The Highest Moral Deed!

Discussion in 'Religion Archives' started by moementum7, May 9, 2004.

  1. moementum7 ~^~You First~^~ Registered Senior Member

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    What is the highest moral deed one can do in order to be virtuous?
    Thanks.
     
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  3. Medicine*Woman Jesus: Mythstory--Not History! Valued Senior Member

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    <*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*>
    M*W: Forgive.
     
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  5. TheERK Registered Senior Member

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    Why?

    My answer: make someone else or yourself happy. The basis of all morality should be happiness.
     
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  7. Katazia Black Mamba Registered Senior Member

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    Stay alive.
     
  8. Halcyon Guest

    It's all relative.

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  9. rainbow__princess_4 The Ashtray Girl Registered Senior Member

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    The question wasn't about the basis of morality, it was about the highest moral deeds.

    I don't quite see the direction of this thread but I think it would be to destroy all people who value morals. If it weren't for you we'd all be a looooooot happier... which of course is the basis of morality according to TheERK.
     
  10. water the sea Registered Senior Member

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    From my handy handybook:

    Never say to others about yourself that you are ugly.
    Never say to others about yourself that you are stupid.
    Never say to others about yourself that you are evil.

    Never say to others about yourself that you are beautiful.
    Never say to others about yourself that you are smart.
    Never say to others about yourself that you are good.


    Say just this.

    (Here I pasted in a picture by Gustav Klimt: The portrait of Gertha Felsovanyi. The woman has the most intriguing smile, and depending on what mood and attitude I am in, I see there a smile, or a frown, or whatever -- by looking at that picture, I see what mood or attitude I am really in at the time. If I see Gertha smile, and I feel good at it, this means that I am in a state of mind that I desire for myself to be the right one. Pic at http://www.laks.com/klimtmuseum/k040.html)
     
  11. invert_nexus Ze do caixao Valued Senior Member

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    A scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverant.

    Damn, I can't believe I still remember that.
     
  12. alain du hast mich Registered Senior Member

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    giving your own life and going through alot of pain to help/save someone
     
  13. Jenyar Solar flair Valued Senior Member

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    Give your whole life and everything you own to God, and follow Him. That summarizes all other virtues.
     
  14. path Militant wiseguy Registered Senior Member

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    So you believe that people who don't believe in god are without virtue or vitueally(in actuality not virtually

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    ) challenged?
     
  15. Jenyar Solar flair Valued Senior Member

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    No, of course they can exhibit virtues, but they can't achieve the highest virtue, which was the question. Because there is no authority on what is good higher than God.
     
  16. path Militant wiseguy Registered Senior Member

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    You seem to be glossing over the fact that there is no god

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  17. Jenyar Solar flair Valued Senior Member

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    And you seem to be denying that there is

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  18. TheERK Registered Senior Member

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    Nope, you just said that giving everything to God "summarizes all other virtues." Pick one or the other.
     
  19. Jenyar Solar flair Valued Senior Member

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    Let's see. Since the ends of justice is peace and prosperity, everything that works towards peace and prosperity satisfies that end to a certain degree. But no amount of helping old ladies carry their bags across the street will ensure world peace or jsutice for all. Does that mean I have to choose between world peace and helping old ladies? No, it just means I'm not doing enough.

    Since all virtues mean being human to the degree which we were created to be, they all satisfy the requirements of giving everything you are to God to an extent. But you haven't given all that you are to God if you don't believe in Him, and therefore you still fall short of the ultimate goal of being virtuous in the first place.

    If the ultimate virtue were to embody the perfect boy scout, then being "trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverant" can be summarized as "being a scout", but even exhibiting all of those things doesn't make you a scout, so you haven't achieved the ultimate virtue yet. You have to be recognized by an authority on those qualities - the archetypal scout.

    And since all virtues are just our way of describing "the perfect human being", it follows that such perfection must have been quantified at some point to become an objective goal. It wasn't quantified by us, or it would have been dependent on us, and relative for each person. And if God quantified those virtues in human beings, being human "in his image" is the ultimate fulfillment of being virtuous (what the Bible calls "righteous"). But He is the authority who must recognize that achievement. He embodied it through Christ, who categorized it as two-fold: as love for each other, and love for God.
     
  20. Katazia Black Mamba Registered Senior Member

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    Jenyar,

    Too simple. Assassinating every Muslim in the world would probably eliminate 99% of all terrorists – this is a good thing, right? I do not believe the ends justify the means.

    What??? All virtues are defined by humans for the benefit of humans.

    The same concept can also be applied to the worship of Zeus for example. Either way makes no sense or any intrinsic value.

    Well of course not. Why give anything to a fantasy?

    Only if you define being virtuous as giving yourself to a god. And that doesn’t appear to have any worthwhile end result.

    Now that is total nonsense. True honesty and virtue can be easily demonstrated when you do the right thing even when no one is watching or even knows or ever finds out.

    OK - so virtue can be defined entirely through rational discussion and agreement between fellow humans.

    What the heck does that mean? Your sentences really do get awfully twisted when you try to rationalize everything to ‘God did it.

    Virtue is relative to every person, and every lifestyle and culture on the planet. What is valued highly in India might not be the same in Argentina, etc etc. Some virtues will be universally shared and others will not – this is the nature of a wonderfully diverse world of varying ideas, cultures and beliefs.

    This is just the perspective of one of the diverse cultures on the planet; it certainly cannot be accepted as an absolute standard.

    No. True virtue requires no acknowledgement or recognition.

    Love for each other we easily recognize for ourselves – the concepts of God and Christ appear to be superfluous to the issues.

    Kat
     
  21. Adstar Valued Senior Member

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    To willingly give your life to save your enemies.


    All Praise The Ancient Of Days
     
  22. atheroy Registered Senior Member

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    Kat

    What you write mostly is sweet, but I have a bone of contention over this sentence.

    Assassinating every Muslim in the world would probably eliminate 99% of all terrorists

    I wouldn't say that. What differentiates someone who bombs an abortion clinic or flies planes into buildings? Nothing.

    There are plenty of people out there committing acts that could be considered terrorism but aren't. Like the war in Iraq. If I'm not mistaken the Taliban(sp) declared war on the US so we can't really assume that what they did was terrorism, the US has caused much collateral damage in their pursuit of Osama or Sadam and other enemies in Afghanistan or Iraq- probably many more so than those killed in 911. Why isn't there an international uproar over this loss of life?

    Or what about the lives of around a thousand Somalis when an American Black Hawk was downed? Most of the people from the chopper survived at the monumental expense the Somalis. America’s actions incited the violence directed towards these men yet the movie of the incident portrayed the Somalis in a very harsh light- I almost came out pro-America, anti-Somali. Such abuse of historical events to favour America makes me sick. There should be regulations for such things as this in no way can be considered as an artistic take on an event that happened.

    My understanding of what constitutes war is; war has been declared, and what constitutes terrorism; that of a violent act from left field with no forewarning. Can we have different definitions of what constitutes war and terrorism for our 'enemies' than for ourselves?

    No.

    Don’t be gullible enough to believe that all Muslims are the terrorists they are made out to be.
     
  23. Jenyar Solar flair Valued Senior Member

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    Kat,

    Maybe you should clarify what you consider "virtue", because by your reasoning the concept itself is superfluous.
     

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