Do You Need God to Be Good

I found Thursday’s reading to be particularly interesting for many reasons. As a religious individual I would like to uphold the assumption that religious priorities prevent us from wrong doing. I think myself, as well as others often make this misconception. As a society, we can be quick to stereo-type. For instance; a Sunday school teacher wouldn’t steal but an atheist might. The author of this article does an exceptional job of providing evidence of this faulty thinking. He introduces research studies that have proven an individual of belief is more likely to commit a crime.
To answer the question at hand, I do not believe someone “needs God to be good”. The author clearly makes this point in his writing in the Beedles’ chapter. As human beings we can often be classified by our beliefs or thoughts. But it is not our ideas so much as our actions that matter. In other words, if I am a follower of God and preach the gospel but steal from the collection plate, what really matters? In this situation my actions have overpowered my beliefs. The same is true for an atheist. Just because someone is lacking in faith does not discredit their moral consciousness. With this thought in mind I also feel very strongly that individuals do not in fact “need God” in order to have morals or good behavior.
The truth of the matter is that we are humans and therefore subject to mistakes. People are not without flaw and thus it goes without saying that not all religious people are always good. As the chapter from Beedels discusses, research has in fact proven that people with religious affiliations will cheat or lie or ignore a helpless victim. At the same time an individual may show good behavior without the guidance of a higher power. Although there are always exceptions it is unfair to assume that in order to be moral you must partake in religion.