Are you a good Samaritan or a good Christian?

[hiddley]

Don't know why this occurred to me tonight. Listening to too much Stormzy for my age I think lol.
I would consider myself a good Samaritan but not a good Christian.

For e.g., I don't go to church, I don't praise the Lord, I don't pray, I don't engage in charitable works. On the other hand, if I see a homeless person on the street I will give them whatever change I have in my pocket (usually fuck all) and roll them a cigarette.

I am also the type who will stand up for the one being picked on, which usually lands me as the new central victim. But ..........

I actually think actions speak louder than words and songs of praise.

I do recognise that the Christian and other religious communities are social centres for people also, but often, they don't carry anything spiritual out of their prayer service.

I just don't usually find people to be both. They are either one or the other.

A discussion about how you can claim to know everything about everyone and their lives because you were homeless for 3 months?

Apart from the two you highlighted you couldn't possibly have any inkling about the lives or faith of other people who did or didn't help you. You don't know anything about anyone else's situation just like they didn't know about yours.

By all means moan about people who didn't and could have helped you, but don't pretend to know their reasons for not doing so.

Very interesting post MrsHathaway. How the fuck did slavery slip through the cracks then?

Well, that's kind of the point. Not all morals are universal. Which is probably why religions gain such traction in the first place, and certainly why there's more than one

I'm a good pagan. 😂

Well, that's kind of the point. Not all morals are universal. not true all morals should be universal

, you know what, I'm still here. And I will fight for homeless people and the weakest in society until my dying breath.
imnot sure making goady posts on mumsnet helps and your simply wrong

'Some of you must have lived charmed lives.'

and there you go again making utterly bizarre presumptions.

Your "guarantee" that none of us have worked with homeless people is another shit-brained guess.

Out of interest can I ask those Christians that provide charity can you honestly say that you don't have an underlying wish to convert those you are helping, to bring them to your god or church ?

I always have a suspicion that it's more about spreading the word than actually helping people ?

Madhairday
where do all humanity get their intrinsic sense of right and wrong from? I dont think they have an 'intrinsic' morality, its learned, nurtured, experiential & reasoned.

Can it merely be attributed to evolutionary process Evolutionary in that people displaying beneficial moral behavior are more likely to work together and survive in an intellectually developing world, those not doing that probably had a lower survival rate.

or is there something beyond that? No sensible reason or evidence to think there is anything beyond that.

Does that explain why... it is simply wrong to abuse a child? Yes, live in a group that allows child abuse then your own children could be abused, harmed and the chances of thriving is decreased. Live in a group that stops child abuse and your more likely to thrive and propagate the species. To name but one example.

the right thing to do to protect the most vulnerable in society? Given anyone in your family could eventually be vulnerable in the future it is very easy to reason why we would want them protected.

All that might give us is a societal level belief which helps us reproduce
evolution isn't just about reproducing, its also about thriving, and developing a moral code helps support many of the emotions/experiences we want for ourselves and discourage the negative emotions/experiences.

and doesn't actually come down to an extreme morality. What is extreme morality?

And yet we still know, don't we Know what? There is no evidence that humanity has always known the same moral code over history and geography.

That's why we go above and beyond, and protect the weak even when they are of no use to our survival Or perhaps its because we have learned, been nurtured, experienced & reasoned that it is the right thing to do.

We connect to an intrinsic morality Where is the evidence for that? All the evidence shows people and cultures have had many different moral codes, over geography and history.

Goodness in people is not a surprise. We are all created in the image of God.

No deptfordgirl I am simply saying attending church is not a requirement as such.

The requirement in the Bible is to fellowship with one another, not go to church or be damned.

I've repeatedly stated my point. Kindness isn't the preserve of Christians, or other faiths.

EvilDoctor back of the queue for you. You're the wrong sort of good

Do all posters on Mn get the same sort of treatment on here or is it just me?

Cos I certainly ain't seein' no Christian behaviour here tonight!

I could post about a pain in my hole and someone find some way to find fault with me for it. Honestly. You need a hole of steel on here at times.

This was not a vexatious post. It was merely an observation that I put up for discussion. Why the hissy fits?

Because of the gross generalisations, at a guess. AIBU prefers nuanced conversation.

We're not having hissy fits we're just pointing out that you're talking shite

Do all posters on Mn get the same sort of treatment on here or is it just me?
what post has attacked you people have disagreed with your goady statements

Lol, I was wondering what Evildoctor had said to deserve such an admonishment, now that I've read back, I'm seriously thinking of paganism myself! There's a place very close to where I'm from back home way back in the homeland of Outer Mongolia Ireland where they celebrate solstices and such. As good a thing to worship as anything as far as I'm concerned.
I just can't get past the Catholic abuse. If any of you watched The Wind that Shakes the Barley, The Magdalene Laundries and another film that escapes me about a little mixed raced girl born out of marriage tortured by nuns, you might question who and what you are putting your faith in.

But no. I'm questioning religion. Akin to Satanism.

hiddley it most certainly was a vexatious post, because there’s no way anyone with an ounce of intelligence would have made the sweeping statements you made.

Wow - hit a nerve

Threesilverfeathers God fucking help you. Not that he will or anything, but it's just a phrase I use. I've gotten out of the hole. I don't know what to say to you as I don't know where you are. Just keep fighting the fight. Every day is just another day to get through. Much love.xxxxxxx