Why be a good person?

There are many people who claim that morality comes from a god. And they often say, "If there is no god, then why be a good person?"

There are many reasons to be a good and moral person.

  • To maximize the health and safety of people around us
  • To treat people how we would want to be treated
  • To minimize human suffering
  • To exercise our natural instincts for compassion
  • To earn the respect and trust of others
  • To feel a sense of purpose
  • To minimize the time spent in conflict with those around us
  • To lower the amount of stress we feel
  • To improve our mental health
  • Many more, I'm sure...let me know in the comments.
Let's revisit the claim that we can only be good with god. Does that mean:
  • If there weren't a god in the sky watching you, you wouldn't be good?
  • You are only being moral to earn some kind of reward or to avoid punishment?
  • You would follow any command from your god no matter how depraved (since morality comes from your god?)
Which person seems more moral: the one who is good without god, or the one who is only good because they want to earn a reward or to avoid a punishment?

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