Atheists: Do you have issues with this... Love, Actions, Beliefs?

Question

Atheists / Agnostics / Philosophers

Do you have issue with the following statements:

Because man has a capacity for spiritual thought, even if it is not real, the following seems to make sense.

Our beliefs (thought) influence our feelings and actions.  Actions influence our feelings and thoughts. Feelings influence our thoughts and actions.
Therefore,  Faith, Love, Action are intertwined because man is both physical and emotional, and has the capacity for spiritual thought.

Do you Agree?

Stated a slightly different way:
Faith often times leads us to cherish or love something.  Love demands expression (it can not be go unexpressed forever).  Actions done without love are done for the wrong reason. Beliefs which don't result in any action, ever, are dead and worthless.

RIGHT?



What has just been expressed is the Catholic view of Salvation. It is not "faith alone" or "bible alone" 
It is a balanced, middle of the road view that we should have all 3, faith, love and actions.
Do you find this sufficiently deficient in any way?

I'm just trying to see if there are any parts of the religious teachings that an Atheist on the R&S section can agree with and say "Yeeeaaahhh MAN!"


Happy Cinco de Mayo and Shalom!  (Hebrew for Peace)

Gaia’s Garden · Accepted Answer

I like those thoughts. We don't hear many similar statements on this forum. We hear everything from you're going to hell if you don't believe, to an attitude of gloating that we won't be in Heaven.

Anonymous · Answer

"Actions done without love are done for the wrong reason"

I disagree with this point.  Unless we are going to abstract 'love' to an absurd degree, then love is not the only right motivator for an action.  Other right motivators might be justice, duty, honor, desire, etc.  Of course, one could make the argument, "then take those actions out of love of justice" (or other motivator) but then love becomes meaningless and irrelevant because you've made it the basis of everything -- and anything which is the basis of everything is worthless since it is no longer distinguishable.

------------

added:

A big ditto to what "ask a mexican" said.

Anonymous · Answer

Yeaaah man... I was raised catholic... I'll admit that religion did shape who I am... But I also feel like it is unnecessary at the same time. I've now realized that I don't need a religion, or indeed a god, to be a happy, moral, person...

There is nothing wrong with having beliefs... I just don't think its necessary to worship a belief...

froufrou · Answer

of course our beleifs and thought sinfluence our actions, and our lives

i beleive in a spiritual side to life

i find that whatever the bible or catholic church claims, they never follow through by actions, so its irrelveant

i dont agree with religious 'teachings, i agree with philosiphy, but organise that philosiphy, and you get religon, which ruins the very idea of what philosiphy is, ideas and thoughts, not facts and answers

Bucky · Answer

I have an issue with you stating that thought = faith. I agree that THOUGHT is necessary, if you're wording it like that, but I don't think FAITH is necessary.

If you change it to "we should have all 3, thought, love and actions" then I can agree with that. But to me, faith is not necessary to express the other two.

Atheists: Do you have issues with this... Love, Actions, Beliefs?

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