Disbelief: Explaining Morality in Atheism to The Religious

Now I've done it.

I was posting a chat on facebook (Yeah, that's what i get), lamenting the loss of my hometown's innocence to the right wing evangelical groups that hijacked it. I got some varied banter agreeing or disagreeing but one kid was very keen on exposing me as a "Trendy Atheist". He replied a few times to different comments i made arguing that facts are different things to different people, and then tying his logic into very silly knots. Eventually however, he asked a question I hear from a lot of people of faith:

"If I am here solely because my ancestors evolved and crawled out of the water, why does it matter if I go walk up to some homeless dude and kick him in the nuts? I'm not accountable to a set moral or virtuous code because who is to say what is really good? "

This comment astounds me, and I figured I might address it, and perhaps give a little insight to my own total fall from religion.

The rejection of my Catholicism is somewhat recent, and it was prompted by a Homily given during mass. The priest was explaining some paintings he saw while in Rome that depicted Christ ascendant with bones at his feet. The priest recounts that he as he researched further, he realized the bones were representation of Adam and Eve who Christ rescued from hell and brought to heaven thereby redeeming original sin.

All was well.

That is, until Spiderman went after the ring of power in the land of Oz and had to defeat a Sith Lord named Pikachu.

After hearing that, i asked myself," Do I really believe that? In my heart, even as a child i've felt they were all stories. Now as an adult, do I have a place for this? Do I need to continue pretending?" Looking into my heart, i knew the answer was "no". I understand world religions and the need for answers well enough to know that the answers to life's questions do not rest in a single source of divine knowledge.

So how could i, as immediately as I rejected my faith and ultimately all faiths, possibly defend the question of my own moral compass? The answer, interestingly enough, has always been there for me.

Here is what I replied to the kid's question:

"The notion that we don't kick people in the nuts only because of a religion or an established set of morals is a fiction that belies the fact that we have human experience and the finest qualities of mankind to look to. In fact it is easy argualble that more immoral and in fact, violent acts are committed by beleivers than non-believers.

For me, and i feel for most non believers, we tend to negate the Absolutism of religion and bring it to its most primal level, In short , it is basic humanitarian grounding that is the basis for religious rationale. The true moral center rests with the recognition of the other, not in the belief of a higher authority. In laymen's terms I see the face of "God" in myself or and "The other".

A respect for mankind and its achievements (Humanism), allows you to work for the betterment of yourself and the world, because of its inherent benefits, not for fear of a vengeful deity or some sort of prize at the end of life. It forces you to deal with things now and enjoy and respect and truly appreciate the value of human life and the journey we all share.

Positing an agnostic or atheisitc universe, even the creation of the Christ story itself shows the redemptive force inherent in mankind. A force that is more elegant or beautiful than any ficticious parables about virgin births, or resurrections."

I think that covers it.

Richard Dawkins is just a big softy.

I found out recently that most Americans would rather vote in a gay president than an atheist president. Considering how popular our friends of the rainbow flag tend to be in areas where the shit is oft kicked, I find this revelation rather shocking. Moreover, I have also found the villification of Dawkins rather suprising. I suppose THE GOD DELUSIONhas much to do with it. His rather harsh dismissal of religion as "The Root of All Evil", ruffled even MY feathers at times and I consider myself a ratther thick-skinned nonbeliever. But to those unfamiliar with the entirety of Dawkin's work, I'd like to intoriduce you to a kinder, gentler version of Dickie Dawk. In these two Documentaries, Dawkins addresses his love of Humanity, and of the natural universe. A love so deep, he hates to see its elegance tarnished by anything as petty as our own prejudices and superstitions.

NICE GUYS FINISH FIRST
This 24 miute Documentary discusses how being civil, and decent to one another is an evolutionary trait that favors those who practice it, rather than self-destructive violence. This 24 minute Doc, was made in order to counter critics of his "Selfish Gene" theory who claimed it was Social Darwinism.



THE BIG QUESTION:

This deeply touching documentary has Big Rich explaining how science may actually explain (In a sense) the question that religions have been asking since the dawn of time. Inspirational for anyone who has struggled with the seemingly silly complaxities and pettiness of certain aspects of Religion.

A Google Treasure Trove

I have recently discovered a treasure trove of Documentaries on Google. No, not Documentary clips, but full length quality Docus. If I may bring your attention to two of my absolute favorites.

The first is The Elegant Universe,



A book i loved that makes astonishingly enough, an even better pair of documentaries, narrated by Brian Greene Himself.

Part 1. Einstein's Universe


Part 2. String's The Thing


Now, for the more intense of the two.

The shocking title does no justice to the incredible arguments that Richard Dawkins makes against religion and its assault on reason and science. Whether or not you agree with the content, this documentary must give you pause. Narrated by Dawkins, who is an incredible thinker and is very passionate about his arguments. The gem of these documentaries is an interview with Ted Haggard, who gets all uppity when he is challenged by Dawkins as someone who is "telling people what to think". Not to be missed.



Part 1. The God Delusion


Part2. The Virus of Faith