[Dion]

Morality In The Absence Of Religion

I am not arguing that moral atheists or agnostics have objectively higher moral standards than religious-believers, or that they act solely out of goodwill. It would be pointless to assert that moral action is never motivated by personal gain, whether it be because we wish for personal reward or simply to feel good about ourselves. I am arguing that those who act without following rules for the sake of it, but who are instead motivated by what they themselves understand to be better from a moral standpoint, do indeed have higher moral standards, whether they are secular or religious. It would be a shame to believe that so many do good only because they fear the judgment of a higher being and the possibility of eternal damnation.

A lot of what is understood to constitute our moral code, at least from a Western perspective, is thought to originate from Judeo-Christian tradition dating back about 2000 years ago. Whether or not morality stems from religion is a whole other question, delving into the issue of the existence of God, and it is not a subject I wish to consider. But what I can say with some form of confidence is that moral standards have drastically improved since the dawn of time, and have leaped forward in the last century. The abolishment of slavery, the increasing disappearance of the death penalty or the drafting of a declaration of human rights, are few examples of a general on-going trend promoting the advent of quasi-utopian moral conduct. Those who fought for such changes and are still fighting today may be believers or nonbelievers, but above all they are people who share a common inner urge to do good. Shouldn’t we at least give some credit to mankind?

https://www.thegazelle.org/issue/48/bagot-4