As I’ve outlined in previous posts, the Bible is chock full of
prescribed morality that can be backward and unethical. In addition, I’ve also
addressed how the God of the Bible is closer to a Bronze Age tyrant than a
loving father. It is because of these issues that, since the adoption of
Christianity as the state religion in the Roman empire, sexuality has been
repressed, slavery continued unchallenged for over 1,000 years, misogyny thrived,
religious wars and persecution pervaded, and critical thought was severely stifled in the West until the Age of Enlightenment. During the Enlightenment,
theological claims of authority were rejected in favor of human reason,
empiricism, science, and democracy.[1]
In the end, the intellectual and ethical evolution of humanity that led to
modern political systems, technologies which enhance our lives, and emphasis on
civil rights occurred after we began to reject Biblical authority. It is from
this tradition that liberal theists truly get their morality, not the Bible.
Liberal Christians don’t necessarily see it that way. They believe the
Bible is inspired by God, and they focus solely on areas of the “holy” text
which emphasize God’s love, and Jesus’ message of compassion and forgiveness. They
either outright ignore the nasty aspects of the Bible or employ mental gymnastics
to dismiss them. I’ve encountered some who ignore everything in the Bible
except the supposed words of Jesus and others who dismiss the idea of Satan and
Hell entirely. While this take on Christianity may be much more compassionate,
it is based entirely on cherry picking aspects of the Bible they wish to be
true. In the end, liberal Christians outright ignore what Christianity has
stood for during the past 2,000 years, and they simply do not grasp that their
morality exists despite their religion, not because of it.
Protecting Fundamentalists
Given the emphasis on compassionate elements of their faith, Liberal
Christians feel that Christianity is a positive religion. On top of that, given
their general tolerance of other cultures, they tend to believe that all
religions, if practiced in their “true” sense, benefit humanity. Liberals’
problem with fundamentalism is that fundamentalists are simply not practicing
their faith correctly. Thus, instead of admitting that the fundamentals of
religions are simply inadequate at best and dangerous at worst, they give undeserved
credibility and authority to religious traditions, texts, leaders, and ideas. In
addition, many reject atheism as merely another form of intolerant
fundamentalism.[2]
This is why openly atheist politicians are rare, and why liberal Oprah Winfrey
believes atheists are incapable of experiencing awe and wonder.[3]
It is also why politicians, both liberal & conservative, feel they need to use
religious language in their speeches and build alliances with religious leaders.
Tolerance for this practice is a big reason fundamentalists have been allowed to
infiltrate government.
Diversion of Resources
In order for society to function, we need a government and citizenry
focused on finding and implementing the best ways to encourage human
flourishing on this planet. We need to be concerned, informed, and properly
equipped to identify world issues and the most effective solutions to our
problems. Given that religion is based on flawed notions of morality and of the
nature of humanity and our universe, it is not conducive to these aims. Thus,
the fact that the US gives religious organizations $82.5 billion a year in tax
benefits is a very bad thing, since we could have used that money on much more
worthy causes such as education or scientific research.[4]
The same could also be said about the $95.88 billion Americans donated
(knowingly) to religious organizations in 2011.[5]
To put this into perspective, a recent study indicated that 73% of American
charitable giving goes toward religion.[6]
Beyond financial resources, just think of the billions of hours people spend
thinking about, trying to appease, and requesting help from a God that probably
doesn’t exist. In my opinion, this time could be much better spent on learning
about how the world actually works, improving oneself and society using
solutions that have been shown by science to work, or merely experiencing other
aspects of life that are fulfilling. Ultimately, every religion diverts
resources that could be better spent on endeavors that help to solve, rather
than create, problems for humanity.
What about the Good Religion Can
Bring?
As I will explain in future posts, religion is not necessary to be
moral, to be a part of an altruistic community, to experience awe, to deal with
life’s challenges, or to lead a fulfilling life. Even if religion may have some
benefits, it carries with it a great deal of baggage. Often, examples of
religious compassion are secretly marred by backwardness and intolerance.
Consider the case of Mother Teresa, who most people consider a paragon
of virtue. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her work caring for the
dying in the poverty stricken streets of Calcutta, and is likely to someday be beautified
as a saint.[7][8]
However, those who have looked more closely at her deeds have found that she
was far from the savior of the poor. In fact, she helped found 517 missions in
100 countries, in which most of the dying poor were given no actual healthcare.[9]
She was also a fervent critic of abortion, and considered the suffering of the
poor to be beautiful.[10]
In her own words, “I think it is very beautiful for the poor to accept their
lot, to share it with the passion of Christ. I think the world is being much
helped by the suffering of the poor people.”[11]
Also consider the Salvation Army, which is well known for their red
donation buckets and bells they use around Christmas time to collect money for
the needy. Not only do they help the poor, but as an Evangelical Christian
organization, they also consider homosexuality to be a sin.[12]
In fact, one of their Australian officials was purported to have stated that
gays should be “put to death.”[13]
Let’s also not forget the National Prayer Breakfast, which has been the
prime networking event in Washington for more than 50 years. It brings together
the president, members of Congress from all parties, foreign diplomats and
thousands of religious, business and military leaders to pray and eat breakfast
(thus the name.)[14]
As it happens, the primary sponsor of this event is a Christian organization
called The Family. This group has thrown their political weight behind
legislation in Uganda that calls for the imprisonment and execution of
homosexuals.[15]
Innocent breakfast centered on theistic camaraderie, or a means to give bigots
greater political influence? Something tells me the most powerful people in the
world have more important things they could be doing.
Conclusion
What’s the problem with liberal religion? Instead of acknowledging
secularism and Enlightenment thinking as the source of their morality, Liberal
theists give credit to their religion. In so doing, they allow nonsense to
influence the direction of our society, thus distracting them from more
effective and less baggage-ridden methods of improving their lives and those of
the rest of humanity.
Author’s Note:
My examples tend to be focused
mainly on liberal Christians as this is the group with which I am most
familiar. However, the liberal non-Christians to which I’ve been exposed tend
to have many similar issues. Thus, while I’m focused on Liberal Christians,
much of my arguments can still be generalized toward other religions.
Resources:
Christopher Hitchens’ Mother Teresa documentary
Article regarding the $85 billion US taxpayers give religious
organizations every year
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