Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Carrie · 08-07-2003, 12:48 PM

Do you think of yourself as a good person, a bad person, average, or just a person? And if you care to share, tell me why you think so.

Maybe this stems from my former fundy-Chistian background, but I see myself as mostly a bad person! I'm not sure if that's true or not though. I may elaborate later. We're going on vacation to Cape Cod pretty soon, so I'll be out for a week.

Vandrare · 08-07-2003, 01:47 PM

that depends entirely on who's/what standards you hold me against... but i dont think the fundies would like me either

Alonzo Fyfe · 08-07-2003, 02:09 PM

Better than most, not as good as some.

RevDahlia · 08-07-2003, 02:21 PM

When I am good, I am very very good, and when I'm bad I'm horrid.

Just a person, I guess.

pariah · 08-07-2003, 02:37 PM

what standards define good/bad?

ex-xian · 08-07-2003, 02:45 PM

From the standard of my previous fundy experience, I'm a bad person. We're all bad people by their standard (original sin and all), but specifically b/c I drink, I smoke a pipe occasionally, I swear, I don't attend church, I make of xians (not to their face...most of the time), I enjoy confusing people who believe in god, I talk dirty to my wife, ...., probably a bunch more if I thought about it.

But I don't of myself as a bad person though. I'm moral, I'm polite, I say please and thank you, etc.

Basically, I think it boils down to what makes a person good and bad. I recommend you read about some secular ethics. I would even recommend Kant's system, as long as you toss out the categorical imperitive and keep the kingdom of ends. Then it turns into something delightfully humanistic.

Anyway, as many of us here can tell you, leaving fundy-ism can be a difficult thing. One of the most difficult parts is dealing with the guilt. Formulating a system of morality that doesn't involve a deity is a very liberating experience.

NonHomogenized · 08-07-2003, 11:04 PM

I'm an evil, evil person. Which is what makes me such a great person.

I'm just a person, like everyone else. I do actively try to be a good person... but then, I readily acknowledge that some things other people consider "good", I don't, and many things I'd consider "good", others call "evil". Hence the first two sentences of my post.

meritocrat · 08-08-2003, 02:06 AM

Depends how you define good or bad, no?

keyser_soze · 08-08-2003, 03:01 AM

We need a definition. You could define "good" as doing no harm, and trying to help your fellow human beings. You could define "bad" as hurting people for your own reasons, etc...

But then you'll have differences of opinion. The fundies insist that "good" is worshiping some long dead religious icon...and that "bad" is not believing. Personally, I go with the humanist approach, it seems the most positive one.

In which case, I am good the majority of the time, but I do hurt other people's feelings on occasion...My wife's for example. Of course this will happen to most everyone, but you can't really say it is "bad" since it has no likely long term effects, and is usually just a misunderstanding. So you will have to create a scale of good and bad to go with the definition.

Worldtraveller · 08-08-2003, 07:27 AM

When my wife is good, she's good. But when she's bad, she's really good!

...or is that not exactly what you were after?

Cheers,
Lane

08-07-2003, 12:48 PM	#1
Carrie Regular Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Midwest Posts: 424	Are you a good person or a bad person? Do you think of yourself as a good person, a bad person, average, or just a person? And if you care to share, tell me why you think so. Maybe this stems from my former fundy-Chistian background, but I see myself as mostly a bad person! I'm not sure if that's true or not though. I may elaborate later. We're going on vacation to Cape Cod pretty soon, so I'll be out for a week.

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08-07-2003, 01:47 PM	#2
Vandrare Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Brisneyland Posts: 854	that depends entirely on who's/what standards you hold me against... but i dont think the fundies would like me either

08-07-2003, 02:09 PM	#3
Alonzo Fyfe Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: 920B Milo Circle Lafayette, CO Posts: 3,515	Better than most, not as good as some.

08-07-2003, 02:21 PM	#4
RevDahlia Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Austin, TX, USA Posts: 4,930	When I am good, I am very very good, and when I'm bad I'm horrid. Just a person, I guess.

08-07-2003, 02:37 PM	#5
pariah Banned Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: الرياض Posts: 6,456	what standards define good/bad?

08-07-2003, 02:45 PM	#6
ex-xian Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: :noitacoL Posts: 4,679	From the standard of my previous fundy experience, I'm a bad person. We're all bad people by their standard (original sin and all), but specifically b/c I drink, I smoke a pipe occasionally, I swear, I don't attend church, I make of xians (not to their face...most of the time), I enjoy confusing people who believe in god, I talk dirty to my wife, ...., probably a bunch more if I thought about it. But I don't of myself as a bad person though. I'm moral, I'm polite, I say please and thank you, etc. Basically, I think it boils down to what makes a person good and bad. I recommend you read about some secular ethics. I would even recommend Kant's system, as long as you toss out the categorical imperitive and keep the kingdom of ends. Then it turns into something delightfully humanistic. Anyway, as many of us here can tell you, leaving fundy-ism can be a difficult thing. One of the most difficult parts is dealing with the guilt. Formulating a system of morality that doesn't involve a deity is a very liberating experience.

08-07-2003, 11:04 PM	#7
NonHomogenized Veteran Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: no longer at IIDB Posts: 1,644	I'm an evil, evil person. Which is what makes me such a great person. I'm just a person, like everyone else. I do actively try to be a good person... but then, I readily acknowledge that some things other people consider "good", I don't, and many things I'd consider "good", others call "evil". Hence the first two sentences of my post.

08-08-2003, 02:06 AM	#8
meritocrat Banned Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: England Posts: 2,608	Depends how you define good or bad, no?

08-08-2003, 03:01 AM	#9
keyser_soze Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: god's judge (pariah) Posts: 1,281	We need a definition. You could define "good" as doing no harm, and trying to help your fellow human beings. You could define "bad" as hurting people for your own reasons, etc... But then you'll have differences of opinion. The fundies insist that "good" is worshiping some long dead religious icon...and that "bad" is not believing. Personally, I go with the humanist approach, it seems the most positive one. In which case, I am good the majority of the time, but I do hurt other people's feelings on occasion...My wife's for example. Of course this will happen to most everyone, but you can't really say it is "bad" since it has no likely long term effects, and is usually just a misunderstanding. So you will have to create a scale of good and bad to go with the definition.

08-08-2003, 07:27 AM	#10
Worldtraveller Banned Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 7,834	When my wife is good, she's good. But when she's bad, she's really good! ...or is that not exactly what you were after? Cheers, Lane

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