A lack of religious conviction does not mean a lack of morality or virtuous behavior. It is certainly implied, or more properly, inferred, by those that hold religious convictions. Morals are subjective abstract thoughts and actions deemed appropriate by the society.Any action, once accepted by the society, is then deemed moral. But does morality share a relationship with religion ? I do not think one could argue that it does not. One precipitates the other. Virtue plays an important role. One can be virtuous without being religious but you can not be religious without virtue. Empathy is the defining emotion in this relationship. The empathic person being virtuous as a result of those empathetic feelings.
Can empathy serve as a replacement for faith ? I would say being empathetic may instill the desire for moral conduct. The empath reacts to the feelings of others, having experienced their feeling. It creates in us a desire to help. No one enjoys seeing others suffer. When we feel those pains we just naturally want to do something. Being sympathetic is not the same thing. Empaths feel, the sympathetic understand. I can sympathize without feeling your pain.
So then why do the religious form this opinion of the unbeliever ? I believe it is solely because we cannot know their moral code or values. For the religious, Christians or whatever , these values and morals are written down in their sacred texts. Yes they are often interpreted differently, even by members of the same faith, but the guidelines are there. Divine guidance is offered. For those that profess no belief in a divine plan or standard, no such offering is made. That is what is so unsettling. What are their guidelines ?
It is apparent that man has long decided that " laws " are necessary to delineate proper conduct in society. Whether those laws are " moral " laws or " criminal " make little difference in their function. They are to instruct. Man needs guidance and indeed the threat of " punishment " in order to behave properly. That is to say, in a manner consistent with good faith with his fellow man. Some would label it fear, but I call it consequence. Being aware of the consequences is not the same as being afraid. In the moral realm the removal of consequences may remove the fear, but not the consequence. That is the function of belief. To those that believe the consequences are very real. It is the empathy of the believer that prompts his actions. That is why it is so important to " spread the word ", to help our fellow man. For a believer to experience, for even a brief moment, the experience of " no faith " is a very unsettling and puzzling thing. Quite uncomfortable and somewhat scary. That is the empathy I speak of. It is not sympathy, I can not feel sorrow for those that deny the existence of God because it is something I can not understand. I can feel empathy because I have times of doubt and have experienced that feeling. I hear the cries of the nonbeliever as questions and can not but help tell my truth. The desire to help is an inherent thing.
Is it a necessity to profess your faith before your fellow man, or before your God ? I do believe it is only necessary to do so before your fellow man to provide a basis for understanding and acceptance. It is not necessary to obtain his mercy. Obedience is the key to heaven. No one of us can obey every law or directive, we will all fall short.( sin ) Belief without obedience is also not sufficient. Consequence can not be avoided by non belief or non compliance. But, will the non believer gain the reward if he is compliant despite his non belief ? Yes, I believe that he would because I believe in the mercy of the Lord. God does not require our approval or acceptance. He does require obedience ! The non believer may be compliant even if it is inadvertent. I do believe that the truth will be revealed to the obedient, even in death. It just takes longer for some to " see the light. " As long as we follow the path we will reach the destination, whether in darkness or in light..
I do think we are suffering, in society today, from a lack of empathy. We have become more sympathetic falsely believing that we understand ( empathize ) with others. We believe that just by giving, material goods or services, that we are helping. Yes, we are helping with material needs and promoting virtuous behavior. The issue is we are allowing that to replace empathy and empathy stems from experience. The true empath "feels" the emotions of another. This is true of us all, this inherent ability to " feel " the emotions of others. It is also a trait that should be nurtured.
Faith is tied to belief. Belief is dependant upon empathy. When we feel the presence of God, we can believe, Remaining faithful requires a reaffirmation of belief. That is only accomplished through empathy. If more of us we empathetic more of us would believe, The non believer lacks this empathy, that is my thinking. They are not to be vilified but just require enlightenment. That means they must " experience " the feeling of faith, and in turn, belief. Belief is a feeling, not an action. It requires understanding.
Can empathy serve as a replacement for faith ? I would say being empathetic may instill the desire for moral conduct. The empath reacts to the feelings of others, having experienced their feeling. It creates in us a desire to help. No one enjoys seeing others suffer. When we feel those pains we just naturally want to do something. Being sympathetic is not the same thing. Empaths feel, the sympathetic understand. I can sympathize without feeling your pain.
So then why do the religious form this opinion of the unbeliever ? I believe it is solely because we cannot know their moral code or values. For the religious, Christians or whatever , these values and morals are written down in their sacred texts. Yes they are often interpreted differently, even by members of the same faith, but the guidelines are there. Divine guidance is offered. For those that profess no belief in a divine plan or standard, no such offering is made. That is what is so unsettling. What are their guidelines ?
It is apparent that man has long decided that " laws " are necessary to delineate proper conduct in society. Whether those laws are " moral " laws or " criminal " make little difference in their function. They are to instruct. Man needs guidance and indeed the threat of " punishment " in order to behave properly. That is to say, in a manner consistent with good faith with his fellow man. Some would label it fear, but I call it consequence. Being aware of the consequences is not the same as being afraid. In the moral realm the removal of consequences may remove the fear, but not the consequence. That is the function of belief. To those that believe the consequences are very real. It is the empathy of the believer that prompts his actions. That is why it is so important to " spread the word ", to help our fellow man. For a believer to experience, for even a brief moment, the experience of " no faith " is a very unsettling and puzzling thing. Quite uncomfortable and somewhat scary. That is the empathy I speak of. It is not sympathy, I can not feel sorrow for those that deny the existence of God because it is something I can not understand. I can feel empathy because I have times of doubt and have experienced that feeling. I hear the cries of the nonbeliever as questions and can not but help tell my truth. The desire to help is an inherent thing.
Is it a necessity to profess your faith before your fellow man, or before your God ? I do believe it is only necessary to do so before your fellow man to provide a basis for understanding and acceptance. It is not necessary to obtain his mercy. Obedience is the key to heaven. No one of us can obey every law or directive, we will all fall short.( sin ) Belief without obedience is also not sufficient. Consequence can not be avoided by non belief or non compliance. But, will the non believer gain the reward if he is compliant despite his non belief ? Yes, I believe that he would because I believe in the mercy of the Lord. God does not require our approval or acceptance. He does require obedience ! The non believer may be compliant even if it is inadvertent. I do believe that the truth will be revealed to the obedient, even in death. It just takes longer for some to " see the light. " As long as we follow the path we will reach the destination, whether in darkness or in light..
I do think we are suffering, in society today, from a lack of empathy. We have become more sympathetic falsely believing that we understand ( empathize ) with others. We believe that just by giving, material goods or services, that we are helping. Yes, we are helping with material needs and promoting virtuous behavior. The issue is we are allowing that to replace empathy and empathy stems from experience. The true empath "feels" the emotions of another. This is true of us all, this inherent ability to " feel " the emotions of others. It is also a trait that should be nurtured.
Faith is tied to belief. Belief is dependant upon empathy. When we feel the presence of God, we can believe, Remaining faithful requires a reaffirmation of belief. That is only accomplished through empathy. If more of us we empathetic more of us would believe, The non believer lacks this empathy, that is my thinking. They are not to be vilified but just require enlightenment. That means they must " experience " the feeling of faith, and in turn, belief. Belief is a feeling, not an action. It requires understanding.
No comments:
Post a Comment