Wednesday, August 13, 2008

"I Don't Have an Excuse for Bad Morals"

And in a wonderful follow-up to that last post, Memoirs of a Godless Heathen* serves up a simple, succinct explanation for his moral compass:
I would argue that my lack of a belief in God makes me a more moral person than someone who is religious. My moral choices aren't made out of fear of eternal punishment. Just as I don't have a reason to have "good" morals, I don't have an excuse for bad ones, either.
  1. I don't have a religious justification to hate gay people, so I don't hate gay people.
  2. I don't have a religious justification to believe that women are inherently inferior to men, so I don't believe women are inferior to men.
  3. I don't have a religious justification to not see a doctor when I'm sick, so I see a doctor when I'm sick.
  4. I don't have a religious justification to hate someone for having the "wrong" religion, so I don't hate people because they follow a certain religion.
  5. I don't have a religious justification to hate someone for being a member of the "wrong" race, so I am not a racist.
  6. I don't have a religious justification to support certain wars due to a belief that it will fulfill some sort of ancient prophecy, so I oppose needless death and destruction.
  7. I don't have a religious justification to strap a bomb to my chest and blow myself up in a crowded market, so I don't strap a bomb to my chest and blow myself up in a crowded market.
It's almost poetic, don't you agree? * While Memoirs of a Godless Heathen does make for a wonderful title, the "Godless Heathen" part is a contradiction. We Heathens have lots of Gods and Godesses! :)

1 comment:

Brian said...

Hi there. Thanks for the link.

As far as the name "Godless Heathen" goes, many members of the major monotheistic religions define heathen as anyone who doesn't belong to their faith, whether they be atheist or pagan.

I chose the name precisely because of its derogatory use. It is a statement that I embrace the fact that I am the anathemia to their belief system, and that I am not ashamed of it.