August 23, 2009
Dear People Whom God Loves,
RELIGION & VIOLENCE II
We have seen how religious believers easily cling tightly to causes seen as highly moral and ethical.
The same can be said for those who are not religious believers. Moral sensibility is not confined to religious believers. For example, some people who do not believe in God have a deep sense of the dignity and value of a human person. From this can come a passion for justice and securing the rights of those on the margins.
(As an aside: religious believers can also have the same passion for justice and rights that come from theological motives.)
So we see that people who do not believe in God can cling very tightly to causes that are seen as highly moral and ethical.
It is also helpful to see how nations cling tightly onto causes which are highly esteemed and considered morally upright.
For example, one nation wants to spread democracy, another wants to spread theocracy, another wants to spread communism. These motivations can be extremely strong and are interwoven with patriotism.
It is also important to remember that this has nothing to do with being liberal or conservative. The tendency to cling tightly to great causes cuts across all humanity. It is one of the most powerful of motivators. It can lead to actions which we deem heroic.
The point to remember is that heroic actions can result in behavior that is beneficial to humanity or in behavior that is destructive.
Smile, God Loves You,
Father Clay
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