The Necessity of Secularism: Why God Can't Tell Us What to Do by Ronald A. Lindsay

Author:Ronald A. Lindsay [Lindsay, Ronald A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pitchstone Publishing
Published: 2014-12-01T00:00:00+00:00

Religion Not a Source of Universal Moral Norms

It is somewhat ironic that God is so often identified as the guarantor of a morality that is unquestionably binding on all of us, regardless of our beliefs or nationality, when religiously based codes of conduct have so often promoted a limited, parochial viewpoint, that is, the viewpoint of the adherents of a particular faith. As noted, there is a core of moral norms that humans have shared throughout history. That is the common morality, and we don’t need God for that. But there have also been many norms that are peculiar to a given culture. Many of these norms deal with religious practices and reflect a tribal outlook. Most gods have been the gods of particular groups of people. One significant function of religiously based norms has been to reinforce group solidarity by mandating practices and behaviors that serve to distinguish a god’s “chosen people” from infidels.

Anyone with a passing familiarity with a couple of different religions can list dozens of norms that are peculiar to a given religion. Don’t eat certain food; don’t drink certain beverages; don’t prepare or serve food or beverages in certain ways; don’t wear certain clothing; don’t create, possess, or display certain artwork; don’t say certain words; don’t dye your hair certain colors; don’t worship in certain ways; don’t work on certain days; don’t dispose of human remains in certain ways; refrain from certain sexual practices; and on and on—the list of taboos is lengthy. For some of the taboos of Judaism see Exod. 21–23 and the entire book of Leviticus. These taboos are intended to be taken seriously, as seriously as any of the divine commandments that reflect universal moral norms, such as “You shall not steal.” The prescribed penalty for breaking many of these taboos is death. Yet the relationship of these taboos to human welfare and the reduction of social conflict is remote at best.

These religious norms not only fail to promote human welfare; they also have actually served to limit benevolence. They promote in-group solidarity while fostering hostility to outsiders. As Jonathan Haidt has observed, “Religion is … well suited to be the handmaiden of groupishness, tribalism, and nationalism.”9 Norms dealing with cultic practice are especially prone to promote conflict as they are often strikingly intolerant. The ancient Israelites were commanded to invade the land of the Canaanites and other tribes in part because of the different religious practices of these tribes; this was also the motivation for God’s unequivocal, merciless instruction to slaughter these tribes and destroy their places of worship—they were worshipping in the wrong way (see, for example, Deut. 20: 16–18). Of course, the conflicts caused by religion-specific codes of conduct are not just ancient history. Animosities fueled by God’s revelations about how he wants to be worshipped and what cultic practices he requires continue today. The many attacks against alleged blasphemers in countries such as Pakistan and Afghanistan illustrate how many still perceive God as a being who becomes enraged at the slightest offense, even when committed inadvertently.

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