Atheists: Why Shouldn't We Follow Jesus?

[GodlessHeathen]

Few would disagree that the life Jesus lived as portrayed in the Bible is a good example to live by. I would go further and argue it is the best example to live by, almost objectively so. To me, the questions often debated on these forums are almost irrelevant. It almost doesn't matter whether or not Jesus existed, or whether or not Jesus was the Son of God and performed miracles. We will likely never be able to know the answers to these questions definitively. If we die and our suspicions are confirmed that there is no God, will we have regretted living a life like Jesus did, leaving the world in a better state than when we entered it? I see no reason why that would be the case.

Too often, when atheists reject the hypocritical religious moral busybodies, the corrupt megachurch pastors fleecing their flocks, the outright crimes committed by some religious people and in the name of their religions, we tend to reject the concept wholesale without retaining what can be good about it. Atheism is just a rejection of belief in a god and therefore does not answer any moral questions; it isn't intended to. That isn't to say that atheists lack morality because that's not true either. But we tend to piece one out based on reason loosely based on the Golden Rule. But is this enough? I don't think so either.

Having a moral code based on reason is a good thing, but without the impetus to actually put it into practice in all situations, then we end up living our lives in cruise control at the whims of our desires. Most of us aren't terrible people. The harm we inflict on most people tends not to be intentional. Yet, we still harm others out of a sense of opportunity, out of a desire for justice or vengeance, or we still harbour hatred for others. By actively making an effort to live more like Jesus did, we might fall short, but the attempt would most certainly make our lives immeasurably better. So I pose the question again: Why shouldn't we atheists follow Jesus?

 

[Revoltingest]

He was big on charity without strings attached.
I prefer something more motivational but less generous.

 

[Quetzal]

He was big on charity without strings attached.

What a jerk!

 

[Revoltingest]

What a jerk!

He always struck me as being a commie at heart.

 

[Quetzal]

He always struck me as being a commie at heart.

If only the poor would stop being poor, am I right? Slackers!

 

[ArtieE]

Having a moral code based on reason is a good thing, but without the impetus to actually put it into practice in all situations, then we end up living our lives in cruise control at the whims of our desires. Most of us aren't terrible people. The harm we inflict on most people tends not to be intentional. Yet, we still harm others out of a sense of opportunity, out of a desire for justice or vengeance, or we still harbour hatred for others. By actively making an effort to live more like Jesus did, we might fall short, but the attempt would most certainly make our lives immeasurably better. So I pose the question again: Why shouldn't we atheists follow Jesus?

I have nothing against that atheists who don't know the difference between right and wrong make "an effort to live more like Jesus did." But some atheists just don't need "role models" to live like to live moral lives.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Few would disagree that the life Jesus lived as portrayed in the Bible is a good example to live by.

I'm one of the few, then, because I think he's a horrible example in a lot of ways, particularly from an atheist point of view.

 

[columbus]

He always struck me as being a commie at heart.

That is exactly how He was described by a Soviet Communist I met back in the 80s.
The Original Communist!

Nothing about political freedom or capitalism, Jesus was all about "taking care of the least" and "give until it hurts".
Tom

 

[Altfish]

I'd rather live a life like Iggy Pop or Eric Cantona - but as has been said before, I don't want to follow anyone.

 

[ArtieE]

I'm one of the few, then, because I think he's a horrible example in a lot of ways, particularly from an atheist point of view.

OK... can you list some good behavior atheists could copy and bad behavior atheists shouldn't copy?

 

[Quetzal]

I'm one of the few, then, because I think he's a horrible example in a lot of ways, particularly from an atheist point of view.

Go on...

 

[GodlessHeathen]

I have nothing against that atheists who don't know the difference between right and wrong make "an effort to live more like Jesus did." But some atheists just don't need "role models" to live like to live moral lives.

I feel like perhaps you missed the point of what I was saying. Everyone has the capacity to ascertain right from wrong, yet we know for a fact that people still do wrong. Atheists are more than capable of reasoning out a moral code that is more or less in line with the example of Jesus, but have little to no impetus to actually follow it in situations where it becomes inconvenient or difficult to do so.

I'm one of the few, then, because I think he's a horrible example in a lot of ways, particularly from an atheist point of view.

Can you elaborate on how Jesus was a "horrible example"?

I'd rather live a life like Iggy Pop or Eric Cantona - but as has been said before, I don't want to follow anyone.

That's your right. Nobody is putting a gun to your head. It's just a suggestion as something that is good for humanity and has literally no downside to it.

 

[sayak83]

Few would disagree that the life Jesus lived as portrayed in the Bible is a good example to live by. I would go further and argue it is the best example to live by, almost objectively so. To me, the questions often debated on these forums are almost irrelevant. It almost doesn't matter whether or not Jesus existed, or whether or not Jesus was the Son of God and performed miracles. We will likely never be able to know the answers to these questions definitively. If we die and our suspicions are confirmed that there is no God, will we have regretted living a life like Jesus did, leaving the world in a better state than when we entered it? I see no reason why that would be the case.

Too often, when atheists reject the hypocritical religious moral busybodies, the corrupt megachurch pastors fleecing their flocks, the outright crimes committed by some religious people and in the name of their religions, we tend to reject the concept wholesale without retaining what can be good about it. Atheism is just a rejection of belief in a god and therefore does not answer any moral questions; it isn't intended to. That isn't to say that atheists lack morality because that's not true either. But we tend to piece one out based on reason loosely based on the Golden Rule. But is this enough? I don't think so either.

Having a moral code based on reason is a good thing, but without the impetus to actually put it into practice in all situations, then we end up living our lives in cruise control at the whims of our desires. Most of us aren't terrible people. The harm we inflict on most people tends not to be intentional. Yet, we still harm others out of a sense of opportunity, out of a desire for justice or vengeance, or we still harbour hatred for others. By actively making an effort to live more like Jesus did, we might fall short, but the attempt would most certainly make our lives immeasurably better. So I pose the question again: Why shouldn't we atheists follow Jesus?

I am not precisely an atheist , but I would like to know what exactly did Jesus do in his tragically short life? In the 1-3 years he lived, he apparently roamed the countryside performing parochial miracles and exorcisms and preaching the oncoming end of the world (which did not happen) and saying positive sounding but disjointed sayings. Then, believing that the world is about to end, he went into the Temple on a holy day and caused an small uprising which promptly got him executed. The later development of Jesus in God and savior with world-changing significance of his death and resurrection is the brick over which the fascinating structure of Christianity is built. But without that (and atheists would deny that any of that actually happened) what did Jesus do and say and think in his life that makes him comparable to others (I am thinking of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Hillel, Buddha, Confucius, Mencius, Seneca and Marcus Aurelius)? James, Peter and Paul were far greater figures in that respect than Jesus ever was in his life.

 

[Revoltingest]

If only the poor would stop being poor, am I right? Slackers!

It's up to us to help them become otherwise.

 

[Nietzsche]

Few would disagree that the life Jesus lived as portrayed in the Bible is a good example to live by. I would go further and argue it is the best example to live by, almost objectively so. To me, the questions often debated on these forums are almost irrelevant. It almost doesn't matter whether or not Jesus existed, or whether or not Jesus was the Son of God and performed miracles. We will likely never be able to know the answers to these questions definitively. If we die and our suspicions are confirmed that there is no God, will we have regretted living a life like Jesus did, leaving the world in a better state than when we entered it? I see no reason why that would be the case.

Too often, when atheists reject the hypocritical religious moral busybodies, the corrupt megachurch pastors fleecing their flocks, the outright crimes committed by some religious people and in the name of their religions, we tend to reject the concept wholesale without retaining what can be good about it. Atheism is just a rejection of belief in a god and therefore does not answer any moral questions; it isn't intended to. That isn't to say that atheists lack morality because that's not true either. But we tend to piece one out based on reason loosely based on the Golden Rule. But is this enough? I don't think so either.

Having a moral code based on reason is a good thing, but without the impetus to actually put it into practice in all situations, then we end up living our lives in cruise control at the whims of our desires. Most of us aren't terrible people. The harm we inflict on most people tends not to be intentional. Yet, we still harm others out of a sense of opportunity, out of a desire for justice or vengeance, or we still harbour hatred for others. By actively making an effort to live more like Jesus did, we might fall short, but the attempt would most certainly make our lives immeasurably better. So I pose the question again: Why shouldn't we atheists follow Jesus?

I'd argue that you'd be better served deciding your morality for yourself rather than riding the coattails of a roughly iron-age peasant who still thought the earth was flat(No, not referring to the "people thought the earth was flat until Columbus" bull****, just that the writers of the NT clearly saw the earth as flat, or else the whole bit where you could see "all the kingdoms of the world" from a high mountain wouldn't work).

 

[Quetzal]

It's up to us to help them become otherwise.

Do you think all impoverished people are slackers?

 

[Sunstone]

In my opinion, Jesus is a good role model in some things, but there are whole lot of people who are better role models than him. Ben Franklin, Albert Einstein, or Nelson Mandela, for instance.

 

[Sunstone]

Do you think all impoverished people are slackers?

Most of the impoverished people I know work two or even three jobs.

 

[Revoltingest]

Do you think all impoverished people are slackers?

No.
Btw, I'm a big fan of microlending in 3rd world countries.

 

[Koldo]

Few would disagree that the life Jesus lived as portrayed in the Bible is a good example to live by. I would go further and argue it is the best example to live by, almost objectively so. To me, the questions often debated on these forums are almost irrelevant. It almost doesn't matter whether or not Jesus existed, or whether or not Jesus was the Son of God and performed miracles. We will likely never be able to know the answers to these questions definitively. If we die and our suspicions are confirmed that there is no God, will we have regretted living a life like Jesus did, leaving the world in a better state than when we entered it? I see no reason why that would be the case.

Too often, when atheists reject the hypocritical religious moral busybodies, the corrupt megachurch pastors fleecing their flocks, the outright crimes committed by some religious people and in the name of their religions, we tend to reject the concept wholesale without retaining what can be good about it. Atheism is just a rejection of belief in a god and therefore does not answer any moral questions; it isn't intended to. That isn't to say that atheists lack morality because that's not true either. But we tend to piece one out based on reason loosely based on the Golden Rule. But is this enough? I don't think so either.

Having a moral code based on reason is a good thing, but without the impetus to actually put it into practice in all situations, then we end up living our lives in cruise control at the whims of our desires. Most of us aren't terrible people. The harm we inflict on most people tends not to be intentional. Yet, we still harm others out of a sense of opportunity, out of a desire for justice or vengeance, or we still harbour hatred for others. By actively making an effort to live more like Jesus did, we might fall short, but the attempt would most certainly make our lives immeasurably better. So I pose the question again: Why shouldn't we atheists follow Jesus?

As far as I understand his life story, if we are to ignore the miracles, he was merely preaching around the land and gathering a group of fellows that believed what he said. I don't really see why his life would be a good example to live by.