Sound morals don’t necessarily require subscribing to a religion

October 12, 2009 —

Albert Einstein once said “Religion is the incarnation of the most childish superstitions.”After a short religious discussion with a friend from high school, I was informed that my religious beliefs composed a one-way ticket to Hell. This explicit threat reminded me of an important childhood experience.

When I was seven years old I stole two cookies from a batch that was strictly reserved for our annual Force family reunion. When confronted by my parents about the missing cookies, I did what any seven-year-old would do: I transitioned into self-preservation mode and I lied.

Due to the wad of cookie still in my mouth and the crumbs that covered the front of my shirt, my parents realized that I was in fact guilty. My punishment: a brief spanking and an early bedtime.

After this terrible experience, I never again lied to my parents about stealing cookies because I was legitimately afraid of the punishment that would follow being caught. However, did I truly learn a lesson about lying and stealing?

Does it make me a better person to not lie and steal simply because I fear the consequences? Can I truly claim a clear conscious if the absence of rules would inspire me to lie and steal?

I firmly believe that the answer to these questions is no. At the time of my cookie-stealing heist, I abstained from repeating my behavior because I had to, not because I wanted to. The true lesson that needed to be learned, that stealing and lying are wrong, was learned as I developed a conscious and identity of my own.

I often reflect this belief back onto my experience with my religious friend.

The fact that this friend threatened my belief system with the words “then you are going to Hell,” tells me two things about his and many others’ concepts of religion.

My friend fears the threat of a fiery Hell more than he believes in the importance of simply being a moral person.

My friend feared Hell so much that he wanted me to hide and suppress my true beliefs and adopt a façade of religion simply to avoid eternal damnation.

I share many of the same lifestyle practices and moral beliefs of those that claim religious salvation, regardless of the existence or non-existence of the consequences claimed by my friend.

I do not lie. I do not steal. I do not cheat. I do not kill. I love. I work hard. I help others in need. If I respect all of these moral codes, what is it then that differentiates me from those, like my friend, who attend church? Is the fear of Hell essential to living a moral life?

Once again, I believe that the answer to these questions is no. I retain my personally strict morals because I believe that they are “the right thing to do,” and by following them I am a good person.

The belief of my friend, that I am going to Hell simply because I don’t have the fear of going to Hell, shows a problematic distortion about how to measure the worth of someone’s morals.

I am in no way arguing that religion as a whole is wrong, because the elemental beliefs of religion serve to pacify the fundamental human fear about the uncertainty of death. I simply aim to differentiate the type of religion that my friend pursues: one that allows his/her beliefs to be dictated by fears and therefore allows him/herself to pass judgment on those like myself.

The problem simply arises when people, like my friend, allow religion to become “an incarnation of the most childish superstitions,” instead of what it should be: a strong collection and respect of personal morals.