"Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones."
~ Marcus Aurelius
Why or why not?
2007-08-24 14:05:56 · 26 answers · asked by DarkIntellect 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
For the record, I'm not agnostic let alone an atheist, just spiritual. I believe in a higher power and an afterlife, but don't have a set religion. For those that are saying your god would damn one who doesn't believe, even though said person was good, that's kind of depressing. "Good" as in common sense good. Those like Jack The Ripper, John Couey, Ted Bundy, or Hitler are obviously not good people. One need not be a killer to be evil per se, but the few I listed above are logical candidates for somebody who surely isn't "good".
2007-08-24 14:45:59 · update #1
WOW! No wonder why the world is as screw up as it is! According to all the Catholics and Christians that answered this question, it doesn't matter what your actions in life are, as long as you believe in Jesus. So you're saying I could go kill 20 people just for entertainment, steal from the elderly, and piss in the drinking water, but since I believe in Jesus I get in. However, if I help the homeless, cure a disease, and teach under-privileged kids how to read, but don't necessarily believe in Jesus, I don't get to heaven? How f*cked up is God? Is he so egotistical that the only thing that matters is you kneeling down, groveling at his feet, and kissing his a**? Well, if that's the way things really work in this world I'm surprised the human race still exists.
2007-08-24 21:13:43 · answer #1 · answered by hello reality 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Marcus Aurelius was an intelligent man. I agree with it because IT MAKES PERFECT SENSE.
A just God will judge someone by why they have done in life, not by whether or not they worshiped.
Only an arrogant egotistical God would DEMAND worship on pain of death, and I'm not going to compromise my ethics just to get saved by such a God.
And if there is no God (this is what I believe) then I know I have lived life as the best person I could be.
Thank you for this quote, I enjoyed it.
EDIT: k716 actually its the opposite of Pascal's Wager(Pascal's is a series of reasons to worship, not reason to follow your own path) , and it was spoken a very, very long time before Mr Pascal was born.
2007-08-24 14:12:39 · answer #2 · answered by . 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's not that God would damn a good person, that's not it at all. The fact of the matter is that the key to salvation is belief in Jesus Christ. One is not saved by actions or non-actions. Actions will not buy one's way into heaven. All the donations in the world will not buy one's way to heaven. The fact of the matter is that the price to heaven has already been paid in full by Jesus Christ. The only thing needed to travel the path to salvation is belief in Jesus Christ as one's Lord and Savior and for that person to confess it verbally. Living a noble life will not gurantee anything except admiration from mankind. The key to heaven is Jesus Christ.
2007-08-24 15:20:36 · answer #3 · answered by morganjlandry 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe we must be obedient to God in as much as we are able. In order to do this successfully (making mindfulness of God's will a part of your everyday minute to minute existence) you must force your mind-(I'm going to start sounding a little new age here)- into harmony with the "God center" in your brain (Yes we really do have one though I don't remember the technical name for it). This "harmony" is a vibrational state that acts as a KEY to His heavenly dimension. You can't enter without the key. We could argue about how to attain this key- I personally believe this is Jesus Christ and at the same time hope I'm wrong. I personally love our cultural diversity in America and hate to think of Heaven as a mono-culture kind of place.
But I agree- live a noble life if that's all you can do. It's good for you and good for society.
2007-08-24 14:25:46 · answer #4 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I agree, if the Christian or any other god is so kind and just, he'd let the Atheists, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Shintos, Pagans, Wiccans, Taoists...am I missing anyone? Ah well...it depends on how you live, not by WHO you live...if there's a God, then I think that is what He/She/It would judge by....^_^ Hope I helped.
2007-08-24 14:11:32 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
This is a religious statement of a good pagan. He has struggled with the what wisdom God has given him, and has done will. A very wise summary of a philosophy of life for anyone without the gift of Faith.
2007-08-24 14:15:07 · answer #6 · answered by Bibs 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
disagree completely strongly adamantly
1. So what is a good life and who decides what is good and what isn't?
2. Jesus said there is none good, only God.
3. We are all sinners in need of a Savior. Show a man who says he has never sinned and I'll show you a fool or a liar.
4. We are granted access to heaven based on our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, not how good or bad we are.
god bless
2007-08-24 14:18:35 · answer #7 · answered by happy pilgrim 6 · 1⤊ 3⤋
It sounds good in theory, but Jesus said that people whose righteousness does not EXCEED that of the Pharesees then they wouldn't be in heaven. just being "good" doesn't seem to be enough. especially if one denies God thoughout that "Good" life.Matthew 5:20
2007-08-24 14:21:04 · answer #8 · answered by I-o-d-tiger 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Isn't this like what Atheists refer to as Pascal's Wager? Where you believe in God "just in case"? That's just the impression I got from them.
2007-08-24 14:11:08 · answer #9 · answered by kaz716 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Fits my way of thinking or works for me.
That is the only way we are remembered anywise.
Hopefully we have a few loved ones to remember us.
2007-08-24 14:11:03 · answer #10 · answered by dellet2 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋