Just recently both of my "LDS" parents noted that their non-religious son (moi) was the one that they depend on for courtesy, respect, and decency. Both remarks came out of the blue.
Also, two of my wives relatives (two I admire greatly) flattered me by saying that they could not have chosen a better father and husband for my kids and wife than me. I blushed.
I have noticed, subjectively, that as people lose their religion, they tend to be more interpersonally decent, moral, and accepting of diverse thought. I could be way off base here, but this came to mind when I cam across a great quote:
Hellmut wrote: "The character of some people definitely improves once they shed the obligations of sanctified bigotry." You may find it here.
You know, I am a better behaved person without religion clouding my mind with bigotry. It just seems easier to choose the morally correct thing to do. Perhaps (follow me here) losing the fear of hell and the hope of heaven has allowed me to focus on results in the here and now, rather than the dogmatic outcomes which always seemed ambiguous and confusing? Could religious-LESS-ness make the world a better place?
HH
4 comments:
I love what Hellmut said too, and that your family recognizes your good qualities as well.
Thanks for the compliment, HH.
Most Mormons are good people. They sacrifice so much for their church.
Unfortunately, the church is often asking us to contribute to an unethical course of action. One moment that was revealing in that respect was the lifting of the priesthood ban.
While some Mormons found it difficult to adapt and racist attitudes continue to linger among us, clearly, most Mormons were ecstatic. Some women even started dating and marrying black Mormons. A burden lifted from our shoulders.
That illustrates that we did not mean to be racists but felt obligated to follow the counsel of the prophet. Sadly, in this case, as well as some others, the counsel of the Brethren did not improve us.
While I prefer not to associate with organized Mormonism any more, I do understand those who have a desire to remain active. However, they need to realize that they are following the prophet at their own peril.
Always put your love for your neighbor before your love for the church. Otherwise you might find that you traded your heart for a stone. That's not a good deal.
I wanted to make a break from the church much earlier than I actually did but feared that I'd be caught in a moral free fall. Instead what I found was the pleasant suprise of experiencing morals for the first time because they are now really my own.
"obligations of sanctified bigotry": what a great line! I don't like obligations and must agre with Spontaneous expression that there is something liberating about facing the moral fabric of your life head on with no set of pre-fab rules to follow. In fact I just finished a post on this very issue.
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