How My Secular Morality Works

There are people in the world who still believe that atheists can't be moral. There are more still who acknowledge that we can be moral but don't understand how we can be so without the "Judeo-Christian" moral framework in which we Americans are so often raised.

This post will show you how I, as an atheist, make moral decisions. Other atheists may do things differently.

Today Nathan and I went grocery shopping. We turned an aisle and spotted a wallet on the floor. He handed it to me and I could see that it belonged to a white woman with dark hair. It felt very compact as if it had money in it or, at least, maybe some credit cards.

First I asked myself, "How would I feel if I lost my wallet?" The answer is afraid. Why? Because someone would have access to my identity, my money, and my private information (address, spare key, etc.).

Second, I asked myself, "What would I want the finder to do if I lost my wallet?" The answer is: turn it in. Don't take the money and credit cards. Don't write down or memorize my private information. Don't take my spare key. Don't rifle through my wallet and look at my kids' pictures (if I had kids). In other words, don't violate my privacy. Just take it to Customer Service and let me claim it intact.

Based on these thoughts (which took only a couple seconds to form), we did just that. We turned the wallet in without pilfering or stealing. The only thing we knew about the lady was her general appearance because that portion of her driver's license was visible on the outside.

After we turned the wallet in, I continued to look around for the lady. We ended up seeing her in the checkout line frantically searching her bag. Nathan asked her if she had lost it (just to be sure it was her) and she said yes. We told her it was at the front desk and she thanked us. The matter was settled. 

At no time did we think about Moses writing his Ten Commandments. Neither did we think about how Yahweh might punish us if we stole. It didn't even really occur to us to steal because we are heavily grounded in a secular morality based on doing what is good and not doing what is harmful. Why do we not steal? We don't want people to steal from us. Why do we return lost property? We would want someone else to return our lost property to us. 

It's just that simple. No gods, no divine wrath, no eternal punishment needed. 

Lessons from Noah's Ark

What Do Christians Learn from Noah's Ark?

Here's the graphic going around. I admit, it's cute and clever:

They may not miss the boat but they sure missed the meat of the story. The only way to sell a  story as horrible as Noah's story (especially to kids) is to dress it up in cuteness and ignore the basic truths it presents. Therefore, I'd like to give you the lessons I've learned from the story of Noah's Ark.

What I've Learned from Noah's Ark.

1. Salvation is a limited-time offer. If you don't act now without thinking it through and doing some research, we may not give you another day to opt in.

2.  We're not all welcome in the boat. If you don't conform to our beliefs and ways, we've got no room for you. Go drown.

3. Let fear and doomsday prophecies rule your life. Make your most important decisions when you're least able to reason. Allow the most bigoted and fearful folks to pressure you into surrendering your present and your future.

4. Your god doesn't care about your physical or mental condition. When he says "Jump!" you say "How high?" You don't get a break. You don't get a rest. You're here to serve him cradle-to-grave and beyond.

5. Don't pay any attention to dissent. Continue with your crazy because you are special and your god has chosen you. Those folks will one day wish they'd listened to your crazy because they will be punished and you'll be safe.

6. Build your future on the word of those who offer no evidence. Compromise your reason and your morality "just in case." This works well with #3.

7. Your main purpose in life is to breed more followers. Unless, of course, you are "clean" or "sacred" in which case your purpose may also be to be sacrificed on the altar of your god. I'm looking at you, Quiverfull, for the first part. 

8. Your god can magically make things work out ok. You don't need a sense of urgency. You don't need to plan ahead for the future. Rely on faith and the words of religious leaders and your god will handle the rest.

9.  When things get tough, turn it over to your god. Don't be responsible for your own outcomes when you can choose to do nothing instead. That way, you can either praise your god for a good outcome or else blame someone else for a bad outcome. You never have to make a hard decision or take responsibility. This works well with #8.

10. Religion trumps science every time. It doesn't matter if there's no evidence of an ark. It doesn't matter that the recipe for the ark in the Bible will, if followed exactly, will produce a monstrosity that will sink like a stone. Scoff at every professional and put your faith in fools. Ignore every benefit you receive from science and give your god the credit.

11. Your god is a bully and he doesn't mind showing off. He can kill every living thing on the planet if he wants to - things that he made, people that he made. He can erase his mistakes without fear of reprisal because who is going to question him? Then he can put his warrior bow in the sky to remind you that you'd better never question or disobey. Not just today but any time he feels like it, he may put that bow up there as if he's going to shoot an arrow through your disobedient ass.

What lessons did you learn from the Noah's Ark story? Share them with us.