America is the only highly developed country where a majority of citizens think you have to believe in God in order to live a moral life.
Here’s a portion of the international breakdown in response to the question, “is belief in God essential to morality?”
China: 14%
France: 15%
Spain: 19%
Australia: 23%
Britain: 20%
Italy: 27%
Canada: 31%
Germany 33%
Israel: 37%
Japan: 42%
America: 53%
As many of you know the name of this blog is essentially to spit in the eye of those who claim that only those who embrace a certain religious belief are capable of being moral people.
It has always been my position that Steven Weinberg was right when he said:
“With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.”
Besides it is incredibly arrogant to suggest that any one group have the market cornered on morality, and in fact morality itself is a rather mercurial concept, that shifts and changes based on circumstances and needs.
Are Christians. Jews, or Muslims willing to say that they are the moral superior to the Hindus? The Buddhists? The Sikhs? The Jains?
What incredible egos it must take to believe that out of all of the thousands of religions and gods that mankind has worshiped throughout our history that you have figured out the one true religion, and the one true God.
And how convenient that it is, more than likely, the most readily accessible religion for you to access in your community.
In so many ways our country is a shining example of progress, tolerance, and acceptance. But in other ways it is anything but.
I am an atheist. I am a moral person. Morality is necessary to survival.
ReplyDeleteMy question is: can there be "karma" without a God?
An afterlife of sorts seems to exist and Karma seems to exist. If a friend was to be believed, a motorcycle accident placed him between life and death, and he had to make his case in front of a council. He didn’t mention God. He was spared, for a time, but he did die young. I think he was allowed to tie up loose ends.
DeleteIt’s interesting that the Scandinavian countries weren’t included. They would push the Not necessary… way up, I should think. It’s my understanding that modern Scandinavians are more moral (ethical) than the Fundamentalist emigrants of the 1800s.
Some people (not me with any kind of conviction) believe there is order in the universe that doesn't come from any god/s. It could be positive and negative energy that stays in balance. It's not exactly Karma, but something like it.
DeleteI am sorry, Ms. Underdahl, but I have a hard time with your post. If your "friend was to be believed?" Why would I believe your friend about his experience in order to accept the existence of an afterlife? Let's get real here. He was spared and then died young? How can anyone know the mechanisms for this person's life and death? How presumptuous can one be?
DeleteThere is no "karma" as well as no god. Some/many horrible people live quite nice lives and a lot of nice people die horrible deaths. Dubyah still lives happily ever after, while his millions of victims rot away.
DeleteThere's no justice, except the one we humankind try and fail to impose to our behaviours - because a social species needs some guidelines to maintain its society in working order.
Cats kill mice without remorse. Where is the karma for the crimes of cats ? There's none. Same for humans.
What sort of man is attracted to the tax free status......? Give you one guess......
ReplyDeleteI knew my country would rank high in such a poll, but highest, I'm surprised.
ReplyDeleteMy mom, who was a deeply religious woman, said something out loud once that nearly knocked me off my feet. I can't remember her precise words, but it was something to the effect of:
ReplyDelete"It's a good thing we have religion... because if we didn't, there would be no fear of punishment, even after death - and that might be just the one single thing preventing most people with that darkness in their hearts from doing as they please: robbing, raping, killing and such. Thank God for God".
As I said, I was nearly floored. She was so very deeply religious, but she acknowledged that evil could even be in a God-fearing persons's heart - but they didn't react to it only due to fear of eternal punishment. This was big news for a teen to digest, because up until that point, it was always us "good" people against the rest of "them": the evil ones without religion. Simply put - we were good because we had religion. They were bad because they didn't.
We've seen what some people WITH religion do - and some of them are THE WORST. So, while religious belief may stop most from acting upon their darkest impulses - how do you explain the rest? Those who kill and defraud in the name of their God? Those that take advantage of the weak, the infirm, the needy in the name of their God?
It about what's in your heart. If religion enhances that for you, fine. It does for me, but I am only too aware of people like the Palin's and too many others that use religion as a shield against their vile behaviors. It makes it harder on the rest of us who chose to believe.
And those without religion? They prove the point that you do not need to believe in a religion to be a good person. The End.
My parents are two of the absolute best people I've ever met. They are both teachers (not surprising), good and kind to everyone, funny and well-loved and would give the shirts off their backs to help people other people. They have neither religion nor god.
DeleteThey are also politically progressive.
Thanks for your insight, KAO.
DeleteReligionists use their ideology as a defensive shield to deflect the responsibility for their public actions or to insulate them from scrutiny about their hidden private actions which are often antisocial or hypocritical. Worst of all (IMO), they use their religion as on offensive weapon to bludgeon others with attacks in order to control and exploit others for their own personal gain of power or wealth. (See Constantine's Sword).
Today's example:
Deletehttp://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/03/20/connecticuts-best-pastor-charged-with-stealing-170000-from-elderly-churchgoer/
We see so many 'supposed' Christians in the USA that assuredly do not practice what they were 'supposedly' taught.
DeleteI can think of so many that say they are Christian that are NOT that are public figures.
Look at the words of Sarah Palin (hate, acism, evilness) and many, many others. Sarah acts as though she was the devil incarnate!
Well said! I agree 100%
DeleteJapan @ 42% needs some clarification. The attributes of the gods are expressions of what is felt to be the right behavior in men. Gods are spoken of as gentle and loving, and the divine sovereigns also are said to love and cherish the people. There are no jealous gods who punish men for wrongdoing. Even the so-called bad gods (Akugami) are conciliated, because they are mischievous rather than wicked. There are no satanic spirits of evil.
ReplyDeleteAnd all those first world countries who believe that taking care of your fellow man (healthcare is a right, not a privilege) are less inclined to think a belief in (a) god makes one more moral than those who live in a country that puts profit first, and humanity second. Amazing, isn't it?
ReplyDeletethey are closing churches around here (canada)
Deletefaster then you can say boo.. when is the usa going to toss this silly myth?
What a convoluted, mind-numbing exercise (in reconciling so many belief contradictions) it must be -- to be a deep-dish
ReplyDeletegod-botherer.
Ah -- mind-numbing -- I think I hit on the answer!
Gryphen,
ReplyDeleteFred Phelps of Westboro Church has died. I suggest people donate $1 or more to Aids Foundation in Fred's honor.
Is this what the "evildoers" call "American Exceptionalism"? A crutch to soothe your conscience is needed to be moral or good? Moosenuggets!
ReplyDelete