“Why
be good if there is no God?” A young man who is familiar with my religious
views asked me yesterday.
“What
has goodness got to do with god?” I asked. “Aren’t you diminishing yourself
when you are being good merely for god’s sake?”
I
explained that goodness is our duty to ourselves as well as the humanity. “When
we are good, we create a better world. Creating that better world is our duty.”
“Duty
given by whom?” The young man persisted.
“By
our intelligence. Intelligence tells us that good is better than bad for all.
For all creatures and the planet and the cosmos.”
“Who
decides what is good and what is evil?”
“We
decide. You and I. Goodness promotes the welfare of other creatures. The problem
with our gods is that they tend to promote the welfare of particular
communities.”
“Perhaps
certain people misuse the gods for such purposes. Gods themselves cannot be so
parochial.”
I
smiled.
“I
didn’t understand,” the young man said.
“What?”
“The
meaning of that smile.”
“Our
gods are all created in our own images.”
He
smiled. Unhappily.
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