A Response To John Shore

I just read a blog post by a christian named John Shore entitled An Honest Question: Atheists, How Do You Process Your Guilt?. Now John seems like a nice guy, So in this post i will try to turn down the venom and reply to him in the same polite way in which he asked the question.

In Johns post he asks how Atheists process guilt, I'm assuming he wants to know how they do it without the help of god. I could reply by asking why he would want to ask god for forgiveness and repentance when it was a human being which he treated unfairly, but that would risk me sounding feceasious (though i am tempted).

So here's my answer. I apologise and try my hardest not to do it again. it's as simple as that. I get forgiveness from the person i treated unfairly, If they wish to provide it. Not a god. A god who, In all fairness, Has no business accepting any apologies on behalf of someone else anyway.

John also mentions that without god he is unable to "better himself". personally i find that immensely sad. Because if you need god to better yourself, Do the right thing or process guilt it means that deep down you aren't a very nice person and only do things because the invisible sky buddy demands it of you. I don't for one second believe that John isn't a nice person, but i do think he believes that, Without god, he is not a very nice person.

This is a big difference between the religious and the Atheist.
The religious can rarely be trusted because you don't know if they are doing something because they want to or because they think it would please their god. With Atheists on the other hand, You know exactly where you stand. The Atheist fears no retribution for angering the deity.

I could go on an mention that a few hundred years ago people appeased their gods not by praying and asking for forgiveness but by sacrificing children. But i think I'll leave it there.