HNN Readers Share Stories of Morality without God

HumanistNetworkNews.org
Aug. 2, 2006

You've probably heard the straw man argument used by religionists who claim that people can't act morally without belief in God.

As a humanist, you know that's not true. A writer working on a chapter for an anthology, Everything You Know About God is Wrong, knows it too. That's why she contacted the Institute for Humanist Studies to help collect some stories about ethical atheists to illustrate her chapter.

Last month, we asked HNN readers to share their stories of acting ethically without a belief in God.

Today we publish some of those stories for your enjoyment.

Long before discovering the label of humanist, I had adhered to the practice of "The Golden Rule." One way I've done this is to always go out of my way to get found property back to its owner as I found it.

Once, when I was in the U.S. Navy, I turned in a wallet to the security station in our barracks. The SP on duty remarked, "I guess there's no money in it, right?" When I pointed out that there was over $80 in cash in the wallet he was stunned. I just said that if someone found my wallet I hoped that they would do the same. Perhaps this person receiving his wallet back will remember this and do the same for someone else should he find someone else's wallet or other property.

Since then I have returned other wallets (with money still in them), cell phones, and other valuables.

--Kevin Morgan, Hauppauge, Long Island, N.Y.

Honesty and sharing are some of the earliest character traits I recall being told to follow as a child.

Mythology like George Washington would not tell a lie was quite a contrast in my mind during the McCarthy era of the fifties.

And loving my various relatives in different religious camps led me to avoid choosing sides towards Jehovah Witnesses, Pentecostals, Methodists, Catholics, Jews or Black Baptists, for that matter.

Like Santa Claus, I could not buy a story that depended upon a chimney or a crucifix. I honestly observed church signage, read church bulletins and colored on them when attending weddings, graduations, funerals and so forth in a large Iowa landscape of settings.

It was impossible for me to fit it all into the "belief" category, so it remained just data. When I was shipped off to a bible camp at age eight, a minister gave pathetic excuses for why war killings were OK and who created gods. And baptismal tank water was full of green slime. Not a place I could take a dip.

I resolved to decide for myself how to behave instead of pretend alleged bad gods named Satan or alleged good gods named Jesus "made me do it." I choose to behave instead of believe anything.

When I found out Walt Disney was an atheist the day he died, I finally overcame the instilled hatred of the word "atheist" and knew it wasn't synonymous with Communist. I resolved to be ethical with myself and not hate what I am, an American Atheist who grew up in a small family business.

It was not long before I found out that the "supernatural" was something others had to prove exists, not a burden upon me to disprove.

I'm happy without hell threats or heaven bribes. And I wouldn't fail to share the good news of freedom from religion with anyone who is a person of good will.

This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine for reason.

--Larry Carter Center, Charleston, S.C.

Examples of ethical atheism? That just seems like such an odd concept.

It seems like the religious who use the argument that you need the threat of a vengeful god in order to be forced to be ethical are the ones who need to explain themselves.

When I find a lost wallet, my first thought is "I hope this person will be OK until I can get this back to them." If I see two people fighting (which happened during a university party) I step in and try to break it up to make sure they don't hurt each other. I don't lie to people. It simply isn't right. I don't need the threat of some divine retribution to force me to this behavior.

I think if you have ethical parents, which I was blessed with, then you will be raised to be ethical. When I was a child, I was simply told hurting others was wrong. And it was explained by getting me to empathize with the other person. I didn't need to be told that little Jesus would cry if I was bad (which is what some other more religious people in my family have told their children). Even in this case, the parents are implicitly using the child's capacity for empathy by getting him or her to imagine the little baby Jesus crying because of their bad behavior.

I really find the whole concept just repugnant. That there are people out there who need to be bullied into doing what is right. Personally, I think empathy is all you need.

--Joey Bernard, Fredericton, NB, Canada

I was in the checkout line at my neighborhood supermarket, and the guy in front of me was obviously in a hurry. He didn't notice that when he pulled out his wallet something had fluttered to the floor, landing in a pile of discarded coupons and register receipts. It looked like money to me. I tapped him on the shoulder and told him, "I think you dropped something." Somewhat irritated that I was slowing up his transaction, he bent down and snatched up a piece of register tape. As he disturbed the pile, I could now see that the item he had dropped was a $100 bill. He was about to leave when I called him back and said, "No, I meant that," pointing again at the floor. He picked up the $100 bill looking very surprised and thanked me profusely.

I had not one but two chances to take the money he was about to leave behind. I didn't need the fear of some fictitious deity to tell me not to.

--Darren J. Dobkin, Potomac, Md.

I find the request for "stories of ethical atheism" ill-conceived and rather disturbing. It carries a distinct (and I must assume unintended) implication that episodes of ethical behavior by atheists are somehow noteworthy because they are rare. It's the sort of loaded question I'd expect from a James Dobson or a Jerry Falwell: of course those godless atheists have no ethics or morals, but we'll concede, as an act of Christian charity, that they may occasionally do something ethical, and invite them to brag on the time they did a good deed.

It is distressing to think that there could be HNN readers who, after reading your article, are actually scratching their heads trying to come up with an example of something ethical that they have done! Soliciting examples of our ethical behavior seems no different than asking us to tell about the time we didn't beat our wife . . . or to describe that time last Tuesday when we didn't steal a watch from K-Mart.

I hope that most of us can say that we try to live ethical lives all the time -- that we strive to behave so that everything we do is ethical, and that it would be the occasional lapses from this norm that would be noteworthy.

--Richard McMahan, Glenville N.Y. Organization: Capital District Humanist Society

Belief in God keeps people ethically responsible to a similar degree that not believing in God permits people to be unethical. I believe that being ethical is hardwired into my nervous system.

My life is driven by recognizing that our existence is interdependent with one another and doing good for those around me makes life better in the here and now.

But deeper than that, not being ethical can make me physically sick. No wonder people have guilt, feel shame, can't sleep at night, and over medicate to block out their Jiminy Cricket. If they don't have those responses or have learned to ignore them, those of us who do act ethically because that simply is the right way to act, need to pitch in and help educate with sincere caring for the people and society at large -- not for any stamp of approval but just because it is the right thing to do.

Is there a God? Isn't there a God? It really doesn't matter.

--Barbara West, Ithaca, N.Y.

I recently attended a social function which was held at the community hall of our local Greek Orthodox Church.

Everyone at our table was a church going person, many with crosses around their necks. My wife and I were the only non-believers, although my wife is of Greek origin.

I went to the bar for a glass of white and a glass of red wine for my wife and I, when I gave the drink tickets to the bartender she gave me a bottle of red and white. I pointed out the mistake and she thanked me.

Upon returning to our table I recounted the story. Every one of the "religious" types said I was crazy. They said I should have kept the free wine.

So the humanist tells the truth and the Orthodoxies think I'm crazy. Makes you wonder who the real ethical people are.

--Pat O'Brien, Vancouver B.C. Organization: BC Humanist Association / Humanist Association of Canada

I spent 17 years in the British Army, 10 of those years with the Special Air Service Regiment. I saw service through out the Balkans war, Middle East and Northern Ireland.

I do not proclaim to be an educated man but I have seen more than most with regards to the atrocities that we, probably the only intelligent life in our galaxy of 100 billion stars, will do to each other behind the facade of religion.

The acts of heroism and human compassion that I have witnessed were not done for religious rewards but out of a concern for human life.

The acts of ethnic cleansing and murder committed in the name of religion will no doubt continue for centuries to come, based on nothing more than a few religious texts. The fact that religion defends itself so strongly is the true sign of its weakness. People do not fight wars over the fact the sun will rise tomorrow because they know it will; it is a scientific fact.

I have buried friends and suffered horrific injuries in war, and I never witnessed the hand of God, only the excuse of religion. Let us be at least honest about why we fight wars and stop pretending that it is for some greater good.

As I sit here with my scarred mind and body, playing through the scenes of my life, a quote from a film comes to mind.

"Inhumane, inhumane how dare you call me inhumane, right you fuckers I am going to do the washing up."

--Anonymous, Hereford, U.K.

I am a recent doctoral graduate about to start a research position aimed at understanding and ultimately treating the muscle wasting disease, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

I consider this an ethical choice of career direction as it is not motivated by the pursuit of material gain. In fact, my brother died from Duchenne several years ago. My drive derives from complex emotions, but mainly empathy and sympathy that I felt towards my brother and currently feel towards other boys with Duchenne, and the families that care for them.

I believe that the conscious ethical decisions that we all make are secondary to the underlying emotions that drive us. When we try to help each other in the absence of gain for ourselves it is because we feel empathy and sympathy. The satisfaction derived from following these emotions is tangible – unlike the ethereal heavenly carrot. In contrast we feel real emotional pain when we hurt those we love -- no hellish stick is required.

--Bill Duddy, Belfast, U.K.

My name is Reynir Hardarson and I'm a 44-year-old psychologist.

I lost all my faith in God after going through university, studying amongst other things parapsychology. I've been interested in religion ever since I was about 13 years old. I sought and looked, studied and investigated.

I was fascinated with the unexplained but found the evidence for it unconvincing through scientific studies (parapsychology). After reading carefully about the paranormal and critique thereof, I found the skeptics view much more convincing. Now I'm sure there is nothing supernatural, no God.

Despite that I've dedicated my life to helping those in need, especially children. I've been concentrating on child protection for the past years. Some might say it is just my job but I choose my job because I want to help children in need. Knowing that there is no God to do the job just pushes me harder. If anything, being an atheist demands ethical action.

--Reynir Hardarson, Akureyri, Iceland.
Organization: Sidmennt

Duncan Crary is the director of communications of the Institute for Humanist Studies. He is the host of the Institute's monthly podcast.