by Chris Torgersen

Created on: September 03, 2009

I have heard and read a lot of arguments recently about religion. Although I am an atheist, I am fascinated by the human desire to believe in something more than what we can see around us and by the search for meaning when there is no clear one. Religion has been the cause of - or the excuse for - both inspirational goodness and deplorable atrocity throughout human history. It has motivated people to do both the seemingly impossible and the reasonably unthinkable. Whether one adheres to a religion or not, one must think about religion if one thinks about the human condition.

The most recent argument I have heard for religion is a puzzling one to me. I was told that without religion, we would have no moral structure. Since there is no objective arbiter of right and wrong if you do not believe in a god, people have no reason to keep themselves in line and be good to one another.

This is, I believe, a misunderstanding. While there is, indeed, no one authority who can proclaim that a particular act is right or wrong, we as a society can make that determination through consensus and the creation of laws. Whether we follow a religion or not, we all have a moral sense within us. While we may differ from one another quite a bit, there are enough areas of overlap on a societal scale for us to have a coherent set of laws and guiding principles.

That is exactly what the United States is founded on: the idea that laws come not from some external force or authority figure, but from the will of the governed. While the United States is a religious country as a whole, it is founded on secular principles aimed not at appeasing a particular god, but at creating a workable society in which individuals are free to follow any god. The United States is only religious because its people are, not because its fundamental principles or system of government are.

Take away the fear of hell or the promise of heaven, and people are motivated by earthly rewards and punishments. Earthly rewards and punishments can be created by societies. The lack of a god telling me I can't steal your money does not mean that I will. I still have the threat of punishment by law, which is more than enough of a deterrent. Additionally, I still have an underlying moral sense of wrongness that makes me feel bad about doing it. Those without that aren't going to be dissuaded by religion anyway.

It is, therefore, not important to be religious. However, it is very important to have a code of ethics and morals that is in line with the society in which you live.

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