True culture of life has to be godless

Religious types—Christians, mostly—like to talk about a "culture of life." This is shorthand for being against abortion, death with dignity, stem cell research, and other supposedly anti-life policies supported by godless secularists like me.

I see things just the opposite. Religiosity is what's destructive of living life fully, devotedly, appreciatively, reverently. Here's why.

Virtually every religion holds that earthly existence is just a prelude to something better: heaven, paradise, nirvana, god-realization. The life we're living now is to be looked upon as a springboard that hopefully will bounce us in the direction of divinity after death.

Back in my science fiction reading days I enjoyed Philip Jose Farmer's "Riverworld" series. The main character's goal was to reach the headwaters of a huge river. It was tough going. Eventually he discovered that when he was killed, he was instantly reborn along the river.

As I recall, sometimes upstream, sometimes downstream. Regardless, the man didn't fear death anymore. He'd give up his life willingly to have a chance of fulfilling his quest.

Just like Islamic suicide bombers. And Crusaders. And every other religious fanatic who considers physical life to be of little value compared to the non-bodily state that awaits the faithful after they take their last breath.

They are the extremists. But even religious moderates comfort themselves with thoughts like, "No matter how bad things are now, they're going to be better when _____ [Jesus /God/ Buddha-nature/ Krishna/ Guru/ Jehovah/ Allah/ otherwise fill in the blank] embraces me in the next life."

With one eye on the afterlife, how is it possible to give this one the respect it deserves?

We're up to 3,500 deaths of American soldiers in Iraq. Tens or even hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have died. This is just one of many "killing fields" around the world. Darfur, Afghanistan, North Korea, AIDS stricken Africa—what makes it so easy to read about people needlessly dying here, there, everywhere without slamming the newspaper on the table and crying This is fucking insane!

I'd say because in most of us there's a lurking (or up front) notion that when a person dies it's not really the end for him or her. It's a bad call, but the game still is going into extra innings.

Well, what if it isn't? What if each of us gets only one chance to experience life? What if every hour, minute, or second subtracted from a life span is gone forever? What if this moment, right here and right now, is so unbelievably precious — because another one can't be purchased for any price — it's impossible to place a high enough value on it?

This is where a godless outlook leads: toward a genuine culture of life. This life. Not the next one. What could very well be (and probably is) the only one. For me, for you, for everybody.

From this perspective a potential life doesn't have nearly as much value as an actual life. A nascent embryo isn't a conscious living being; someone paralyzed by a spinal cord injury is. So embryonic stem cell research is part of my culture of life.

As is allowing people to decide for themselves how they want to die. Death with dignity and doctor-assisted suicide when death is imminent (blessedly legal in my great state of Oregon) also support a culture of life. Religious superstitions shouldn't play a part in social policies, neither in end-of-life care nor anywhere else.

Abortion is a bit more problematic. I've got no problem with early-term abortions. When a developed nervous system is lacking, so is the consciousness necessary for human existence.

Here also a balance must be struck between respecting a fully-formed life and a nascent life. A pregnant woman knows what her life is all about; a several-week old fetus doesn't. The woman's personal ethical choice trumps anyone else's, because she is living her life directly.

Again: this is a culture of life.

No one who believes in an afterlife can maximally reverence presentlife. Divided loyalties preclude a whole-hearted commitment to the reality of is, because could be drains energy, commitment, and attention.

A culture of life thrives in godlessness and is deadened by religiosity. Choose your philosophy of life accordingly.

Comments

[Ashwin]

Beyond these trifling issues for the leaders of this country, how much do people think of religion on a daily basis? I'm willing to bet that in the West, very little. Regardless of their belief in God, most people live life however they choose to. How often do you get the chance to oppose/support stem-cell research? Abort a fetus? Suicide bomb?

You can believe all sorts of things and still be concentrated on this life. Did you watch the 30-second clip of Richard Dawkins on CNN when they apologized for the atheist special (with no atheists on the panel)? He stated that atheists focus on this life rather than the next. That's bogus. Who doesn't focus on this life?

[Brian]

Ashwin, I disagree. Lots of people--most people, really (because most are religious) live their lives differently because of a belief in an afterlife.

They go to church, temple, or mosque. They pray, meditate, chant, worship, do penances. They abstain from some behaviors and engage in others out of a belief that God (or karma) rewards certain actions and punishes others.

They fly planes into buildings. They strap on explosive filled vests and then blow themselves up. They fill legislators' phone and email message boxes up with pleas to vote this way or that out of a conviction that this is pleasing to God and that isn't.

All of this is a focus on something other than what is directly experienced in this life. To my mind, it shows that most human beings have one foot in physical reality and one foot in an imagined afterlife.

[kay]

Hmmmm. I think I can see how a belief in an afterlife prevents (maximally) reverencing this one.

Maybe.

I need to think it through a bit more.

I tentatively believe in an afterlife (closer to reincarnation than "heaven"), but I'm very much about this one.

I don't think a culture of life has to be godless though. Dogma free, yes. Faith free, yes.

[Cyfer]

You forgot to give examples like mother theresa who selflessly gave her life for others. There's a million of them.

But religion, the fantasies we believe.

Really, there is just me. It's crazy.

Louie

[Joseph]

Is consciousness necessary for human existence? I believe that through our consciousness we can become aware of the greatness of our human existence, but that awareness is not what makes us human or what makes us great. We fall in and out of conscious states, sometimes we can be highly recollected and in a superb state of self-awareness, where as other times we are no more conscious then that little 7 week old that you spoke about. Are we any less human during these times?

On a different point, you said, "No one who believes in an afterlife can maximally reverence present life. Divided loyalties preclude a whole-hearted commitment to the reality of is, because 'could be' drains energy, commitment, and attention." Do you really think that one should forget about such a big 'could be' even you seem to think that it could be. This 'could be' not only entails the next life but also God and even the very meaning of our life. If this 'could be' were true "the reality of is" in our present life totally changes. I think we should not blow off this 'could be' question so lightly. In fact, if one loves truth this may be the most important question.

[Brian]

Joseph, part of me resonates with what you say. I've spent most of my life immersed in "could be's." They're pleasant and satisfying, but not in the same way of "really is."

Rumi has a story where he talks about a man who is shown a house with no roof. Another person says, "This would be a great place to live if it had a roof."

The man replies, "Yes, but we can't live in 'if.'" More and more, that's my sentiment. Lots of things could be true. Until they are, they aren't.

[Edward]

I think that there is prudery in organized religions and social-circle faiths because if there is one thing that will make me believe in the power of heaven. it is a kiss.

Without such evidence of god, life would be a prison, suffered for the study of others.

(No tales today, and just one metaphor. E-A-S-Y W-O-R-D-S, m'kay?)