Christians are better people?

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An odd assumption, but one the media makes on regular occasions. Just recently I saw an interview with a gang rape victim who was raped in the 1980s. The program managed to catch up with one of the rapists and they said he was a completly different man than his past would describe him. They mentioned several of his good traits such as councilling newly released convicts, his community dedication and such yet they also included him as a christian. This implies that being a Christian is a 'good' thing and since they were listing his 'good' traits then it seems that not being a christian or religious at all is not a good thing.

What do you think? Does being a Christian (or any other religion [barring the obvious extremist-fanatical cults]) make you a good person? Should it be listed as a virtue? Does this mean that athiests and agnostics who perform the same deeds as a christian are not as 'good' as this person?

 

I have to agree that I doubt religion comes into it. I find it to be my own moral compass that directs me, rather than my Catholic upbringing. But then it could be said that my moral compass was formed by my Catholic upbringing.

 

To start off, I must say I think most of the people in this world are in many ways evil. Wether they realise it or not. Everywhere I've been, everywhere I go, all I see is people who treat others badly in one way or another and generally behave like something I'd have shot the day they were born. Basically, only cowards and wussies do not harm others because they don't have the guts, and all of the more charismatic, powerful personalities constantly put others under their heels when they won't suffer themselves by doing so.

But I respect religion. While there are certainly some who in their zeal behave exactly in the same manner as these other scum, most of them are those more "modern", or rather more peaceful religious people. It all depends on the religion of course, but then I wouldn't know much about anything else than christianity, living in this rather small country of mine. Based on my experience with people, christians -and I mean those who are christians by choice, not because they grew up with it and carry it as nothing more than a name- are good people almost without exception. Too much ignorance or too much zeal lessens this goodness in them, but even these cases still hold dear those principles I value in a person.

An average christian is gentle, kind, reliable, loyal, understanding, wise and generally makes a very good life-time friend. This does not mean that christians ARE better than others, though. It merely means that as far as my experience in life goes, knowing someone is a christian significantly reduces their chances of being an a-hole like most of the rest. Still, my best friend is an atheist with morals and ethics like few christians can claim to have, so there is always the exception to the rule.

Even christians have problems and differences, but they see beyond their petty selves and realise that in the end, we're all in the same boat. And that it's actually worth it to get along. If a normal person doesn't like someone, he considers this someone as trash. If an average christian doesn't like someone, he'll continue trying, and even while failing will understand that that someone is a person just like himself, only different.

 

I understand that not all Christians are 'saints' but there are many 'saints' (not officially saints) who aren't religious at all. However the (western AFAIK) world seems to view someone who is a christian instantly as a good person. Isn't doing this a form of... I'm not sure of the word - when someone is deemed 'superior' because they follow a religion?

It can be considered similar to making the assumption that all Asians are hard workers and that all black Africans (not too sure if this is the correct term) are dirt poor with no education. Simply because the majority of their groups show these traits. I believe we call making those assumptions racisim.

 

I wouldn't move so far. There's some difference between a religion and a race. When you get a race, then it really goes the assumption route like the example you mentioned. People will judge individuals by the majority of those who form a given group with said individuals. But there's no direct implication, i.e. while a race doesn't require you to be clean, dirty, educated, unlearnt, poor etc, a religion might.

Christians are no better people than any other, but from the context, it seems they meant upholding the Christian moral and ethical standards rather than doing lip service like anyone can.

While the man could in fact be reformed, I'm too cynical to take is granted, just because someone says so. He might have reformed, he might just be dodging the blame. It cannot be escaped that he first of all needs pardon, not praise.

Another thing they could have meant is that religion typically comes with a moral code and if someone pursues a religion seriously, he's into that moral code as well. Instead of a religion, they could have mentioned anything from Salvation Army to boyscouts, although implications of that could differ.

Note: The Bible is full of repentant sinners. The first man to have entered paradise after Jesus was a murderer who repented hours or minutes before dying.

 

Two weeks ago, in a city nearby, was this guy in jail, he got 40 year for rape; there is this law, if you are a good guy for half of the time, you can be out; so, in the board meeting, they decided that this guy is a "good christian"; because he went to church, he prayed a lot, etc.(that's the only reason they give), so they free him; 2 days after he got out, he kidnapped a 5 year old child, extrangulated him and then he raped the child.
Like Tal says, I think is a matter of education, no matter the religion; my family raised me christian but I don't practice that much, but I have perfectly clear what's good or bad.

 

Why would being a christian make you better? Sure christianity teaches a few good morals but there is a flipside to that coin, christianity also teaches bad morals. I grew up in a christian family but I on some level (from age 10) never fully grasped the concept of christianity. What I did (age 16 on) was take the few good morals from christianity (although I believe from my parents by since they got it from their christian childhood I'll list it as so) and make them my own. Together with the ones I'd like to call common sense I have a pretty good set of morals.

In any way I think the word 'believe' is overrated in the sense of religion. If one does not believe in a god (whom noone in their right mind ever saw or been proven he existed) he would be a lesser person.

Frankly I would rather trust someone who believes in no god and relies on their common sense and education than a person who blindly follow his so called 'saviour'

 

There are so many ways I could answer all this, but let me ask a simple question.

If your car was broken down in the middle of a rough area in the middle of the night, and you saw a group of ten large men approaching you from a dim-lit alley, would you feel better or worse knowing that they had just left a Bible Study?

 

Deviating from the topic a little, what are those bad morals Christianity teaches?

 

Well, I believe personally, that in our society, being a religious person has come to be believed as a good characteristic, much as saying a person is 'kind', 'generous', 'noble' etc etc are compliments; so is 'christian'.

Its just become more of a figure of speech, and doesnt necessarily signify a guarantee of a person's character.

 

Mathetais pretty much nailed it, heh. Alternatives there too, of course. But honestly, I think everyone knows the change in the odds of what would happen to you, depending on the answer to that question.

 

@math

Great point

Let me start with (this may not always be the case nowadays) forcing morals is never a good way. Opposing gay marriage come to mind. Anti abortion (although this is widely opposed, why I'll never understand), Not using condoms is one of the popes grandest ideas

 

Let's suppose you have a clear case of infanticide attempt. Do you abstain from forcing your morals, or do you come in and rescue the child? For Christian churches, abortion is infanticide.

Next: You witness a murder attempt. Do you maim the bastard and kill him if needed to prevent the crime, or do you step aside, contemplating the values of non-enforcement of your morals?

You will probably say those cases are different from abortion, but they aren't so much so for a person who believes abortion to be homicide. That someone else believes it isn't homicide is not relevant to the morals of a person who believes it is.

A pro-abortionist might say abotion is not homicide, a tribal shaman might say offering human sacrifice is not homicide, a slavemaster might say execution is an acceptable form of punishment. All three speak on moral grounds and all three hold themselves morally justified. Still, a person who believes any of the three examples to be a case of homicide, will attempt to prevent that homicide from happening.

 

@Chev


Interesting that the church views that as childmurdering. Funny after they 'saved' the child and the mother who is a drug addict dies of an overdose, does the church take in that child? No they don't, the child groes up in a foster home with whatever consequenses that holds, and that's in countries who care about foster homes.

But let's not go down that road alright. Our opinions are downright at opposites so let's not bother to discuss that, it is of no use.

 

http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/b/beethovenabort.htm

You never know the future.

 

/\

 

More and more churches are taking those sorts of children in. Adoption programs are getting ramped up. Also, new initiatives at "crisis pregancy" centers offers food, shelter, clothing, career placement ect for mothers who choose to keep their babies.

Here's the truth (in my well educated opinion ) Christians aren't better than most people, but we should be. There are some wonderful pagans and nasty christians. I left the church 5 years ago because christians were beating my family apart.

We aren't good, but we are learning and trying to get better. I'm not good, to tell you the truth, but I also am getting better.

What seperates Christians from most of the world today is that we have an objective, external code of ethics. That fact, in and of itself, helps give us a moral compass. Now, if I can just teach the church to look at the compass a bit more regularly, we'd be in business.

There is a clique that says "The safest place on earth is in the middle of God's will." I think that the most dangerous place is the middle of God's will ... but in a good way. To be consistnat, good and holy means that Christians will often cut across the grain of pop culture, we will say and do unpopular things. We shouldn't be safe, but we should be good.

(heh, I just might have to preach that one!!! )

 

And why is that? Because you follow a code that 'ensures' a peace of mind. Yet that same code did some horrible things in the past (and presently). Why then does or should that code make you better than any other person! (I know you said most but let's do this for arguments sake)

 

As some people have touched upon, I think a person who truly followed the teachings of that dude called Jesus Christ would be rather good people, sadly I have yet to come into contact or even hear about many such persons.

However, if you are a believing christians it generally means that you have a decent family situation, you have been raised with parents who paid somekind of attention to you. You are part of a church community and thus meet many other people. Most generic thugs and criminals have none of that and come from broken homes with abusive parents.

If you look at more planned crimes and murders by design I am tempted to say that christians are almost overrepresentated. A true believer can get it in his head to do both this and that on the command of god. We had a case here in Sweden this which got lot of attention about a reverend who had first killed his first wife several years ago and made it look like an accident and then induced one of his mistresses to kill his second wife by sending her sms which claimed to be from god.