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Edited by Circadian Wolf:
1/31/2013 12:54:19 PM
6
Is a good deed always good?
I was reading that thread about the burning baby in a building and it made me think about why people do good things.
My question is this: Bearing in mind many religions state people will be judged in the afterlife for the things they do in our world, religious people have more reason to do good things than atheists. However, does this make them good deeds at all? Generally an atheist will do a good deed out of the goodness of their hearts as there is no/little personal benefiet in doing it. However, if a christian helps people just so they can be rewarded in the afterlife, is it still a selfless action or does it become more like a transaction, I'm nice here so I can live eternal happinies later on.
I am not saying all religious people are like this but there is bound to be a minority who are. How would you feel if someone helped you out not for you but merely as an ends to their own means, would you still appreciate it as much? Is a good deed done for selfish reasons still a good deed?
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Now this is actually a very interesting question, and my response to it generally surprises people. Many religious people, but not all, do a number of "good deeds" to basically score points with the big man upstairs. So you might make the argument that they're doing their good deed for reward, thus nullifying its true kindness. First off, not all religious people, by any means, immediately think about being rewarded with a heaven when they decide to help somebody with something. It's not like at every opportunity to do a good thing, theists naturally say "Aw, sweet, heaven points, baby!" That's silly. The inherent motivation to help someone out if they're struggling is a fairly basic trait in all people. So your argument, in short, is that a deed done for the purpose of receiving an award isn't truly a good deed. Well, why do you do good deeds? It makes you feel good, right? You receive gratification, and possibly praise? Those are all rewards, too. Whether the expected reward is of psychological origin or physical, I don't really think it matters.
