Never a True Christian
No God is Needed for Morality

You don't need a Bible, and you don't need a god, to come up with a system of morality.

The key to understanding morality is wellbeing.

Morality is (generally) that which promotes
      order,
      tranquility,
      peace,
      cleanness,
      health,
      fairness,
      freedom,
      prosperity, and
      individual rights such as property rights,
... for the greatest number of people.   And morality balances these factors when they conflict with each other.

Right/Wrong This can be tricky. It's much more difficult (and nuanced) than simply opening up an old book.

For instance: If a government requires its citizens to put all their property and money into a big bucket, and then divides it equally among the citizens, ARGUABLY that eliminates poverty and hunger ... which is a good (moral) thing. BUT it violates INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS (remember "life, liberty, and property" from the Fifth Amendment). It's wrong for you (or a government) to steal from me, EVEN IF IT'S FOR A "GOOD CAUSE."

The exception to the "no government stealing" rule is TAXES. Taxes are a necessary evil. The government's legitimate job is to protect our borders, maintain an army, repair roads and bridges, and administer criminal justice (and it needs MONEY to do these things ... dammit).   It is NOT the legitimate job of the government to redistribute wealth.   Because that is morally wrong.

And creating rules about taxation is infinitely complex: Unrealized capital gains? Inheritance tax? Graduated income tax? Tax deferment for retirement accounts? "Loopholes" that the government creates to encourage people to do things that the government likes? Tax credits that reward people for having children? Exemptions for charitable donations?

Legitimate moral rules prohibit certain things, such as:
      disorder,
      fighting (you should do your fighting in court),
      war,
      slavery,
      theft,
      fraud,
      and murder.

The concept of morality is fluid because advancing technology sometimes creates new means by which people can hurt other people, or it creates new situations that never existed before.


                                             
EMAIL
     
Back to Home Page