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| Can you be moral without heaven and hell? |
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By Bjorn Watland
Do people behave better the older they get, because they fear "Judgement Day?" Are the problems of our economy due to actions made by people who believe there is no heaven or hell? David Lebedoff seems to think so in his opinion piece at the Star Tribune.
The reaction from Minnesota Atheists should not be surprising. Of course I think that people can and do behave well, regardless of whether they fear a punishment prescribed by theology. In fact, I think it is more noble to act irregardless of such demands and to make choices based on principle rather than dogma.
I reject the claim that most of the decisions which have been made about our economy have been made by people who do not believe in a heaven or hell based on polling which indicate that atheists and people who do not believe in heaven or hell are in a minority status in this country. Our government is a secular government, but we are a diverse nation, full of decision makers who are believers and non believers.
Our current economic situation needs level headed, rational thinking, and not attempts to associate George Orwellian thinking to blame those who choose to reason in the natural world with all of its problems without regard to a supernatural concept of eternal punishment or reward.
As an atheist, I am offended by Mr. Lebedoff's claim and could counter that, using his reasoning, we should fear any attempts to accelerate tensions in Israel in order to bring about the Apocalypse. Apocalyptic thinking could be blamed for ignoring the current economic crisis, as well as impending environmental problems for our planet, because it is all a part of the End Times.
If you find Mr. Lebedoff's claim compelling, consider what doors his theory opens. What a waste of resources to sling mud over each other's views on theology when what is called for is cool headed reasoning. Minnesota Atheists and those who do not believe in eternal punishment or reward will not stand to be discriminated against so broadly for the world's troubles.
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Grace E McGarvie
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... David Lebedoff seems to believe that the belief in heaven and hell, the carrot and stick - that God uses to make us be good, is necessary for moral behavior. Heaven is a reward that good people get for being good, and hell is a punishment that bad people get for being bad. I completely reject such nonsense as did George Orwell. Lebeddoff completely distorts what George Orwell said and believed: "There is little doubt that the modern cult of power worship is bound up with the modern man's feeling that life here and now is the only life there is . . . I would say that the decay of belief in personal immortality has been as important as the rise of machine civilization . . . I do not want the belief in life after death to return . . . What I do point out is that its disappearance has left a big hole, and that we ought to take notice of that fact . . . (Mankind) is not likely to salvage civilization unless he can evolve a system of good and evil which is independent of heaven and hell." George Orwell Good people do good because they want to do good - not because they will go to heaven. People who do good solely for their "crown in glory" are not good people. If your reason for doing good is to get your ticket to heaven or your fear of going to hell, you are not a moral person Lebedoff says that moral standards are required for the proper functioning of society. The idea that immortality stands as a bulwark against bad behavior is out of touch with reality. If this is so why are 95+% of the people in our prisons adherants of religion? Why did Nixon, Clinton, Bush, etc. lie to the American people even though they professed religious belief? Lebedoff incorrectly believes that the Judeo-Christian God and heaven and hell are the only source of such standards. Philosophers as diverse as Democritus, Plato, Voltaire, Gandhi, Bertrand Russell, Robert Frost, John Lennon, Paul Kurtz, and yes, George Orwell have written reams about morality without God. Contrary to what Lebedoff would have us believe, what our society really needs is not more belief in heaven and hell but an education that stresses personal honor and morality. Grace McGarvie Plymouth, MN 55447 |
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