Pretty excited about this; it's been a long time coming. One of the things that I dislike about religion is the idea that if you're not one of us, you'll never find eternal happiness. I've always felt that religion should be a way to find peace and satisfaction, but not the only way, and as long as everyone is working towards a better society and pulling their own weight, they can believe whatever they want. Thoughts from those more believing in God? Do you think that atheists, agnostics and believers of other faiths can get to whatever heaven is by good works alone?
The Catholic tradition has never been to treat people poorly, regardless of what they believe. You are to obey the command of Jesus to "love one another as I have loved you." The concept has been that entrance into heaven is through acceptance of the sacrifice made by Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. It has nothing to do with how you treat others in this life. That being said, I think Pope Francis' comments are tailored to adherence to Jesus' command to treat one another well.
That's not my take away. My take away is the arrogance that I do good because "god" has engineered me that way. I don't think so. Then again, I really don't care what the pope has to say about much. Atheists usually aren't interested in the heaven myth so I doubt they tend to give a damn if someone thinks they're going or not going to heaven.
You should do good because it helps humanity continue to survive by being good. And not just doing kind acts but being the best human being you can possibly be everyday. That is key to our species survival and it's just plain good.
You shouldn't need a book or anyone to tell you should treat others well and humble yourself as not more important than others. I'm not anti-Christian and still occasionally go to church but some people are such robots, who don't know how to think about stuff like this unless told outside of themselves (e.g. the Bible, clergy, etc...)
Atheists rejoice at the Pope's certification of their ability to potentially be good before going to hell.
They key word in your statement is "shouldn't". The reality is that they many people "do". 6,000+ years of human history clearly demonstrates the reality that people don't always do what they should. Reality is real. Anything that helps is a good thing. IMO, the Pope's position is refreshing.
The only Hell is a guilty conscience... while you are living. The only Heaven is peace of mind.... while you are living. I've never understood why that isn't a more universal philosophy. It seems so obvious that man is a sentient organic machine with a finite time span. Yet every culture everywhere has to assign some metaphysical entities without ever having any proof of it. Really strange to me.
Baby steps. It's not like I personally need validation, but it's one less thing that I strongly disagree with Catholicism, and one less thing they will hold against me. Anything that brings us closer together should be celebrated I think. So for at least one week, I can feel hopeful for the future of religion as a collection of good ideas, rather than religious dogma.
I think you're reading way too much into this. I don't think the Pope believes that anyone can go to heaven by their works, or indeed by any path other than Jesus. If he does, frankly, he's an apostate, a false teacher, doesn't read his Bible, and should gtfo. I'm not a Catholic or a Christian, but I know enough of the religion to know the Pope doesn't have the latitude to open the doors for all the atheists of the world. And, I don't think he believes atheists have the ability to be good either. Apparently, he thinks they have the ability to do good, which is fine, but not very revolutionary. I think he's reacting to a certain interpretation of sanctification, where some people say that any good impetus we have comes from the Holy Spirit, so those who don't have the Holy Spirit can't truly do good. That's how I read it, and I think it's good because I know some such Christians and I find that position to be wrong and damaging. But, it's a far cry from saying atheists can be good or earn or be granted salvation. So, it's not really a big deal.
I think you took more from it than was really there. Saying atheists are created in the image of god and as such do good things inherently is a backhanded compliment. They're not getting credit for doing good, they're being being told they do good because thats how god created them. It's an insult really to an atheist.
Seriously? Saying everybody can do good is insulting? I thought it was more insipid than anything. Who is giving this credit of which you speak, and what is it good for?
