Letter: Keep an open mind - no one has a monopoly on morality

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26: Response to Stephen Notman’s rebuttal of Sharla-Cavonne Bean’s articles on religion [Bda Sun 19.8.11].

Dear Sir,

Now then Steve, what ye be picking on our Sharla for? Not too keen on Richards Dawkins either are you? Funny that, I’ve got a couple of reviews here that might be of interest to those who’ve never read any of his work. This comes from his book entitled: ‘A Devil’s Chaplain’…

‘Unlike T.S Elliot, who wrote that mankind cannot bear too much reality, Dawkin’s wants us to get real about the universe in which brief lives are set, because reality is liberating…this is the best book of sermons I have read for years. So please go on preaching to us, Reverend Dawkins, and don’t mind the things they throw at you. After all, prophets always get stoned.’

— Richard Holloway, Bishop of Edinburgh

‘This highly readable collection of essays exhibits Richard Dawkin’s characteristic qualities of clarity and passion. Above all, his moral commitment to evidence based science and his sense of wonder at the world, which such scientific endeavour opens up. A series of brilliant analogies renders most of the science accessible to the non specialist.’

— Richard Harries, Bishop of Oxford

I think we have an example of ‘Bishops Take Knave’ here, care to keep playing?

You see Steve, the one thing that Bishops Richard & Richard, Sharla Cavonne Bean and myself have in common, is that we’ve actually sat down and bothered to read what Richard Dawkin’s has to say — as opposed to just cherry picking misquotes off some ‘Christian’ webpage.

When he speaks of evolutionary biology, he speaks with the only authority worth anything in this world. That is, over 150 years of hard nosed research, no sentiments allowed, deal with it…    

When he speaks of morality, he hardly comes across as, what is it again, “cartoonish”? Seen some of the preachers prancing around America recently? I’ve yet to hear you condemn their venal antics, after all you can’t really feel comfortable rubbing shoulders with such people?     

You had no problem dismissing Islam and Buddhism in your letter without even the courtesy of an explanation and I’m sure we could extend your disbelief to other religions.

As for Christianity, there must be dozens of denominations which, if you were honest about it, you must have some dispute, over their inaccurate doctrines. Hmm…Steve, are you sure you are not an atheist?

Getting darn close there! As for referring to Thomas of Aquinas, oh-boy! If I had a choice between Richard Dawkin’s or Thomas Aquinas as my next-door neighbor, I’d have to go with Richard. Tom comes across as a bit intense when it comes to putting heretics to death. As for his five proofs, you must have read Hume surely? He was having a go at his ‘proofs’ centuries before Richard had a go. Not to mention everyone else in between.

As for bemoaning the lack of  ‘strong’ atheists full of absolutist conviction, sorry, can’t help you there. Uncertainty is sort of built in. Even Richard’s made it clear that on a scale from 1 to 7 from total belief in God to total disbelief, he’d rate himself about a 6, until a new argument or some new evidence changes his mind either way.

If you’ve got something that you’re sure would clinch it, don’t be bashful, I’m sure he’d love to hear it, as would we all.

Of course, proving the existence of a god isn’t going to be enough you realize? You’re very keen on a very specific deity so you’re going to have to do your homework here. Sorting through all those stories of gods and virgins, miracle stories, moral lessons unique only to your one specific story. That’s quite a lot of proof there, hope you’ve got some room left for faith after exposing yourself to all that.

A seven-foot rabbit

Me? I’m a man of faith. I believe I have a seven-foot tall rabbit for a friend called Harvey. Harvey’s always whispering inspiration to me, even as I type out this letter. Don’t believe me? Well perhaps you’re just not spiritual enough, keep at it, it’ll come to you…

After 40 years of kicking around this planet, I think I have some things I can say with conviction. First, nobody holds a monopoly on morality. Second, hard work trumps prayer every time when it comes to wrestling anything of worth out of this world. Third, we are on our own, whether we like it or not, either by design or absence of a deity, so we have to stop kidding ourselves that ‘somebody’ is going to save us. If that were true, there’d be fewer murdered children being dragged out the woods and Nancy Grace would be out of a job. (Funny that, supposedly God ‘inspired’ the authors of the Bible to write all those reams of paper about him, yet when it comes to something as heart rending as a little girl being savaged to death in the woods by a maniac, he can’t even whisper the word “Attack” in the mind of a well-aimed wasp.)

Clearly, it’s up to us whether we step up to the plate or not. If we don’t, well, maybe the roaches will have fun with their own civilization. Finally, never be afraid to question. There is nothing so sad as seeing a congregation who profess themselves God-fearing, yet fear each other far more. Why stuff yourself in a temple when the cathedral of the night sky is overhead?

Free your minds, wonder, weigh, listen, and leave that as inspiration for those who follow when you and I are gone. See you outside one night.

Glen Lima

Paget