What is the most ignorant thing a Christian has told you?

[leo]

i mentioned either on this thread or maybe another im not sure

that people do wrong when they chose not to do what is right
which eliminates the point about a grand puppet master
and refutes the point about how people who are bad have been abandoned

i also refuse to accept that people are good
working together for survival isnt good, its an act of self preservation

How often do you crap and fart ?

[Contemporary Protestant]

daily

[leo]

Thank you very much. You are a very cool guy. Thanks for answering   this important question.

[the_antithesis]

that people do wrong when they chose not to do what is right

Then where does this god-thing enter into it?

[Contemporary Protestant]

when i said guiding force, i included an anecdote about doing something uncomfortable for the sake of someone else, like being a friend to someone, i would dislike, cannot come from my own free will, it is contrary to human nature (portrayed by psychology) to go against the group to help the outsider, this action must be prompted by an outside force
this is assuming that people are all herd animals that are selfish and desire status qou

[Aletheia]

i mentioned either on this thread or maybe another im not sure

that people do wrong when they chose not to do what is right

People rarely choose specifically between doing what is right or wrong. Rather, people choose what is most beneficial for themselves and/or those they care about. It's because of this that people with good intentions can be conned into doing very harmful things.

which eliminates the point about a grand puppet master
and refutes the point about how people who are bad have been abandoned

Precisely, which is why having a god or a moral guiding force is utterly useless and unnecessary. We don't need these things to assist our choices. We inherently are geared towards self-preservation and altruism - often times going back and forth between depending on the person and the given situation.

i also refuse to accept that people are good
working together for survival isnt good, its an act of self preservation

Good implies that it is beneficial. Working together for survival is good because everyone benefits. Workloads per individual is reduced, security between individuals is increased, and more resources are accrued due to cooperation.

There are acts of genuine selflessness referred to as altruism. For example, a mother putting her personal safety in jeopardy to save her child, a bystander calling out for help to draw the attention away from the victim and putting his own personal safety at risk, or even a person who barely has enough to eat but makes sure their dog never runs out of food.

Refusing to accept that people are good does not change the facts of reality. People can be and have been demonstrably good toward each other. They have been documented to display altruism. These facts cannot be changed no matter what world view you wish desperately were true. This line of reasoning you have paints a corrupt, bleak world with no hope and will only lead to a yearning for death.

Accept people as they are - imperfect, but please do not condemn everyone as being evil or bad just because you feel without evidence that nobody is capable of being good on their own.

[Aletheia]

it is contrary to human nature (portrayed by psychology) to go against the group to help the outsider, this action must be prompted by an outside force

Your view is incomplete. We also have an instinct to seek out others, one of the main reasons being to reduce inbreeding and to seek out allies with a common goal. They are not prompted by this outside force (aka guiding force, god, etc). It is a decision they make on their own that is a mix of instinct and logical thinking.

If you are going to quote the scientific research, then please make sure you have all the facts. Unlike the Bible, science cannot be cherry-picked.

ETA: We've all helped someone when we really didn't want to in an effort to either avoid feeling guilty about it or empathized with the state the person was in and really didn't want another person to suffer. Still, we have the choice to help the person or not - this does not mean we won't feel some averse effect from these choices.

[Contemporary Protestant]

i do agree that people are imperfect and that biology plays a role in morality but i see it as tragic that self preservation is such a strong influence on peoples actions

i am doing a horrible job at explaining this but i am mainly thinking about what prompts a person to stop worrying about the self and fix on the needs of others to the point of self sacrifice, my main line of reasoning is doubt that a person can overcome the natural urges of living reproducing and protecting their young at the cost of others
while i recognize people help others as a way of furthering self

i am currently in a psychology class and my studies are continuing to show that self preservation is greater than altruism in human nature, so i am curious about what would prompt a flip in these instincts

i am not trying to cherry pick, just trying to make prompt responses

[Contemporary Protestant]

im going to explain it another way
the id is selfish and about desire while the super ego is about morals, roughly

what would cause a person to act more on moral ideals rather than their own desires

i think it would take something that can really motivate

[the_antithesis]

this action must be prompted by an outside force

No it isn't. See sympathy and empathy.

[Mermaid]

That morality comes from God.

[doorknob]

one time a christian told me to stop taking my psych meds and go to church that was my real problem.

[Contemporary Protestant]

i dont think sympathy and empathy are strong enough to account for the actions of some individuals
if people were so sympathetic and empathetic, then why do so few give to charity

[leo]

You are asumming too much. How do you know if few people give to charity ?

[leo]

Hey contemporary protestant , what's the name of the protestant sect you belong ?