https://www.ftsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/January-February-2024-Ezine.pdf
Many claim that the United States of America is a good and
moral country because we are a “God-fearing nation.” Can
you imagine what kind of morals and values we would have
if we weren’t a God-fearing nation? Without religion, the
United States would probably have the highest rates of
violent crime — murder, rape, and robbery — in the
developed world. Without a deep commitment to our faith-
based values, we’d probably have an educational system
that’s an embarrassment, with our children ranking among
the lowest in the world in science and math scores.
Furthermore, without solid morals rooted in our religious
character, we would probably have teen pregnancy rates that
are among the highest in the world.
Oh, wait — the United States does have the highest
violent crime rates in the developed world. We do have an
educational system that ranks poorly compared to other
developed countries, with our kids consistently ranking low
in math and science scores relative to the rest of the world.
And our teen pregnancy rate is among the highest among
developed countries.
The reason these statistics are not even worse is partly
because of the rise of secular Americans who choose to live
without theistic religion. Only in recent years have secular
Americans begun to stand together in expectation that a
secular worldview will be recognized and respected. Please
take a look at the 20 national member organizations affiliated
with the Secular Coalition for America:
https://secular.org/about/members/
Many claim that the United States of America is a good and
moral country because we are a “God-fearing nation.” Can
you imagine what kind of morals and values we would have
if we weren’t a God-fearing nation? Without religion, the
United States would probably have the highest rates of
violent crime — murder, rape, and robbery — in the
developed world. Without a deep commitment to our faith-
based values, we’d probably have an educational system
that’s an embarrassment, with our children ranking among
the lowest in the world in science and math scores.
Furthermore, without solid morals rooted in our religious
character, we would probably have teen pregnancy rates that
are among the highest in the world.
Oh, wait — the United States does have the highest
violent crime rates in the developed world. We do have an
educational system that ranks poorly compared to other
developed countries, with our kids consistently ranking low
in math and science scores relative to the rest of the world.
And our teen pregnancy rate is among the highest among
developed countries.
The reason these statistics are not even worse is partly
because of the rise of secular Americans who choose to live
without theistic religion. Only in recent years have secular
Americans begun to stand together in expectation that a
secular worldview will be recognized and respected. Please
take a look at the 20 national member organizations affiliated
with the Secular Coalition for America:
https://secular.org/about/members/
Unfortunately, many secular Americans feel the need to
identify with the religion of their upbringing. Religious
labels are often more cultural than theological. Millions of
Americans might refer to themselves as Catholic, Jewish,
Protestant, or Muslim because of how they were raised. They
might stay with their childhood indoctrinated identity
because they don’t want to hurt family or friends. To break
openly from a religious tradition might be too painful for
them and their loved ones, even though they now think that
an Abrahamic God intervening in their daily lives is as true
as the myth of Thor.
I have no problem being a Jew. Among Jews, I happen to
be in the majority. Most Jews have no god beliefs. Below is a
link to an interesting article published by Judaism Online
about this subject (“Guess Who Doesn’t Believe in God?”):
https://www.simpletoremember.com/articles/a/jewsdontbelieve/
The category of “nones,” those with no particular
religion, is the fastest growing demographic in the country,
representing over 30 percent of Americans, and considerably
higher among millennials. The “nones” outnumber the
combined populations of American Methodists, Pentecostals,
Presbyterians, Jews, Episcopalians, Mormons, and Muslims.
I’m sometimes asked if people can be good without God,
and where atheists get their morality — if not from religion?
How do we make moral decisions? One criterion is to
look at what has stood the test of time in creating a livable
society. As an atheist and secular humanist, I think ethical
values are derived from human needs and interests, and are
tested and refined by experience. We are part of a natural
world, the result of unguided evolutionary change. Our
ancestors thrived because traits we call moral were beneficial
for survival. Such favorable genes were passed to us over
many generations. Natural selection could have provided us
with the psychological makeup that favors cooperation,
empathy, reciprocity, social affinity, and the interests of the
entire community, which is the essence of human morality.
I think morality is partly innate and partly learned. We
need ongoing discussions as we continue to revise and refine
our views about how best to maximize happiness, minimize
suffering, and promote human dignity.
To quote Abraham Lincoln:
“When I do good, I feel good; when I do bad, I feel
bad. That’s my religion.”
Another pithy comment with which I agree comes from the
Jewish sage Hillel, who was asked to provide the essence of
his religion while standing on one leg:
“What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor.
All else is commentary.”
And now for my commentary. I think it’s meaningless to
ask whether people can be good without God. As an atheist, I
think we are all without any gods. The question is really
whether people can be good without a belief in God. And by
just about any measure, the answer is “yes.” Scandinavian
countries, for example, are the least religious and have low
crime rates, as well as good social programs and a high
quality of life.
I question the morality of those who believe people can’t
be good without a god belief. If their behavior is based solely
on perceived rewards or punishments from a deity, then they
are acting out of self-interest alone. Is morality more about
being good for goodness’ sake or about being good for fear
of a god condemning you to hell? To make ethical decisions
without revelations from a deity means the responsibility for
those decisions ends with you, and no one else. When you
accept there is no world beyond this one, you have to turn
your eyes away from the sky and look at the people around
you.
I was once a guest on a talk-radio show when a caller said
to me, “Since you don’t believe in God, I suppose you can go
out and rape and murder and do whatever you think you can
get away with.” My response was, “With an attitude like that,
I hope you continue to believe in a god.” Sometimes I say. “I
rape and murder as many people as I want to — no one.”
When I’m questioned more rationally about how I make
moral decisions without a god belief, I sometimes answer
with the following questions: “How would your behavior
toward other people change if you stopped believing in a god
that judges your actions? Wouldn’t you continue to be the
same ethical and moral person you are now?” I have more
respect for those who admit their behavior would change little
or not at all if they stopped believing in a god.
In a debate with a pastor I asked him how his behavior
would change if he stopped believing in God. He thought for
a minute and said, “I’m sometimes tempted by other women
to cheat on my wife, but I resist because I know how much it
would hurt Jesus.” My response was, “I resist such temptation
because of my love for my wife, Sharon, knowing how much
it would hurt Sharon.”
After the debate, several women from the pastor’s church
told me they liked my answer a lot more than they liked his,
and the pastor’s wife didn’t look all that happy with his
response. Our answers represented a significant difference in
worldviews. Do we look to please other human beings or an imaginary god?
Some say their behavior might not change much, but their god beliefs provide them with a great deal of comfort. I understand this perspective, but I’m concerned about those who are overly dependent on such beliefs. That level of dependency can turn their god into a drug to which the believer is addicted.
When Napoleon asked the mathematician Laplace what place God had in his theory of Celestial Mechanics, Laplace responded, “I have no need of that hypothesis.” And I can say to a god-addicted believer, “I have no need of that drug.”
