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Originally Posted by Red Slinger
Earlier you used the example of a missionary in regards to your point #4. I find this really interesting. Isn't Christianity and many other religions, when boiled down to the core, based on a motivation for personal gain, i.e. acceptance into 'heaven' and salvation from purgatory?
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Sadly, yes. However, I would argue that this is a problem with contemporary Christian doctrine, and would like to also think that it stems from a general misappropriation of what I perceive to be the heart of the Christian message.
Put most simply: There is something wrong with the world today; things are not as they ought to be, and by the grace of God I hope and pray that it will all be put to rights, and I want to be part of it.
Of course, there is a lot of Jewish apocalypticism, Greco-Roman mysticism, and a healthy dose of Platonic dualism that envelops this framework.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Slinger
If so, it could be argued that aetheists behave from an internal moral compass rather than an externally imposed morality. In which case, it could further be argued that religious people should be considered less trustworthy than aetheists.
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So long as you can prove that this is the central motivation for all religious people. It most certainly is for many of them—perhaps even most, but it still suffers from stereotypical generalizing.