Quote Originally Posted by SLUDGE FACTORY View Post
You don't have to be a person of faith to do good things

That's what annoys me about religious people

They think it's god influencing them to do good things

It's bollocks

You don't have to go to church or be religious to do good things or be kind

You can be a member of the local chess club and still be kind and help the homeless

People are human beings and in general don't do something for nothing

People who go to church and pray do so because they want to get to this place called heaven

They help the poor because they think it will make God think they are good people and he will look after them

Some bloke who is on the dole and gives a quid to a homeless person is every bit as good a person as the couple all dressed up singing in church on a Sunday

My view is there probably isn't a god but if there is I will have done enough to have be let into his paradise
I reckon empathy and collaboration has probably offered evolutionary advantage so ultimately, whether you're religious or not, it's ultimately rooted in self-interest. Nothing wrong with that of course, we're wired this way though natural selection and it can still provide many people and animals with more meaningful and productive lives. That's not to say of course everybody will behave that way whatever their beliefs.