Return to the main menu for comics, games, articles and links to entertain your inner freethunk.
The Complete Edition
By Jeff Swenson
160 pages, Jam-Packed
Purchase your collectable copy!
"JUGS, BEAVERS and EXPLODING BALLS"
by Jeff Swenson
First Cynic Comic Strip
collection now in print.
2004-2005
Buy it now for
below retail.
APOLOGETICS 3: Living Dead Morals
by Cartoonist Jeff Swenson
Is it really moral to do "good" out of fear?
| It really is offensive to those of us are not religious for those who are religious to assert that in order to be moral you have to have a Boogeyman God and fear his wrath in order to do good. This is a living dead mindset--where religious people are refusing to use their brains. I didn't say "stupid" because it has nothing to do with stupidity; it has to do with a willful ignorance of how morality and the laws of society work. I honestly believe that Christians are refusing to face the truth that having a lack of belief in a supreme being does not tear down a society's moral structure. The fact is, in the long run we are better off with people who can reason what is good versus those who act like sheep and do good out of the fear of God, or even the love of God--to Christians" Love" and "Fear" are interchangeable when it comes to their deity. Our morals are based on "empathy" and what is beneficial for us as a society to survive. This is so simple. How it all came about is what is complex but that only concerns anthropologists and other interested scientists. If lack of belief in God creates chaos how is it that animals can organize themselves for beneficial means? How is it that they cooperate for the better good? And we don't even consider animals to be moral. How much more can humans do if they can both organize and empathize? Sure there will always be awful crimes committed by those who don't want to get along with society but again we've organized to protect ourselves from those individuals. And sure there will always be wars and military conflicts, much of it being related to religion these days, but we are always making progress on how we handle such conflicts. It may not seem like it at the present time, something that could be attributed to religion on both sides of the conflict, but I believe we do make slow progress. I shouldn't even get into military conflicts and morality, that is a long debate filled with shades of gray. If God is required for someone to be moral why are there so many moral atheists and so many immoral religionists? And why does morality evolve? It certainly does. Our society is much more moral than societies of the past. There's always room for improvement but in American Society women now have rights, we don't stone homosexuals, racism is on the decline and our abilities to catch criminals and expose them has increased for the better. Both Christians and Atheists use reason to come to the same moral conclusions. Christians even have to apply reason when it comes to the Bible because they have to pick and choose which laws are relevant (which is why we don't stone homosexuals). It is usually when Christians try to introduce their religion as a basis for morality that we come into conflict on issues of Abortion, Pornography and Man on Man Cuddling. But the basics such as rape, murder, steal are easily discerned as undesirable. Why would I rape a woman when I can go out on a date, have a nice time and try to charm the pants off of her? Consensual sex is much more pleasurable than forcing someone and risking bodily harm and jailtime. Those who cannot reason this out usually suffer. The same goes for stealing. Even those at the top are not immune to being prosecuted or exposed by the media (Enron). What you need to consider if you are a Christian who thinks that God is the only barrier between you and moral chaos is "are you really moral if you cannot assert moral autonomy?" If the only answer you can give is "God" for why you do not rape, murder, steal then I would suggest you have an immature mind. I would also question your ability to empathize, something that is very human, and would suggest you are emotionally and mentally deficient. I'm not kidding around here. There is seriously something wrong with someone whose only reason for doing good is that they are afraid they will get caught--by God or some other authority figure. Even Jesus put forth the Golden Rule (which can be traced further back and is not exclusive to Christianity--see Wikipedia) which has to do with empathy, though, as I have satirized, reason has to be applied to The Golden Rule as well or drastic consequences could result (you might like being whipped but you can't go around whipping others so they'll whip you). I do good for a variety of reasons. One is because it makes my life easier, cooperation always does. Two is that I've always been able to empathize, to put myself into someone else's shoes and imagine what they must feel. And three, sometimes I do good for the sake of good--or I suppose because doing good makes me feel good. I don't need God to be moral. All that was necessary was a good upbringing and the ability to reason and empathize. If someone else is unreasonable and wants to be immoral then either they go to jail or they get shot in act of committing a crime. |