him. the authentic Christian isn't meant to be continually in search of what they could be able to get from God, yet what they could be able to provide God out of love, for all he's achieved for us. If it were depending entirely on punishment and advantages, i imagine that Christians would finally end up being enormously self-based. that's the different of how Christians are meant to be, so punishment and advantages are neither the only, nor the significant rationalization for morality.

Answer 4

Religious people equate morality with pleasing God. They understand that whatever God says and wants from us is both right and moral, even if He asks us to commit irrational acts.

As frequently described in the Bible, He seems to possess such typical human flaws having such frequent displays of jealousy and suffering from lack of self esteem and insecurity by demanding that humans think only of Him and recognize Him as the only God. To make sure He put Abraham through a scary test, remember? He told him to obey the commandment of killing his son Isaac to prove he really believed in Him! God also had no problems being angry on many occasions. Lot's wife was killed when commanded to escape from the burning city without looking back at it. Well, she could resist giving a glance at the fire behind her. God promptly turned into a pillar of salt leaving her husband to continue the on after losing his wife like that.

Why such cruelty? Does that make sense? Would we consider it a just and moral punishment for the offense? The Bible is filled with violence and atrocities commanded and willed by God. Are these events good to teach us about morality. Do they serve a good purpose as models for our children?

But religion is based on the moral principle that we are pawns created by God for His purposes, not for ours. Who are we to think that we have a say on how our life should be lived? We are both flawed and tarnished for descending from Adams and Eve, who offended God in the usual way: they disobeyed Him. As if He did not know that already! Toying with humans must still be God's main form of entertainment.

Saddam Hussain and his sons used to enjoy that kind of sport with the people of Iraq: if they wanted a woman they entered a home, asked the parents to watch while they raped their daughters. Isn't that standard moral behavior taught in the Bible?

Today we know that morality does not come from the idea of obeying anyone, not God, not society, not the State. Morality comes from reason. Reason tells us that our life is for us to own and we are not the pawns and means for someone else's pleasure. That idea has arrived only two hundred years ago, with the American Declaration of Independence where it is recognized that man has the inalienable right this life and the pursuit of his happiness, or else he is a slave.

This year instead of trusting in Jesus let's try something that works. Trust in Reason!

May the Glory of Intellect be with you!

Answer 5

trust me its going to take more that being good bc God is watching to get into Heaven. God wants us to be transformed so that we know that even if He didn't exists at all we would still treat each other with respect and dignity.God wants us to love each other without condition for me it has nothing to do with rewards it has to do with what Christians are commanded to do-to love one another no matter what.

Answer 6

You are a wise man because you did not come up with this wisdom on your own but God has given it to you. As you are well aware, all wisdom come from God.

God does not like religion. The reason is because religion breaks His Commandments. It is only when we separate ourselves from theologies and dogmas are we coming closer to God.><>

Answer 7

Any good done in God's name honors God.

Even those who do good works for selfish reasons help others, and so they do God's work.

As for overcoming human nature, God promises to do that for us someday, too.

With God, practice does eventually make perfect.

Answer 8

Religions actually make people morally lazy because followers are spoon-fed what to believe is right and wrong. They are also discouraged from thinking for themselves and questioning why something is said to be right or wrong.

Answer 9

because the ultimate reward is GOd....... AHEM.. NOT THE 70 VIRGINS THAT WOULD PUT MAN AT THE CENTER OF SALVATION NOT GOD..the ceterpiece and highest treasure of heaven is the enjoyment of God

whats wrong with rewards

in Hebrews it even says you CANNOT please God unless you believe He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek HIm

Answer 10

Not a fear of God a respect of His way's.

Answer 11

What it is about for me is that I Love Him. All the problems He has solved for me. The changes He has made in me. Before I accepted His love, I felt much as you do.