All Episodes
Next
Plain Text
Oct. 3, 2006 - Skeptoid
10:22
Skeptoid #1: Religion as a Moral Center

Religion is not necessary for a good moral center. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Transcriber: nvidia/parakeet-tdt-0.6b-v2, sat-12l-sm, and large-v3-turbo
|

Time Text
Religion vs Moral Center 00:09:00
A healthy set of religious values, so they say, is necessary to having a solid moral center, to know good from evil, right from wrong.
Only within the context of religion do such values exist and have any meaning.
But then again, how true is it?
Are there really moral positions that can be held by religious people that cannot be held by the non-religious?
That's coming up next on Skeptoid.
A quick reminder for everyone, you're listening to Skeptoid, revealing the true science and true history behind urban legends every week since 2006.
With over a thousand episodes, we're celebrating 20 years of keeping it focused and keeping it brief.
And we couldn't have done it without your curiosity leading the way.
And now we're even offering a little bit more.
If you become a premium member, supporting the show with a monthly micropayment of as little as $5, you get more Skeptoid.
The premium version of the show is not only ad-free, it has extended content.
These episodes are a few minutes longer.
We get rid of the ads and replace them with more Skeptoid.
The Extended Premium Show available now.
Come to Skeptoid.com and click Go Premium.
You're listening to Skeptoid.
I'm Brian Dunning from Skeptoid.com.
Religion as a Moral Center.
Today we pull open the drawer in the Motel Bureau and face the need to have a moral center, that core set of beliefs and ethics that governs the way we conduct ourselves and live our lives.
Whatever your beliefs may be, I happen to be non-religious.
I do not believe that supernatural deities exist.
There's nothing evil or wrong about that.
I view the God of Abraham in the same way that the average Christian, Muslim, or Jew views Shiva, Athena, or Odin.
There's nothing evil or wrong about doubting the actual divinity of those characters either.
Yet a common generalization made by some religious people is that the non-religious lack a moral center.
More than once in late-night bull sessions with religious friends, I've been told that faith is a necessary component for developing a sound moral center.
The implication is that religious beliefs play an important role in the development of a normal, healthy system of ethics and personal conduct.
Without religious faith, one is less likely to become a moral person.
Thus, one of many reasons that people of faith want to reach out to the non-religious is to help them to find a moral center, both for their own good so that they can be saved, and for the good of society so they're not running around being immoral and unethical.
My response to the religious people, after thanking them for the assumption that I'm an immoral person, is to compare our moral centers and see where these supposed differences lie.
If you knew me personally, you would probably find me to be a generally upstanding person, like yourself, who stays out of trouble, brushes his teeth, walks his kids to school, and tries not to shout too much in the library.
Like you, I am generally an honest person.
I don't cheat people in business.
I don't steal or commit crimes any worse than speeding on the freeway.
I lie all the time, but only when the lie is a helpful one.
For example, yes, you look great in those parachute pants.
Like you, I play fair in sports, even against unfair opponents.
I try to be a gracious loser and occasionally even a gracious winner.
Like you, my family is the most important thing in my life.
Preserving the love, trust, and happiness in my family absolutely outweighs all other priorities in my life.
Like you, I have a clear sense of right and wrong.
Generally, behavior that injures someone else is wrong, and most of us, religious or not, avoid doing that whenever possible.
Like you, if I see a complete stranger drop their wallet, I'll spring into action like Batman to return it to them.
It would never occur to either you or I to keep it or expect a reward for returning it.
If I see an elderly woman, I do not run over, punch her in the face, and steal her purse.
And neither does a religious person.
But note that no religious person ever says, I would love to punch out that old woman, but I can't because the restrictions of my religion forbid it.
Nobody's going to do something like that because it's so obviously wrong.
Rarely or never does any basically good person, and that's most of us, need religious commandments to stop them from doing something wrong.
Hey everyone, I want to remind you about a truly unique and once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
Join me and Mediterranean archaeologist Dr. Flint Dibble for a skeptoid sailing adventure through the Mediterranean Sea aboard the SV Royal Clipper, the world's largest full-rigged sailing ship.
This is also the only opportunity you'll have to hear Flint and I talk about our experiences when we both went on Joe Rogan to represent the causes of science and reality against whatever it is that you get when you're thrown into that lion pit.
We set sail from Málaga, Spain on April 18th, 2026 and finish the adventure in Nice, France on April 25th.
You'll enjoy a fascinating skeptical mini-conference at sea.
You'll visit amazing ports along the Spanish and French coasts and Flint will be our exclusive onboard expert sharing the real archaeology and history about every stop.
We've got special side quests and extra skeptical content planned at each port.
This is a true sailing ship.
You can climb the rat lines to the crow's nest, handle the sails.
You can even take the helm and steer.
This is a real bucket list adventure you don't want to miss.
But cabins are selling fast and this ship does always sell out.
Act now or you'll miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Get the full details and book your cabin at skeptoid.com slash adventures.
Hope to see you on board.
That's skeptoid.com slash adventures.
In summary, my moral center is essentially the same as yours.
It comes from the basic goodness of human nature and my own sense of right and wrong that is universally shared among all people.
It does not stem from having read any particular set of religious commandments or from fear of punishment from a deity.
Since I formed this ethical system in the lack of a religious context, how could my moral center be so similar to that of the average Christian or Buddhist?
I argue that everyone's basic moral center comes from human nature, the nurture of societal interaction, and the sense of right and wrong.
Since everyone already has these things, the need to credit religion as an additional source is redundant and thus wholly unnecessary.
A common retort from religious people is that their particular God gave me these things, common sense and the ability to tell right from wrong.
If that's so, and everyone, atheists included, has been gifted with all the fundamentals needed to develop a moral center, then we're still left at the same place.
A religious upbringing is still superfluous.
Religion is an important and favored part of life for most people.
Its practice brings them satisfaction in many ways.
But religion is absolutely not necessary to become a good person or to have a sound moral center.
Philanthropists, educators, doctors, and emergency workers have the same general breakdown of religious affiliation, including no religion, as the population at large.
Because they are the population at large.
Embrace this species you belong to, its strengths, its accomplishments, its knowledge, and seek not to divide it by qualities that don't matter.
Because it is the only group you will ever irrevocably be a part of.
Support Skeptoid Today 00:01:18
You're listening to Skeptoid, a listener-supported program.
I'm Brian Dunning from Skeptoid.com.
Hello everyone, this is Adrian Hill from Skookum Studios in Calgary, Canada, the land of maple syrup and mousse.
And I'm here to ask you to consider becoming a premium member of Skeptoid for as little as $5 per month.
And that's only the cost of a couple of Tim Horton's double-doubles.
And that's Canadian for coffee with double cream and sugar.
Why support Skeptoid?
If you are like me and don't like ads, but like extended versions of each episode, Premium is for you.
If you want to support a worthwhile non-profit that combats pseudoscience, promotes critical thinking, and provides free access to teachers to use the podcast in the classroom via the teacher's toolkit, then sign up today.
Remember that skepticism is the best medicine.
Next to giggling, of course.
Until next time, this is Adrienne Hill.
From PRX.
Export Selection