Humanist Morality

Politicians (particularly those of the Conservative persuasion) seem to enjoy throwing around words like 'morality'. I don't trust their morality. My lack of trust stems from the fact that their personal morality originates from what they consider 'divine'. I have always been of the belief that one's morality should not be divinely inspired. You should do what is right for the benefit of everyone. When you do it for the divine, you are doing it to gain favor with your deity and thus do it for selfish reasons. When you go to a third world country on a 'mission', you should be there to improve the quality of the people's lives, not to spread your religion like an infectious disease.

I have for a long time considered myself a humanist. I didn't entirely have the words to express what I was until I read the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. 'Humanistic' is how I describe my morals. My morals were established before I ever attended church and therefore I do not attribute my sense of morality to the devine.

So as you might guess, it is utterly painful for me to see this country turn towards theocracy. I do believe in the existence of a divine force, but I cannot subscribe to the hateful attitudes of social conservatives. They of course would accuse me of being what they might consider 'atheist' because of my belief in science and searching for truth (something that is preached about at length in the Gita, finding truth). I don't want to live in a world where children are not taught to think for themselves and discover truth. I don't want to live in a world where ignorance and bigotry reign supreme.

I believe that having a morality that comes from religion is going to destroy our society. God must be separated from our sense of right and wrong. You cannot rely on literature from antiquity to tell you what to do or how to live. We as a species have moved beyond that. That is not to say that studying the Bible isn't necessary, you should study all literature it is food for thought.

I am not really sure where I was going with this. I just wanted to express it. I feel an incredible sense of mourning when illusion reigns supreme in the minds of humans. We lose so much we have gained.