Philosophy of Religion

Section 5 Morality as Secular and Utilitarian

Nowell-Smith continues by using the older children in Piaget’s study as an analogy for secular morality.  The older children are now thoroughly well versed in the rules.  They grasp the concept that the rules were passed down to them, but now they are willing to question them.  Additionally, the older children in the study were willing to adapt and modify the rules to suit themselves.  While they realized that they were not the authors of the rules, they did come to see their power to ensure that the rules were conducive to their group’s desires.  Similarly, secular moralists realize that rules are a necessity in order to maintain some semblance of order.  However the secular moralist is willing and able to modify moral guidelines so as to ensure their relevance to both the individual and society.  Like the children in the study, the secular moralists have matured beyond mere acceptance of commandments and have moved into active participation in deciding what is most sensible in terms of morality. 

Mark S. Halfon, (2004, Nassau Community College) 

            That there is a difference between religion and morality is uncontroversial.  How, then, can atheism be interpreted as a moral alternative?  Although religion and morality reflect different values, they are deeply intertwined for most individuals.  In many cases, a person’s moral principles are grounded in religious commitments.  In other cases, people find the source of morality outside of religion, such as the inherent value of all human beings.  My central claim is that atheism rather than a theologically based value system offers the moral high ground.

            The principal problem with a divinely-based moral system is most obvious with respect to religious fundamentalism.  Religious fundamentalists typically claim that there is one universally true religion and only one path to salvation.  Christian, Jews, Muslims and others have taken this exclusivist position.  The underlying difficulty is there is simply no rational justification for preferring one religion to another.  All religions are based on faith, that is, a subjective feeling reflecting a personal preference.  If faith is the basis for one’s religious beliefs, then no one religion has any greater claim to truth than another.  But from the standpoint of the fundamentalist, articles of faith are magically transformed into universal truths. 

            When religious certitude is at the core of one’s world view, it is difficult to consider the possibility that one’s judgments are fallible.  As a result, religious fundamentalism provides a breeding ground for arrogance, hatred, and intolerance. The Muslim fundamentalists who attacked the United States on September 11 believed they were involved in a Jihad, and that God would reward them with eternal life.  Christian fundamentalists such as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson spew their hatred by blaming the terror attacks on feminism and the American Civil Liberties Union.  Jewish settlers in Israel claim land in the Gaza Strip belongs to the Jewish people based solely on their biblical interpretations.  History has shown that religious differences have been at the heart of numerous disputes for centuries, and that countless thousands have been killed in the name of the Christian God, or Muslim God, or Jewish God.  

            Religious fundamentalism builds walls between people given the perception that God will reward only a select group.  According to Christian fundamentalists, for example, if Osama Bin Laden “finds Jesus,” then their God will reward Bin Laden with eternal life.  That same God will condemn Mother Theresa, Muhammad Ali, Mahatma Gandhi and other honorable men and women to eternal damnation. Is that the judgment of a loving and compassionate God?  Does a fair and just God place greater value on a few simple religious beliefs as opposed to the value of living a noble life?  If your God is compassionate and just, then the path to salvation will be open to all.  Bigotry and prejudice are moral evils, whether cloaked in racial, ethnic, or religious garb.              

            Atheists, instead, could base their moral ideals in humanism, that is, a philosophy that stresses the inherent value of all human beings.  The humanist perspective commands respect for all individuals regardless of their religious or political preferences.  Secular humanism avoids, if not condemns, the elitist tendency of religious ideologues.   There is no rational basis for asserting that one religion is better than another.  Theologians have attempted to justify their religious preferences based on an appeal to the bible.  Which bible?  Does the Old Testament, or New Testament, or Koran have any greater claim to truth?  Should biblical passages be interpreted literally or figuratively?   From a moral standpoint, atheists and humanists can avoid these complex, if not, unanswerable questions.  All human beings have moral worth regardless on whether or not there is one “true God.”  

            Additionally, atheists are more likely to act from pure motives.  That is, they are more likely to be motivated to do what’s right simply because it’s right, and not because of some ulterior motive.  There is no need to create fictions for the purpose of moral motivation.   There is no need to do what’s right because one wants to avoid punishment, whether the punishment take the form of incarceration or eternal damnation.  There is no need for honorable people to act for the sake of a reward, whether that reward is worldly or otherworldly.  Moreover, a God who will forgive any and all sins does more to promote wrongdoing than any secular philosophy.  Atheists can avoid these pitfalls since they typically embrace the principle that “Virtue is its own reward.”  

            Nonetheless, religion can and does play a meaningful role in many lives. A great number of individuals lead a morally good life precisely because of their religious commitments.  A deeply ingrained personal faith can provide one with the strength to face hardship and overcome adversity.  Hope abounds for those who believe an in an omniscient and omnipotent deity.  But God and religion are from necessary to act virtuously.  Believers and nonbelievers alike can live up to the highest moral standards.      

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