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"With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil — that takes religion."
Steven Weinberg (physicist, Nobel laureate).
What he meant was that adhering to centuries old beliefs without subjecting them to critical thought, logic and reason can lead people to act against their inherent good nature.
A classic historical example: Mother Theresa. She certainly wasn’t “evil”, but she was an example of how good people can do bad if they blindly follow religious dogma.
A fundamental teaching of the Christian faith is that Jesus suffered for the benefit of you, I and humanity: 1 “He suffered and died for us”. Christians are also taught that suffering is desirable as it helps one get closer to Jesus and therefore God. 2 Theresa was a staunch proponent of this teaching 3 – even for her patients. Critics also said the teaching was often used to justify the well documented substandard care in her hospices despite being well resourced and funded by the church and its congregation.
1. Peter 2:24 “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” This verse clearly communicates the belief that Jesus took on the sins of humanity through his suffering and death, offering a specific theological explanation of how his sacrifice contributes to the spiritual healing and righteousness of believers. This makes it a potent scriptural reference for the concept of atonement in Christian doctrine.
2. Romans 5:3-5:”Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” This passage implies that suffering leads to spiritual virtues like perseverance and hope, which are essential in fostering a closer relationship with God.
3. In her book “A Simple Path”, she discussed the role of suffering: “Suffering, pain, sorrow, humiliation, feelings of loneliness, are nothing but the kiss of Jesus — a sign that you have come so close to Jesus that He can kiss you.”
The Beatitudes
The “Beatitudes”, from the book of Mathew in the New Testament.
The writings promote the concept that followers of god will be rewarded in heaven for showing certain qualities. Few would argue with the prescribed positive qualities of showing compassion and resolving conflict, but agnostics/atheists reject the other teachings such as the blind belief in, and submission to an unproven supernatural entity, and the concept that suffering is good. They believe suffering is bad and we should fight to address it now. Most important of all, agnostics/atheists argue that good morals and justice should be practiced not for some reward in the future, but for the intrinsic value of doing good now.
Is pride bad?
Traditional dogma passed down through the ages is that showing pride and talking about one’s achievements is a bad thing. But is it bad? Doing so can have many positives, so long as one is aware of the risks.
Positives/benefits:
•.enhanced self-esteem.
• motivating for future goals.
• can provide inspiration for others.
Negatives/risks:
• Arrogance – insensitivity to others in their own contributions and struggles.
• Complacency – and no longer striving for growth or improvement.
• Defensiveness – being unable to accept constructive criticism or feedback because it is perceived as an attack on your achievements.
Evidence versus logic
Evidence – any supporting material that supports a fact.
Fact – a statement that can be proven from evidence.
Awareness vs. Ignorance – defined in terms of the awareness of facts.
Logic – the framework and rules for constructing sound arguments.
Reason – the cognitive ability of applying logic.
Opinion – a statement about a subject that is based on facts and experience
When we don’t have evidence, we are then forced to use logic and reason. A good example is assessing whether religion is likely to be “true” . There is little evidence so we then use logic and reason to assess whether it stacks up.
Add to this list:
Intelligence – the ability to learn, reason, understand and retain information:
• Learn – ability to absorb new information.
• Reasoning – cognitive ability of applying logic.
• Understanding – to comprehend complex ideas and make connections between concepts.
• Memory – capacity to retain information and recall it when needed.
It is the responsibility of intellectuals to speak the truth and expose lies
The woman who really could walk on water:
There was a prophet who lived beside a lake in Northern New York State around 1820. She announced to her numerous followers that she possessed the power of walking on water, and that she proposed to do so at 11 o’clock on a certain morning. At the stated time, the faithful assembled in their thousands beside the lake. She spoke to them, saying:
“Are you all entirely persuaded that I can walk on water?“ With one voice they replied: “We are.“ “In that case,“ she announced, “there is no need for me to do so.“ And they all went home much enlightened.
— adapted (by me) from Russell: An Outline of Intellectual Rubbish – A Hilarious Catalogue of Organized and Individual Stupidity (1943)
Modern morals?
The Old Testament? The New Testament? The Koran? People choose the book considered holy by the community in which they are born, and out of that book they choose the parts they like, ignoring the others. As soon as we abandon reason, and are content to rely upon ancient texts, we are in trouble.
Modern morals are a mixture of two elements: rational reasoning regarding how to live together peaceably, and traditional teachings derived originally from ancient books: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hindu, or Buddhism. We know that murder and theft is wrong and is supported by ancient scriptures, but the prohibition of pork or beef isn’t supported by logic (apart from its effect on climate change). It is sad that humans, who are aware of what science has done in terms of bringing new knowledge and altering the conditions of social life, should still be willing to accept the authority of texts written at a time of ancient and largely ignorant agricultural tribes. This is particularly relevant when it comes to accepting ancient “morals” that involve man inflicting misery on fellow humans. If our kindness impulse was stronger, we would find some way of rejecting teachings that don’t stand up to reason, and only accept the teachings supported by logic e.g. “sell all that thou hast and give to the poor”.
– adapted (by me) from Bertrand Russell, Unpopular Essays (1950), Ch. XII: An Outline of Intellectual Rubbish, pp. 108-9.
Russell was a great thinker/philosopher, but his writings were full of verbosity and consequently difficult to read, hence my adaptation and simplification.