I am moving straight forward to eventually leave tscc. I am old enough to know what is good and what is not for me, for my health, for my profession and for living a peaceful life within society. Tscc has in fact some good principles that I can apply too.

I am wondering now if I can find good principles from other sources, maybe not religious this time, to continue looking forward to living better and doing good without any controling religion. Ideas?

Don't look for a new set of standards to adopt.

Live life, and as a situation arrives that you've not been through, stop and think how you feel and what you think is right and do it.

Make your OWN moral code.

I don't believe the bible is the word of god nor that Jesus even existed, but I do agree with one of its core precepts; Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Or, as Bill from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure says, "Be excellent to each other."

Look up the stages of moral development (Lawrence Kohlberg, including his major book on this subject: THE PHILOSOPHY OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT)...

...and also look up the stages of ["religious"/atheistic/agnostic] "faith" (James W. Fowler, including his major book on this subject: STAGES OF FAITH: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning).

You can Google all of the above for multiple synopses of both "stages" (moral, and "religious"), but I think you will find both books by these authors also immensely helpful (with lots of down-to-earth examples). You can get both books from any library. (Copies of Maslow are now extremely pricey; copies of Fowler begin at $1.99, plus shipping & handling, on www.abebooks.com )

Both of these books, especially when read "with," or consecutively to each other, will give you enormous insight into where you have "been," where you are NOW, and where you are "on the way to."

Both books come from an objective point-of-view and have NOTHING to do with any individual belief or system of beliefs.

Truly great question for this board!

My best wishes go out to you on your most fascinating new journey. :-)



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 08/07/2013 09:12PM by tevai.

You could try choosing some widely held belief systems - other religions, different political points of views, philosophies - and examine them trying to find one solid principle from each with which you can agree.

The idea is to look at these perspectives with the goal of finding something admirable in each, instead of judging through the Mormon filters and finding them lacking.

For example:
Islam prohibits the charging of interest. Devout Muslims who follow this principle would never be taken in by payday lenders.

Judaism has one holiday - Yom Kippur - devoted to making amends to and settling grievances with your family, community, and God. The twelve-step model of addiction recovery also emphasizes "making amends." If everyone did this, we'd have a better world.

Buddhism teaches that material things are not as valuable as spiritual progress, which is a perfect antidote to the Prosperity Gospel.

Wiccan and Pagan groups emphasize environmental stewardship and feminist principles.

Moving away from religions, what about political perspectives? Can you look at socialism, Communism, libertarianism, etc. and find one admirable principle in each?

The leaders of many social justice movements wrote extensively about the changes they wanted to see and why. Feminist writers, civil rights leaders, 19th century reformers - anyone who was not happy with their society and wanted to change it.

You don't have to agree with or believe in any complete system, but you can find something to admire all of them. If nothing else, you'll be very well-read.

Just don't lie or steal. Be kind and thoughtful and non judgmental to your fellow humans. Work hard and have fun and try not to hurt anyone. Eat healthy and practice moderation but once in awhile throw caution to the wind and live it up. Open doors for others and pick up trash someone else dropped on the ground. Give generously to those in need but set proper boundaries. These things are our inner moral code. Follow what your inner moral code tells you is right.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/08/2013 12:50AM by snuckafoodberry.

Are you saying you're looking for standards? Not deciding what they should be for you? We need to formulate out own standards.

Or are you hoping to find other institutions and individuals who live by the standards you've chosen? You'll likely find others who agree with your ideas on the subject if you're as reasonable as you seem to be. Of course we all need to be flexible enough to accept others who have differing standards and don't impose them on us.

1. Don't break the law.
2. Don't abuse anyone's heart
3. Don't let anyone abuse your heart

It's a start.