Some people say that.Originally Posted by weepingforloman
I also saw people talking about "pleasing God." As I understand it, we are saved by grace, and not by our actions. We cannot 'earn' our way into heaven. I thought that was fundamental. It's sort of a contradiction - one on hand, we are supposed to do good to please God, and if we don't, on a large scale, our cities and nations will be wiped out (if all are sinful, etc.), and on the other hand, we cannot earn our way, etc.
Anyway, because any sin is forgiven if we forgive with honest hearts, or because of that doctrine, some people say that Christianity is immoral, etc, because it allows you to what you want and then be forgiven, or do whatever you want because you are saved and chosen and special.
Don't forget that some sects of Christianity believe there is a set number of people who are going to heaven, and it's already decided, and some believe that we can never know WHO is going to heaven (Puritans, I believe?) or perhaps that we'll be able to see who's chosen, going to heaven, saved, etc, by their wealth and success on Earth. Kind of an interesting view. Those people also believe that our success is based off our own efforts, etc. That gives rise to a wicked work ethic.
Anyway, if you don't want people insulting Christianity by their ignorance, as you might define it, and saying that it allows immorality, please don't do the same for other religions. One reason pantheism is an ethical religion is because correct belief in pantheism is to believe that others are the same as yourself, so when you hurt others you are hurting yourself. Or if they don't believe that others are the same as yourself (Cognizant Ontology) then they believe hurting others hurts you in a general way. Another way pantheists are ethical is by their religious scriptures (the Bhagavad-Gita), and those have strict moral disciplines (be vegetarian, meditate for an hour every day, eat in moderation). And of course, there are both psychopathic (no conscience or empathy) and kind, empathetic people in all religions. But, like J said, pantheists are well behaved. All of my masters are empathetic, good people, and I don't mind taking examples from any religion.
Oh, and to the original question I would say that labels such as atheist or deist or pantheist do not have any bearing on reality. That is my idea. The only things that matter are life, ideas, and how they apply to life. Give me literature over anything else. Give me learning.
Nietzsche is well worth reading and loving, lots of people do.
Just because I still want to convince you that Nietzsche was a good guy, here's a warm quote by him he wrote to his friend. He was a wonderful person. Not bitter. And he had reason to be, if anyone ever did.
My dear friend, what is this our life? A boat that swims in the sea, and all one knows for certain about it is that one day it will capsize. Here we are, two good old boats that have been faithful neighbors, and above all your hand has done its best to keep me from "capsizing"! Let us then continue our voyage—each for the other's sake, for a long time yet, a long time! We should miss each other so much! Tolerably calm seas and good winds and above all sun—what I wish for myself, I wish for you, too, and am sorry that my gratitude can find expression only in such a wish and has no influence at all on wind or weather!
— Letter to Franz Overbeck: November 14, 1881.
And this, a paragraph from a biography, to show what I meant about his having cause to be bitter.
"Between 1879 and 1889, Nietzsche lived mostly in Switzerland and Italy, subsisting on a small university pension and writing furiously despite his declining health. He suffered constant migraines, insomnia, and indigestion, such that he could only read and write for a few hours each day, and his eyesight became so poor that he was partially blind. Despite these setbacks, Nietzsche wrote eleven books and thousands of pages of notebook jottings in the next ten years.
"Throughout this time, Nietzsche’s books sold very poorly, and he had only a handful of admirers.
In January 1889, Nietzsche saw a man beating his horse on the street in Turin and rushed to intervene. He collapsed in the street and never regained his sanity. He spent the last eleven years of his life as a vegetable, oblivious to his surroundings, and died in August 1900."
From http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy...e/context.html
I think I read that he would write ten hours a day, or something..I don't know which is true.
