Christopher Hitchens 'Good Without God'
Good without God
Christopher Hitchens, a British-American writer and journalist once said, “Human decency is not derived from religion. It precedes it” (Quotes About). Human decency comes from the morals that people learn. There are good and bad morals, but human decency can only be established through good morals. One of the most influential yet controversial ways morals can be learned is through religion. Other ways it could be learned is through older generations, life experiences, and through culture. Religion can cause a lot of difficulties when it comes down to making the right decisions. It should not interfere with one’s morals and ethics. Religion is not needed in a person’s life to teach good morals.
Religion is often confused with social customs. By definition, religion is an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a God or a group of Gods (Religion Merriam). Social customs, on the other hand, are activities that are considered normal or expected in a particular area (Social Customs). There is not much relation between these definitions. In Africa, it is believed that many of the Islamic countries practice Female Genital Mutilation, also known as FGM (Female Genital). As defined on World Health Organization’s (WHO) website, FGM is a procedure that involves partial or total removal of the …show more content…
external female genital (Female Genital). In Africa, it has been estimated that over 100 million girls who are above the age of ten have undergone this procedure, according to WHO. However, in the Muslim countries that are partaking in this activity, FGM is justified by saying that Prophet Mohammad favored circumcision (Debates About). The circumcision involves a small cutting in the clitoris (Debates About). This, however, is not true. Female Genital Mutilation is a social custom in Africa. Doctor Ashenafi Moges had written a report on FGM and stated that it has taken place in at least twenty-eight different African countries (Moges, Dr. Ashenafi). Dr. Moges also stated that FGM is neither an Islamic or Christian rule (Moges, Dr. Ashenafi). It is just a norm.
There are many religions around the world, and not all of them have a decent representation of morals. Many religions teach followers good things and other things that are taught can be questionable. During a debate at Oxford University between Dennis Prager and Johnathan Glover about having good morals without religion, Dennis Prager said, “…you better do what God says or he will punish you. If not, he will reward you” (Can We). It is as if one is being threatened into following the rules. One could argue that citizens of Iraq might have followed their past leader, Saddam Hussain, for the same reason. If one goes against Saddam Hussain and his rules, they will be punished – and the punishment could have easily been death. A philosopher named Richard Dawkins had written a book named “The God Delusion”. In this book he states many immoral religious acts that have taken place throughout history. For example, Dawkins stated that Adolf Hitler and the Nazis held broadly Christian beliefs that inspired the Holocaust on account of anti-Semitic Christian principles. The reason for this is that Christianity had a troubled relationship with Judaism; this involved anti-Semitism – the hatred of Jews (Christianity And). However, it is not just the Christian religion that shows imperfect impressions. Muslims believe in Jihad. The influence of media makes people believe that Jihad is a holy war, which is not the complete true definition. A Bollywood movie named “My Name Is Khan” shows the hardship Muslims had to endure through the tragedy of 9/11. A teacher in the movie was teaching her class about religions and said, “…of all the world’s religions, Islam is the most violent and aggressive. It encourages killing, or “Jihad”, as they call it, in the name of God” (My Name). The Qu’ranic definition of Jihad is ”the strive to struggle” (Naik, Dr. Zakir). Religions can cause a distortion.
There are many people that believe religion is not needed to learn morals, ethics and values throughout life. A number of those people can be considered Humanists. Humanism is a democratic and ethical life stance which confirms that people have the right to give meaning and to shape their own lives (American Humanist). People who follow Humanism believe that they can go through life without supernaturalism, or a divine power. A Minister of the name Kenneth Phifer stated in his essay, “The Faith of a Humanist”, that “Humanism teaches us that it is immoral to wait for God to act for us. We must stop the wars and crimes…We have the power of a remarkable kind” (What is). What he is saying is that people have their own brain that they can rely on. If one wants to make a difference, he or she can without the fear of going against a divine power. A supernatural power is not needed to guide us to right and wrong. Philosophers such as Voltaire and Denis Diderot, both French and were prominent during the age of Enlightenment, were known to be Humanists. Voltaire once said, “God is a circle whose center is everywhere and circumference nowhere” (Quotation Details). What Voltaire could have meant by this is that the idea of God is everywhere, through people’s minds, however, God has not been seen and has not had a great outcome. The world is full of the good, the bad, and the ugly, but how could a divine power do so much to help one, yet do even more to hurt another? Diderot had a similar quote, “Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you do atrocities” (My Favorite). What Diderot is explaining is that a persuasive person has the ability to make someone believe something that through all logic is untrue, also has the ability to make that person do things that the heart says is not okay. This relates back to the Renaissance, when people started distancing themselves from the Roman Catholic Church because of the Humanistic thinking that was evolving (The Renaissance).
Overall, religion should not interfere with the learning of morals. People should be capable enough to make decisions for themselves and not look back at a Holy text. Religion and morals tend to get combined to the point where people forget if it is just a norm or actually apart of the religion. It also does not give a noble depiction of how people should act. Many of the lines from Holy texts can be interpreted in wrong ways and give the wrong messages out to devoted followers. There are many people out there in the world that are doing well without religion, whether they are Humanists, or just Atheists. Religion should not come in the way of one’s way of life.
Works Cited
"American Humanist Association." American Humanist Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Nov. 2013. .
"Can We Be Good without God." Can We Be Good without God. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2013. .
Casez, Helene. "Enlightenment? Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot and their “ gang†." UVIC. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. .
"Christianity and Antisemitism." Princeton. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2013. .
Dawkins, Richard. "What about Hitler and Stalin? Weren 't they atheists?." The God delusion. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2006. 274. Print.
"Debates about FGM inAfrica,the Middle East & Far East." FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION FEMALE (CIRCUMCISION) IN AFRICA, MIDDLE EAST AND FAR EAST. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. .
"Female genital mutilation." WHO. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. .
Moges, Dr. Ashenafi. "What is Behind the Tradition of FGM?." African Women. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. .
My Name is Khan. Dir. Karan Johar. Perf. Shahrukh Khan, Kajol. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2010. Blu-Ray.
Naik, Dr. Zakir. “What is the Meaning of Jihad – Dr. Zakir Naik.” YouTube. YouTube, LLC. 6 Mar. 2013. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.
"Quotes About Humanism." (158 quotes). N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. .
"Quotation Details." The Quotations Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. .
"Social Customs." About.com Sociology. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. .
"The Renaissance and the Church." The Catholic Church and the Renaissance". N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. .
"What Is Humanism?." What Is Humanism. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Nov. 2013. .
"My favorite humanist/rationalist/anti-religious quotes - Straight Dope Message Board." Straight Dope Message Board RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. .
"Religion." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. .
Annotated Biblography
"Can man live ethically and morally without the guidance of religion?." The Premier Online Debate Website.
N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2013. . This website is helpful because it shows information through a debate. The good thing about this website is that it shows both sides of the argument. Many reasons are found as to why an individual can live ethically and morally without religion, and why not. The problem I found on this website is that it is just everyone 's opinion. This is a problem because it does not help make the essay factual in any way. Also, another thing that 's problematic is that all the answers provided are
anonymous.
"Chapter 8: Ethics." Morality without Religion. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2013. . This website is very educational. This is due to the fact that it was written by a Harvard University alumni. Some of the facts from this website can help back up the thesis and make a stronger argument in my essay. There were only a couple of points that were usable. The page was too short.
"MORALITY - Can we have morality without God?." MORALITY - Can we have morality without God?. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2013. . This website was not helpful at all. Since it is a website that has to do with the religion of Christianity, it goes against the thesis of the essay. The Christians do not believe that morals can be taught without religion. This website explains why. This is not a useful website for my essay.
"Patheos." Morality without Religion?. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2013. . This website worked against my favor. It seemed as if it would help me back up my essay more, however it did quite the opposite. This website states that you need religion to be moral and ethical, which I am against.
"Secular morality." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Oct. 2013. Web. 5 Nov. 2013. . Although this website should not be and was not my first choice, it was still helpful. Many definitions that I needed to know for my essay was available. I found some different material that I could work with, such as Richard Dawkins and his book, "The God Delusion". It help me come up with another argument for my essay.
Christopher Hitchens, a British-American writer and journalist once said, “Human decency is not derived from religion. It precedes it” (Quotes About). Human decency comes from the morals that people learn. There are good and bad morals, but human decency can only be established through good morals. One of the most influential yet controversial ways morals can be learned is through religion. Other ways it could be learned is through older generations, life experiences, and through culture. Religion can cause a lot of difficulties when it comes down to making the right decisions. It should not interfere with one’s morals and ethics. Religion is not needed in a person’s life to teach good morals.
Religion is often confused with social customs. By definition, religion is an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a God or a group of Gods (Religion Merriam). Social customs, on the other hand, are activities that are considered normal or expected in a particular area (Social Customs). There is not much relation between these definitions. In Africa, it is believed that many of the Islamic countries practice Female Genital Mutilation, also known as FGM (Female Genital). As defined on World Health Organization’s (WHO) website, FGM is a procedure that involves partial or total removal of the …show more content…
external female genital (Female Genital). In Africa, it has been estimated that over 100 million girls who are above the age of ten have undergone this procedure, according to WHO. However, in the Muslim countries that are partaking in this activity, FGM is justified by saying that Prophet Mohammad favored circumcision (Debates About). The circumcision involves a small cutting in the clitoris (Debates About). This, however, is not true. Female Genital Mutilation is a social custom in Africa. Doctor Ashenafi Moges had written a report on FGM and stated that it has taken place in at least twenty-eight different African countries (Moges, Dr. Ashenafi). Dr. Moges also stated that FGM is neither an Islamic or Christian rule (Moges, Dr. Ashenafi). It is just a norm.
There are many religions around the world, and not all of them have a decent representation of morals. Many religions teach followers good things and other things that are taught can be questionable. During a debate at Oxford University between Dennis Prager and Johnathan Glover about having good morals without religion, Dennis Prager said, “…you better do what God says or he will punish you. If not, he will reward you” (Can We). It is as if one is being threatened into following the rules. One could argue that citizens of Iraq might have followed their past leader, Saddam Hussain, for the same reason. If one goes against Saddam Hussain and his rules, they will be punished – and the punishment could have easily been death. A philosopher named Richard Dawkins had written a book named “The God Delusion”. In this book he states many immoral religious acts that have taken place throughout history. For example, Dawkins stated that Adolf Hitler and the Nazis held broadly Christian beliefs that inspired the Holocaust on account of anti-Semitic Christian principles. The reason for this is that Christianity had a troubled relationship with Judaism; this involved anti-Semitism – the hatred of Jews (Christianity And). However, it is not just the Christian religion that shows imperfect impressions. Muslims believe in Jihad. The influence of media makes people believe that Jihad is a holy war, which is not the complete true definition. A Bollywood movie named “My Name Is Khan” shows the hardship Muslims had to endure through the tragedy of 9/11. A teacher in the movie was teaching her class about religions and said, “…of all the world’s religions, Islam is the most violent and aggressive. It encourages killing, or “Jihad”, as they call it, in the name of God” (My Name). The Qu’ranic definition of Jihad is ”the strive to struggle” (Naik, Dr. Zakir). Religions can cause a distortion.
There are many people that believe religion is not needed to learn morals, ethics and values throughout life. A number of those people can be considered Humanists. Humanism is a democratic and ethical life stance which confirms that people have the right to give meaning and to shape their own lives (American Humanist). People who follow Humanism believe that they can go through life without supernaturalism, or a divine power. A Minister of the name Kenneth Phifer stated in his essay, “The Faith of a Humanist”, that “Humanism teaches us that it is immoral to wait for God to act for us. We must stop the wars and crimes…We have the power of a remarkable kind” (What is). What he is saying is that people have their own brain that they can rely on. If one wants to make a difference, he or she can without the fear of going against a divine power. A supernatural power is not needed to guide us to right and wrong. Philosophers such as Voltaire and Denis Diderot, both French and were prominent during the age of Enlightenment, were known to be Humanists. Voltaire once said, “God is a circle whose center is everywhere and circumference nowhere” (Quotation Details). What Voltaire could have meant by this is that the idea of God is everywhere, through people’s minds, however, God has not been seen and has not had a great outcome. The world is full of the good, the bad, and the ugly, but how could a divine power do so much to help one, yet do even more to hurt another? Diderot had a similar quote, “Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you do atrocities” (My Favorite). What Diderot is explaining is that a persuasive person has the ability to make someone believe something that through all logic is untrue, also has the ability to make that person do things that the heart says is not okay. This relates back to the Renaissance, when people started distancing themselves from the Roman Catholic Church because of the Humanistic thinking that was evolving (The Renaissance).
Overall, religion should not interfere with the learning of morals. People should be capable enough to make decisions for themselves and not look back at a Holy text. Religion and morals tend to get combined to the point where people forget if it is just a norm or actually apart of the religion. It also does not give a noble depiction of how people should act. Many of the lines from Holy texts can be interpreted in wrong ways and give the wrong messages out to devoted followers. There are many people out there in the world that are doing well without religion, whether they are Humanists, or just Atheists. Religion should not come in the way of one’s way of life.
Works Cited
"American Humanist Association." American Humanist Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Nov. 2013. .
"Can We Be Good without God." Can We Be Good without God. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2013. .
Casez, Helene. "Enlightenment? Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot and their “ gang†." UVIC. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. .
"Christianity and Antisemitism." Princeton. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2013. .
Dawkins, Richard. "What about Hitler and Stalin? Weren 't they atheists?." The God delusion. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2006. 274. Print.
"Debates about FGM inAfrica,the Middle East & Far East." FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION FEMALE (CIRCUMCISION) IN AFRICA, MIDDLE EAST AND FAR EAST. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. .
"Female genital mutilation." WHO. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. .
Moges, Dr. Ashenafi. "What is Behind the Tradition of FGM?." African Women. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. .
My Name is Khan. Dir. Karan Johar. Perf. Shahrukh Khan, Kajol. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2010. Blu-Ray.
Naik, Dr. Zakir. “What is the Meaning of Jihad – Dr. Zakir Naik.” YouTube. YouTube, LLC. 6 Mar. 2013. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.
"Quotes About Humanism." (158 quotes). N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. .
"Quotation Details." The Quotations Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. .
"Social Customs." About.com Sociology. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. .
"The Renaissance and the Church." The Catholic Church and the Renaissance". N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. .
"What Is Humanism?." What Is Humanism. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Nov. 2013. .
"My favorite humanist/rationalist/anti-religious quotes - Straight Dope Message Board." Straight Dope Message Board RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. .
"Religion." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. .
Annotated Biblography
"Can man live ethically and morally without the guidance of religion?." The Premier Online Debate Website.
N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2013. . This website is helpful because it shows information through a debate. The good thing about this website is that it shows both sides of the argument. Many reasons are found as to why an individual can live ethically and morally without religion, and why not. The problem I found on this website is that it is just everyone 's opinion. This is a problem because it does not help make the essay factual in any way. Also, another thing that 's problematic is that all the answers provided are
anonymous.
"Chapter 8: Ethics." Morality without Religion. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2013. . This website is very educational. This is due to the fact that it was written by a Harvard University alumni. Some of the facts from this website can help back up the thesis and make a stronger argument in my essay. There were only a couple of points that were usable. The page was too short.
"MORALITY - Can we have morality without God?." MORALITY - Can we have morality without God?. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2013. . This website was not helpful at all. Since it is a website that has to do with the religion of Christianity, it goes against the thesis of the essay. The Christians do not believe that morals can be taught without religion. This website explains why. This is not a useful website for my essay.
"Patheos." Morality without Religion?. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2013. . This website worked against my favor. It seemed as if it would help me back up my essay more, however it did quite the opposite. This website states that you need religion to be moral and ethical, which I am against.
"Secular morality." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Oct. 2013. Web. 5 Nov. 2013. . Although this website should not be and was not my first choice, it was still helpful. Many definitions that I needed to know for my essay was available. I found some different material that I could work with, such as Richard Dawkins and his book, "The God Delusion". It help me come up with another argument for my essay.