No matter how late it is I never go to sleep without reading for at least a half an hour. I tend to read a series of books on a particular subject (often prompted by some TV show I’ve just seen ) and lately, I’ve been reading what I think of as The God Books. (By which I do not mean the Bible.) No, I’m talking Sam Harris’s THE END OF FAITH; Christopher Hitchens GOD IS NOT GREAT; Richard Dawkins THE GOD DELUSION; and the latest entry in this - um, pantheon - Sam Harris’s latest book, THE MORAL LANDSCAPE. Fine books, all.
I have usually thought of myself as agnostic rather than atheist, simply because it seemed humbler - who was I to claim any knowledge? Better to modestly grant that I haven’t got a clue how the universe got here. Richard Dawkins has a particular pet peeve for agnostics, so at the moment I’m feeling a tad sheepish about calling myself one. But one thing’s for sure - I’m no believer. (If I believe in anything, it’s carbon.)
All these authors have a great deal to say about the violence done in the name of God and religion. (See all of human history for specifics.) But I find myself wondering if that violence would have occurred regardless - if not in the name of God, then in the name of the tribe. I suspect that one way or another, just like the chimps, we’d have been at one another. We’d have found a reason. As Mel Brooks put it so well in THE TWO THOUSAND YEAR OLD MAN - “they can all go to Hell except Cave 76!”
But that’s a minor point, really. The real point is that religion is NOT the fount of morality, or goodness. As any atheist knows! I try to behave in such a way that I do not feel ashamed. This is not always easy, but it is a big motivator, since it gives me a bad stomach ache to feel I’ve behaved badly. I can feel ashamed all on my own, thank you very much - I don’t need any notion of God to feel I’ve been my lesser self.
When I read about religious violence (and when don’t we ) I always think it’s like one person saying to another, ‘My fantasy is better than your fantasy! Bang Bang!’
So I honor these books. It takes a brave soul to declare non-belief in 21st century America. Hey, I’m nervous just writing this blog! Seriously- thank God for these guys! (ha ha).
I have usually thought of myself as agnostic rather than atheist, simply because it seemed humbler - who was I to claim any knowledge? Better to modestly grant that I haven’t got a clue how the universe got here. Richard Dawkins has a particular pet peeve for agnostics, so at the moment I’m feeling a tad sheepish about calling myself one. But one thing’s for sure - I’m no believer. (If I believe in anything, it’s carbon.)
All these authors have a great deal to say about the violence done in the name of God and religion. (See all of human history for specifics.) But I find myself wondering if that violence would have occurred regardless - if not in the name of God, then in the name of the tribe. I suspect that one way or another, just like the chimps, we’d have been at one another. We’d have found a reason. As Mel Brooks put it so well in THE TWO THOUSAND YEAR OLD MAN - “they can all go to Hell except Cave 76!”
But that’s a minor point, really. The real point is that religion is NOT the fount of morality, or goodness. As any atheist knows! I try to behave in such a way that I do not feel ashamed. This is not always easy, but it is a big motivator, since it gives me a bad stomach ache to feel I’ve behaved badly. I can feel ashamed all on my own, thank you very much - I don’t need any notion of God to feel I’ve been my lesser self.
When I read about religious violence (and when don’t we ) I always think it’s like one person saying to another, ‘My fantasy is better than your fantasy! Bang Bang!’
So I honor these books. It takes a brave soul to declare non-belief in 21st century America. Hey, I’m nervous just writing this blog! Seriously- thank God for these guys! (ha ha).
References & Sources: The Two Thousand Year Old Man (Mel Brooks); The End of Faith (Sam Harris); The Moral Landscape (Sam Harris); God is Not Great (Christopher Hitchens); The God Delusion (Richard Dawkins)
RSS Feed