Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2024/06/06/trump-if-you-dont-have-heaven-whats-the-reason-why-do-i-have-to-be-good.html
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That shit says a lot more about him than literally anyone else, religious or not. 
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Funny, I always though that my primary reason to be good was precisely that there is no afterlife. No need to make you or other’s life a living hell.
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Dear Mr. Turmp,
Try reading it the right way up.
Sincerely,
nobodygivesafuck.
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Frankly, at the end of the day, I don’t really care what people’s reasons are for how they act… I care more about how it impacts the rest of us… If people are doing it out of fear of god, or for the reasons you state, then great. But how are they acting and how is that impacting others… Our behaviors are social, after all…
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Totally agree. I just always found weird that “if there is no heaven, why we should be good” kind of argument.
I was raised catholic, and my religion teacher was very adamant that “heaven” was not a reward for good behaviour, and that being good to your peers was not a quality exclusive to christians, so I wonder if is something more in line with american puritanism…
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Me too, frankly. Like, as I said about Trump’s comment… it’s telling. That people who say that (or something similar about the law) don’t feel like they could control themselves outside of those sort of authoritarian structures (and, of course, not all religion/laws are authoritarian, etc). The same tend to gravitate towards those authoritarian structures, me thinks.
I think it’s just authortarianism as a mindset? There are certainly some authoritarian impulses in Catholicism (just look at the push back Pope Francis has gotten over some of attempted reforms) and in Europe more generally, but it’s certainly central to American puritanism, no doubt!
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Echoing the “I don’t care why people are good as long as they treat each other well” sentiment. John Lennon was one famous example of the “belief in an afterlife is hardly a prerequisite for treating each other well” school of thought:
Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us, only sky
Imagine all the people
Livin’ for today
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too
Imagine all the people
Livin’ life in peace
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Maybe he should talk to Jared? It’s my understanding this is a topic Judaism has examined extensively, given they don’t believe in hell.
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So again another religious person (probably pretending here, but still stands) announcing that they have zero morals if not threatened with future punishments…
You do realise you’re broadcasting you are terrible people, right? (normal people don’t need threats to be decent)
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Be good, for goodness’ sake.
Treat people how you want to be treated, or better.
It costs nothing to be kind.
These are core moral values that have clearly never even occurred to him.
Also it’s telling that that infantile comment was his reply to the prompt: ‘describe your relationship with God.’
That gobbledygook was Trumpese for:
“I don’t have one, and I never have!”
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He doesn’t even really put any effort into pretending. He’s never said or done anything that suggests he’s read a single word of the Bible or paid any attention whatsoever during any church service. He has nothing but barely disguised contempt for actual people of faith.
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Who is this “they”? Because A.) many of the less religious nations in Europe have lower crime rates, and B.) this is coming from the guy who told his supporters to bash heads of protestors.
You don’t need a reward in Heaven to be good, in fact it’s better to get the reward immediately in the form of a better society, friendlier neighbors, etc.
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Donald Trump (internal voice): “Do unto others. Full Stop.”
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Fully agree, i feel it needed to be said though 
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If there was ever a human embodiment of “there is no God,” it’s Donald Trump.
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I can’t fathom TFG behaves as if he thinks he’s going to be judged at any point.
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Why, because theists act moral and atheists don’t? To hell with that nonsense. People act according to their empathy or lack thereof, and find excuses for it either way.
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As an atheist, can confirm, I spend most of my day shoving people onto the subway tracks for kicks. 
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He’s an athiest, just one with zero moarals…
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