Comments on: Can Atheists Do Good Works?

By: Jeff Greathouse

Jeff Greathouse — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 00:59:10 +0000

i serve in many community agencies and there are more non-christians serving in them then christians

By: Todd Porter

Todd Porter — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 22:33:36 +0000

LB, I love your point about how Christ-followers can do more good, because we can list the help of the Holy Spirit. That is exactly the difference. It is not that atheists can not do any good it is just that Christ-followers should do more good, because they have a deeper insight into things due to that relationship we have with God.

As Christ-followers doing good should be as natural as breathing to us and we don’t bring attention to the fact that we breath how ever many times we do in a minute. Nope, we just do it and keep on doing it.

Excellent thoughts, LB!

By: Lisabeth

Lisabeth — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 01:23:04 +0000

My brother-in-law recently decided (although I get lectured every time I use the word “decided” when talking about it) that he is an atheist. He’d be very happy to “debate” (argue) that he is more moral now than ever before. I, however, think it’s because morality is just more loosely defined without God in the equation.

I think that anyone can do good works. Compassion and sympathy come through an individual’s own suffering, so the desire to help someone/some cause doesn’t necessarily have to come from God (directly). However, I believe that MORE good can come from believers because they can enlist the Holy Spirit. Does that make sense?

Just look at all the non-God subscribing organizations out there. I don’t know much about the specifics of them, but do the Peace Corps have an affiliation? What about Brangelina and all their efforts to save New Orleans? I don’t mean to assume anything about their beliefs, but they don’t do all this work in the name of the Father.

I think that one of the bigger issues here is that Christianity gets a bum rap in the media so much that we end up looking like idiots. I believe it’s our duty as Christians every day to be the body of Christ (to use a Christianese). I also believe that we aren’t necessarily supposed to demand recognition for this, and so much of what we do to further the kingdom doesn’t get counted in the Census.