Quote Originally Posted by Rutledge
And frankly thinking you've come into this world without obligations to those around you and those you love is ignorant and sad.
what is sad is to aid those around you and to do what is right just because you feel obligated. we should be able to improve life for those around us merely because it is right and we enjoy it, not because we feel we should or through fear of punishment.

this is one of the problems i have with religion, this carrot and stick mentality. in most every religion the adherents are punished for their evil deeds and rewarded for their good works, led like sheep into a lifestyle that should come naturally. whether the punishment is eternal damnation or merely the withholding of favor, it is still fear that leads the religious to do the right thing and while living in the shadow of that fear they may never be able to make that leap to the next step in their ethical evolution and know the joy of real unfettered giving.