Morality and Faith in God - Research Paper Example

? Can One Be Moral and Not Believe in God? Supernatural vs. Natural and Number The following research information includes five pieces of information that support the concept that morality cannot be possible without God. There are six pieces of information that deal with the atheist view as well as other supporting views of how a person can have good morals and values without God. The information is presented in a debate style along with two pieces of information that present quotes from several prominent persons who claim to be religious as well as non-religious persons. The final opinion supports information on the non-religious side with scientific fact. Keywords: atheist, supernatural, natural Can One Be Moral and Not Believe In God? Supernatural vs. Natural Introduction: “Americans believe, 58 percent to 40 percent, that it is necessary to believe in God to be moral.” (Kristof, 2003). While other industrialized countries believe it is not necessary. France only records a 13 percent view in favor of the American view. A poll shows that those Americans that believe in the Virgin Birth have actually risen five percentage points. Information in this article also shows that 91 percent of Christians say they believe in the Virgin Birth. However, so do 47 percent of the U. S. non-Christians. Nicholas Kristof does not degrade anyone’s beliefs, and he doesn’t claim to know why America is so much more focused on religion than other nations. He believes that America is on the thresh hold of another Great Awakening spiritually. (Kristof, 2003). There are multitudes of persons today that do not believe in God. He is seen as unnecessary and intolerable. The other side of the spectrum says they don’t need God to live a moral and acceptable life. Our society places great emphases on personal values, but not everyone’s values are the same. There is no standard by which we all live the same lives. Since we have accepted the idea that morality is based on a set of values, we have therefore, accepted the thought of acceptable ethics. Where do our system of values and ethics come from? Is God necessary for the formation of these values and ethics? Or, can man exist without the belief in God (supernatural), and can morals exist without God (natural)? (Cotton, 1997). The Supernatural (God): Our forefathers and the founders of the Constitution recognized that only people who were deserving of the blessings of liberty showed gratitude to God. History shows that almost all of our nation’s founders believed that a virtuous people needed a religious foundation to survive. George Washington stated in his Farewell Address that, “reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.” (Eastman, 2001). In the same article by John C. Eastman on Morality without God, Benjamin Rush was quoted, “Where there is no religion, there will be no morals.” (Eastman, 2001). In an article by John B. Hodges, he quotes the contemporary writer Kay Nolte Smith (1932 – 1993), “Our world, even at its most rational, has never fully rejected the …supernatural, which has been kept alive by the church.” (Hodges, 2012). She contends that the church is kept alive by the idea that humans need a code of good and evil to live by. This code of morality is part of religion and the church has a monopoly on it. The moral argument for God’s existence is that he commands it. Without God there is no reason not to kill, steal, lie, rape, or other things that God commanded not to do. (Hodges, 2012). Religious morality is based on the absolute belief or faith. Faith is considered absolute in most Christian faiths and it means that the believer does not apply his own intelligence to moral questions. This can also mean that the person can use whatever forces necessary to make others follow his chosen God. In the Christian faith, the Bible gives “objective” moral guidelines, which can be misinterpreted. Hodges also contends that humans learn morality early in life just as we learn language. (Hodges, 2012). Ray Cotton, who serves in a ministry to international students, feels that “God is the creator and sustainer of all things.” (Cotton, 1997). He contends also that we would not know right from wrong if God did not create us in his image with the ability to decide moral issues. God reveals his morality to us and we should not question it. He also states that man is fallen and corrupted by sin and, therefore, cannot make within himself a moral guideline because he is not able to know what is good. (Rom. 3:23). (Cotton, 1997). He also feels that we cannot do what we feel to be good. (Rom. 7:18-21). (Cotton, 1997). He believes “that God is the only universal and absolute origin to all morality.” (Cotton, 1997). Arnold Guminski discusses acknowledging the existence of God alleviates the problem of evil and makes natural and moral evils compatible with worldly things. He contends that God not only created the universe but that he also lives in it and controls it minute by minute. God also has the power to exercise what theologians call his “extraordinary providence,” which are miracles and supernatural interventions of nature. (Guminski, 2004). Cotton contends that Christians do not have to defend the Bible as it will defend itself. He says that Christians just need to use the book as a guideline to show God in their lives to others. Cotton uses the U.S.S.R. as an example of a society based on godless atheism that has failed. The Russians have suffered under a totalitarian regime, but have not learned anything from their new freedoms. Russia today is still torn from crime, greed, lawlessness and immorality. He contends that they are still feeling the effects of atheism and too many freedoms too soon. (Cotton, 1997). Cotton quotes Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the famous medical missionary, “Ethics is concern for good behavior…an obligation to consider not only our personal well-being, but also that of others and of human society as a whole.” (Cotton, 1997). He feels that God alone sets the standard for the good of human society. He states that a consensus of ethical norms that are not driven by God with eventually fall. He feels that the true force of Christianity has never used force to take over the world, instead, Christians who are truly driven by the Word of God will maintain ethical and moral integrity. (Cotton, 1997). The Saturday Evening Post quotes even Albert Einstein in an interview in 1929, “No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.” (Leaderu.com, 2009). The Natural (Morality): An article in 2011 by Leo Igwe addressed the question; “can human beings be good without leaning on a god or dogma?” (Igwe, 2011). He feels the answer to be “Yes.” He feels that the entire idea of doing good came before the idea of a God and religion. Moral righteousness is natural and not dependent on supernatural faith. He feels that morality is social and does not come from a spiritual bonding. He also feels, that the idea that good cannot exist without the belief in a “supreme being” is a thought that prevails in most societies. He also feels that this has been the reasoning behind the lack of progress in some societies in human life. (Igwe, 2011). Igwe feels that humans did good deeds before the idea of God or seeing paradise; God was fabricated for the human to understand the good. (Igwe, 2011). There are differing ideas concerning morality without God and they include agnosticism, atheism, brights, freethinkers, humanism, naturalism, rationalism, skepticism, and universalism. These are all defining terms that describe non-religious people and sects. (Eck, 1997-2012). Chad Meister with the Christian Research Instititute writes about English American author Hitchens who quoted, “Name one ethical statement made, or one ethical action performed, by a believer that could not have been uttered or done by a nonbeliever.” (Meister, 2010). He also adds that another noted atheist, Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, lists some prominent atheists throughout history including Thomas Edison, George Orwell, Marie Curie, and Mark Twain. The good that these persons have contributed to society is enough to prove that anyone without God is not immoral. (Meister, 2010). Daniel Dennett, an american author, writer and scientist, states that “I have uncovered no evidence to support the claim that people, religious or not, who don’t believe in reward in heaven and/or punishment in hell are more likely to kill, rape, rob, or break their promises than people who do.” (Meister, 2010). So for an atheist, what grounds moral value? Sinnott-Armstrong’s views are, using rape as an example, “What makes rape immoral is that rape harms the victim in terrible ways…it simply is immoral.” (Sinnott-Armstrong, 2010)). Another approach gives morality as being based on the selfish gene or biological evolution. The third approach of a nonbeliever is that morality is an evolutionary illusion that we have fabricated so that we can maintain our species. This is the view of atheist, philosopher and scientist Michael Ruse and his associate Edward Wilson. (Meister, 2010). Frans Dewaal, a contemporary philosopher contends that he is wary of anyone whose “belief system is the only thing standing between them and repulsive behavior.” (Dewaal, 2010). He prefers to give humanity the benefit of the doubt, that we have the self-control needed built into us for livable moral societies. He also contends that creationists (religious) peoples will never win the factual argument with science; this is why they have fabricated their own universe. (Dewaal, 2010). He addressed the connection between man and chimpanzee; the human brain is three times larger but has the same parts. There is no doubt that we are superior intellectually; however, we both have the same wants and needs. He contends that he interacts with apes and monkeys on a daily basis and they are just like us. Monkeys strive for power, enjoy sex, need security and affection, kill over territory, as well as value trust and cooperation. (Dewaal, 2010). Addressing atheism, Dewaal conjectures that even the strictest atheist who grows up in a Western society can’t avoid being influenced by Christian morality. It is in our daily lives and would be impossible to see what life would be like without a religious influence. He contends that every human society throughout history has been influenced by some type of religion. (Dewaal, 2010). Albert Einstein is quoted on ethics, “I do not believe in immortality of the individual, and I consider ethics to be an exclusively human concern with no superhuman authority behind it.” (Cline, 2012). The Superior Debate: While both sides feel they have a valid claim on morality, one would believe the non-religious (natural) side to have more evidence to support its claim. However, the evidence is solely based on historical events, human nature, and scientific proof. Kenan Malik, a London based writer, lecturer and broadcaster says, “in truth, morality, like God, is a human creation.” (Malik, 2011). He states that even believers have to make their own decision, which laws found in the Torah, Bible or the Quran are acceptable. Depending on religion to set moral values lends no variance and insists they be God-given. He feels that moral religious views survive because of flexibility; that has been proven in the changing morals over the centuries. However, believers are insistent that certain beliefs, values and practices are sacred because they were divinely given. (Malik, 2011). Believers (supernatural) argue that God does not choose anything but good because God and good are one in the same. If one sees God has having all the elements to be good, then it could be seen as being independent of God. Therefore, the thought of goodness would not depend on God’s existence. Believers (supernatural) look to the Bible (Christians) for moral value; however, history shows that practices once seen as moral we now regard as immoral. Some of these practices would be torture, slavery, witch burnings, and Jewish murder. Believers insisting that God had willed such behaviors condoned these practices. These behaviors are now considered morally wrong but because society has ruled them wrong. Our moral codes are very different from the moral codes of 2,000 or 500 years ago and believers (supernatural) have different moral codes. (Malik, 2011). It seems that believers and non-believers both have to decide for themselves what is morally right and wrong, and what is good or evil. Believers feel the need to give their moral guidance to a God, because they believe he is the supreme image of moral codes. Atheists recognize that moral values are human-created. (Malik, 2011). Both views have their valid argument; however, research has given one more evidence on the natural side. Quoting Albert Einstein, “morality is of the highest importance – but for us, not for God.” (Cline, 2012). The information shows that in order to be a believer, one has to have faith, which would require the absolute belief in a supreme supernatural being. Accepting the beliefs of the majority of a society that morality is given to us by God is in itself the acceptable norm. For this reason the ideals, ideas, or scientific theories put forth by Einstein, Sinnott-Armstrong and others who propose differences in thought are constantly being challenged. Does anyone have the right to question someone else’s morals if they do not infringe upon individuals or society as a whole? We make moral laws that conform to our societies’ current view of what morality should be; its up to each individual to decide whether those views are moral or immoral. The research presented has not shown any evidence that believing in God or not believing in God lends a person or society as immoral. History has given us people who were non-believers who have made positive contributions to our society as well as believers. The Dalai Lama is quoted saying, “be patient, tolerant, compassionate. This is, you see, the real message in order to become a better human being.” (Leaderu, 2009). He is considered the Enlightened one with teachings similar to Buddha. As we go about out daily lives looking for inspiration and answers to questions that plague us both morally and ethically, where do we get guidance? Does it come from our own mind and what we are taught as children to be natural or is it in fact, a divine intervention that only God (supernatural) can provide? References Cline, Austin. 2012. Eistein, Quotes on Ethics & Morality: Humans, not Gods, Define Morality. 2012. Web. 06 April 2012. http://atheism.about.com/. Cotton, Ray. 1997. Morality Apart From God: Is It Possible? Web. 06 April 2012. http://leaderu.com/. Dewaal, Frans. 17 October 2010. Morals Without God? Web. 06 April 2012. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/. Eastman, John C. Dr. Morality Without God? July 2001. Ashbrook University. Web. 07 April http://ashbrook.org/publicat/. Eck, Diane and Fellows at Harvard University. 1997 – 2012.Atheism and Non-Religious Philosophies: Definitions. The Pluralism Project at Harvard University. Web. 06 April 2012. http://pluralism.org/resources/. Guminski, Arnold T. 2004. The Moral Argument for God’s Existence, The Natural Moral Law, and Conservative Metaphysical Naturalism. Web. 07 April 2012. http://colorado.edu/. Hodges, John B. 2012. Does Morality Require God? Web. 06 April 2012. http://godlessgeeks.com/. Igwe, Leo. 16 March 2011. Can we be Good without believing in God? Web. 06 April 2012. http://butterfliesandwheels.org/. Kristof, Nicholas D. Believe It, or Not. 15 August 2003. The New York Times. Web. 06 April 2012. http://cnn.com/2003/us/08/. Malik, Kenan. 23 September 2011. Kenan Malik on Morality Without God. Web. 06 April 2012. http://thebrowser.com/interviews/. Meister, Chad. February 2010. Atheists and the Quest for Objective Morality. Web. 07 April 2012. http://equip.org/articles/. Popular Opinions of Jesus Christ. 08 April 2009. Web. 07 April 2012. http://leaderu.com/articles/. Sinnott-Armstrong, Walter. March 2010. Atheism and Rape – Walter Sinnott-Armstrong Elucidates. Wilfrid Laurier University. Canada. Web. 07 April 2012. http://truefreethinker.com/articles/. Read More