Yeah - among other things, God most certanily wants us to be "nice" if by that is meant kind, empathetic and available to people, particularly those in distress. "Nice" can mean a lot of things. Defining "nice" is like trying to pick up mercury with a fork. You may not be able to define it but boy-o-boy, you sure can tell when it's absent. As it often is in our "true" Churches...
And no, "nice" is not the only thing God wants us to be.
I have had the misfortune of knowing and interacting with people whose profession of both the Catholic and Orthodox Faiths was theologically correct in every way; and they kept the rules and regulations of their respective Churches flawlessly. But they were as mean as vipers with the shingles. Condescending to, and dismissive, of people with less education; less fortitude; less belief.
They drove people away from the Church. They eclipsed Jesus altogether. They spread anger and grieved people, all in the Name of Jesus. What they lacked in joy they made up for in rigourism and hardness of heart. The most important thing was to be right, or correct. Sometimes such folks act as if they never even heard of the Golden Rule, much less observe it. And paradoxically, lotsa atheists and agnostics DO know it and observe it.
So, being "nice" has a certain relative importance. "See how they love one another!" was once the identifying mark of Catholics and Orthodox. Is it any more? Not necessarily. Should it be? Yes; it should be at least one of them.
Last edited by sielos ilgesys; 02/22/12 04:23 AM. Reason: spelling
