Moral viagra

I reject any suggestion that one cannot be moral without religion.

You probably do too.

However, is that true for everyone? After all, individual variation within a species is a fact of life.

We shouldn’t assume other humans have the same relationship with morality that we have.

Perhaps some people find morality without religion difficult or even impossible. After all, some people make that claim and perhaps we should believe them.

Maybe its a bit like erectile dysfunction in men. Most men have no problems. Others have arterial sclerosis or some other condition which interferes with normal functions. Fortunately there are medications like viagra which alleviate the condition and enable such men to have normal sex lives.

Daniel Dennett suggested that religion may be a sort of moral viagra (see atheist tapes). He suggested that if this is the case religion serves an important purpose for these people and he would not want to deny it to them.

An interesting thought.

However, if religion does serve this purpose for some people is belief in a god essential? Could a non-theist religion like Buddhism work just as well (or even better)?

And what about a non-religious moral and ethical philosophy? Would humanism be just as effective as a moral viagra?

Related Articles:
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Moral authority
Christian problems with morality
Religion and the “New Atheists”
Morals, values and the limits of science
Is religion the source of morality?
Crimes of Communism and Christianity
Religion and morality
Arguments against atheist morality

Society’s ” Christian values”

In New Zealand we often hear the claim that the ethics, morals and values of our society are Christian. Some will even go as far as proposing that this claim should be enshrined in legislation. That the government should declare the country Christian in law. This proposal is rejected by members of other religions, the non-religious and many Christians. Many people are unhappy with the proposal because they see it as a step towards a theocracy.