What do you feel defines a person as "good"?

Question

I ask this because I have noted that certain religions believe that mankind is inherently bad, and requires atonement. This has always struck me as a strange notion: that a person can be invalidated simply by a lack of belief or agreement with a religion. The example of a person's life, in this way of thinking, is of no consequence, only their religious faith, or lack thereof. By the same token, such beliefs allow for the excusal of atrocious behaviour by the atoning power of cleansing religious belief; also a strange notion to me.

For myself, I believe that we are all pretty much on the same level as far as "goodness" goes. I think that each day we define ourselves by the actions we take, and that this the only account we have to reckon with. A person chooses their goodness through their actions, as it were.

What is your belief on this subject, and is your belief tied into your religious faith?

This contemplative question has been brought to you courtesy of Jack

Answer 1

Goodness is in our actions toward our fellow man..

Talk is cheap, either walk the walk or get off the road..

Answer 2

Believing in God doesn't necessarily mean someone is "good" there were alot of people in history that believed in God and yet they caused alot of suffering, death and evil. Satan believes in God too, but that doesn't make him good.

Contrary to popular belief, I do not belief that mankind is inherantly bad from the beginning. However... I DO believe mankind requires atonement so that mankind can be reunited with God again and not be a slave to sin anymore. The reason why people keep doing what is wrong is because they have a way of confusing themselves and doing what they don't desire. God sets you free of this.

Also, goodness has to be measured not only by outward expression, but by what a person's heart or motive is.

If a person does something good and nice to you, but later realize they are holding it "over your head" to try and make sure you do cirtain things for them in return, that is not really good or nice... quite the opposite. A gift or action or words from someone else, has to be out of a pure heart or motive.

I think of doing what is right this way: There are many wrong answers but only one right one. The answer to 2+2 is 4. (Arguably, 22.. but you get the point). There are way more wrongs in life than rights to any given question. It is truly a "narrow road"...no wonder people struggle!

That is why I believe that people are not naturally selfish. If you watch carefully, you will see that even small children will do alot of things that are right, and not just wrong. It is just that humans have not taught themselves to see what is good in others and not just the bad. The reason people see mostly the wrongs or bad in life, isn't because people are largely bent toward evil, but because people are struggling to make sence of the evil that they see and experience in this world...

(... And there is a whole wide ocean of it to sort through...)

Answer 3

I would agree. Prior to the concept of sin, the idea of good and bad was measured by how you treated the fellow members of your tribe. This is still a valid concept. The golden rule occurs in so many religious and ethical works (not to mention game theory) because it is seen as a way to live a good life regardless of your other beliefs.

Answer 4

Etiquette is the core for being good. If people were courteous, it would be impossible to be "evil" or bad.
Being aware enough of the surrounding to know when you're offending someone is an easy way to be good. Examples include, listening to music at an acceptable level on public transportation; not talking on the cell phone for extended period of time; not speaking loudly at a public place; if you're holding a coffee cup on a bus and find yourself standing, have the opening on the lid face you, not the passengers; do not cheat on exams; don't be late; uphold a promise and be loyal.

Some basics.

Answer 5

I think a good person is one who leads an ethical life and thinks of the impact they have on the world and other people around them. They have a high degree of integrity.
My belief has nothing to do with what I consider good in a person.

Morals are for religious folk to argue about, I'll take ethics any day over morals.

Answer 6

I agree with you on being defined by actions.

Your first paragraph is the very reason religion has survived the test of time in my opinion. Become religious, your evil actions are validated by the concept of salvation and forgiveness. You're given a way out so to speak, and self responsibility becomes less of an issue.

Answer 7

I think that the good in people (and, of course, that is an almost completely subjective term) can be measured fairly effectively by the way they treat others. Courteous, respectful, helpful, merciful, charitable? More good. Arrogant, condescending, judgmental, aggressive, cruel? Less good.
General and basic notions of good and bad seem to stem from instinctive empathy. And upon that framework, we each flesh out our own personal sense of moralty based on our individual experience and knowledge.

Answer 8

It's easy to be rude. It takes kindness from your heart to be a good person. Definining a person as "good" is all about how they communicate with other people. Also, it's about your morals and values. It doesn't take a religion to make a good person, although it can teach you morals. We aren't born good or bad. We have it in ourselves to choose which way to go.

Answer 9

I define a good person as one who treats others as he/she wants to be treated.

While I think generally that religion can help people be better, I'm not so naive to believe that all religious people are good or all non-religious people are bad.

Answer 10

Its pretty simple Jack.
1) I followed religion without understanding.
2) I ran away from religion
3) I made up my own religion about peace and loving everyone
4) I came back and found out both jesus and Muhammed were preaching the same thing