A Morality of Cruelty

I have talked multiple times on the blog about morality. It is rather insulting to have to continually answer how a person could be moral without a god, but it is necessary to explain to people who assume that they are taking cues from theirs. It is not only insulting to those of us who left religion behind, it is insulting to those people who never had a religion to begin with. It is even more infuriating when we hear that joining religion X and sincerely practicing the ritual they suggest pleases their god will automagically make people better since we see religious people guilty of all manner of harm from sexual assault and rape to embezzlement and misappropriation of funds.

Why I want to be a moral person is easy: creating a more peaceful world where people can flourish creates a better life for me and my family. Living in a world where we help each other and compliment each other is simply beneficial. This life is the only one I know we have, and I want to make it count. I also simply don't have any desire to hurt others and I feel terrible when I unwittingly do so. In addition, what does it say about a person that they need the carrot of an afterlife with a pat on the head by their deity in order to be a good person in this life?

But I also think that humanist morals are superior to religious morals, especially those of the Abrahamic religions. Humanist morals stress reducing harm and maximizing benefit in this life while religions privilege the will of their god. Sin, as I've written about, is not about what makes your life better. It is what makes a deity angry or unhappy. Often, what is sinful is what is in our nature or what is pleasurable. Of course, some actions that are sin are also bad: murder and theft, for example. But the Old Testament also contains lists of things you can't eat, fabric you can't wear and sexual acts you can't practice. In fact, the original sin in Genesis 3 of Adam and Eve's transgression depicts a fruit as pleasing to the eye and good for food in addition to desirable for gaining wisdom. Yahweh deliberately sets up a test for the first humans to deprive themselves.

Since I come from Christianity, I will be speaking specifically of the deprivations of that set of denominations, but I think other religions fall into this same category.

The Bible is actually full of cruelty. Yahweh drowns the world because they have become so evil - the babies, pregnant women, animals and all the plants deserve death. Only one family and a small cohort of animals are allowed to survive. The Old Testament promotes slavery and animal sacrifice, shows Yahweh blessing conquest and genocide. The first three of the top commandments are about him and are detached from any actual harm. What harm came from saying a word, even if it is god's name? What hard comes from someone doing work on the sabbath or making graven images? Other commandments like coveting don't seem like such big sins, more like suggestions that you shouldn't become obsessed with others' belongings.

The way I see Christianity currently practiced, there are lots of ways people can get twisted and warped with shame and guilt because they must deprive themselves. One obvious category is anyone who falls into the LGBTQ spectrum and belongs to a regressive denomination. They might try to deny the reality of their feelings, of their attractions, of their identity in order to please a god - really their community.

The warping of sexuality is a problem not only for LGBTQ individuals but for all people. Adolescents and unmarried adults who give in to their natural impulses may feel shame and guilt just for enjoying a moment of intimacy when no actual harm has occurred.

This goes for alcohol and dancing for some denominations. There may be problems of addiction for some, but most people can enjoy a drink responsibly. I think most Christians actually do drink despite what their sect says, but they may feel guilt at doing so on the sly.

On the other hand, religions actually do real harm, bullying individuals who do not fit into their denomination's ideal. This category of sin extends to thought crimes, so you should feel terrible for thinking any sinful thoughts. American Christians have worked doggedly to keep other religions from having access to religious facilities and have questioned their very citizenship. Look at the way Christians have decried "creeping Sharia," blocked mosques and supported bans on Muslim travel. Look at the way many say opening that atheists should not have the same rights as they do because they cannot have the same values.

Of course, #notallChristians and all that, but there are very loud voices with microphones promoting these ideas, trying to funnel everyone into the one-size-fits-all religion they want, not concerned with the harm they are doing.

In its desire to please a deity and attain an afterlife, Christians lose sight of what is harmful and what is beneficial in this life. The question they as is not "How can I make this world a better place?" but "What does my god think of this?" The latter question often means sacrifice, deprivation, bullying, war, warping with shame and guilt. The former allows for flourishing.