Why are you being good?

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Yesterday, after my colleague found out that I'm an atheist asked me. "Ngano man nagbinut'an ka if di ka mutuo sa Ginoo? Ako to be honest, nagbinut'an ko kay hadlok ko gabaan. So ikaw unsa man?" (Why do you do good things if you don't believe in God? To be honest, I'm being good because I'm afraid to be punished for misdeeds. So how about you?)

I managed to answer her question but because of a very limited avail time (I'm a call center consultant) I only gave her a short and general statement. So I will be explaining thoroughly here what I really have in mind. This is my answer to the question, why am I doing good things despite not believing in God.

Morality Defined

What really is morality? In Philosophy, morality is defined as a system of behavior in regards to standards of right or wrong behavior. It carries the concepts of :

moral standards in regard to behavior,
moral responsibility in regards to conscience, and;
a moral identity, or one who is capable of right or wrong action

So in simple terms, morality is figuring out right from wrong. However, the society is changing fast and moral standards change along with it. Morality is already a complicated issue in the current world we live in today.

Monopoly of Righteousness

The current problem of understanding morality is that religious sects monopolize morality. Part of their doctrines is that whatever you do, even if the intention is good means nothing if God is not part of it. Your actions means nothing if its not for God. WRONG!!! You can be good even if nobody tells you to. You already know what is good and what is bad so you should act according to it. That's why we have the so called conscience. Utilize it. Be smart.

Rewards and Punishment

This is another doctrine of the churches. You should do what god commands. Your actions will define how you will live in the so called "afterlife". If you do good, you can be in the fields of overflowing beers and honeys or you will be grilled by the demons in their pits...and that is for eternity. Why do you this? Why instill fear in the hearts of people?

This is what highly differentiates the atheists from the believers. We are not expecting for any rewards for the things that we do. We do things right because we know it's right. We understand the consequences of our actions so we are careful to follow the standards set by society and of our conscience. If all good things that we did is meaningless because we don't have god in our hearts then so be it. At least we did what we know is right.

All the Laws came from God

My colleague told me, "Do you know that the laws are aligned with the laws in the Bible.?" I simply answered, "No it's not." It definitely is not. I agree that some of the laws are almost the same with those written in the Bible but those laws were written because the society finds it right. If the laws of the Bible will be enforced in the society, it will be a sad and cruel world. Here are few laws which are in the holy book which I find...very disturbing.

Deutronomy 22:28-29

28 If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; 29 Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.

Here, it says that if a woman who is a virgin and not married and she is found to have sex with someone whether it is consensual or not. will be forced to marry her and the rapist have to pay her father. The idea behind this is much worse than you think. Basically, if a woman have sex outside of marriage she becomes unclean. And the woman basically belongs to her father so he have to be paid because she is already a tainted product. No one will agree to marry her anymore so even if it's a rape, she would need to marry him.

Exodus 21: 20-21

20 “When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be avenged. 21 But if the slave survives a day or two, he is not to be avenged, for the slave is his money."

It's alright to mistreat your helpers or slaves because they are your property as long as you won't kill them. Our current laws do not approve of this. Obviously.

Leviticus 19:19

19“You shall keep my statutes. You shall not let your cattle breed with a different kind. You shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor shall you wear a garment of cloth made of two kinds of material

Farmers must only have kind of plants or trees in his field. All fashion designers turned to be very disobedient. I also don't know what he's thinking. Maybe he just hates innovation.

Deuteronomy 21:18-21
18“If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and, though they discipline him, will not listen to them, 19 then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives, 20 and they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ 21 Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall purge the evil from your midst, and all Israel shall hear, and fear.

Sons can be killed for disobedience if the parents complain about him. I'm glad that this have not been adopted to our current laws.

Leviticus 20:15
15 If a man lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the animal.

We have been fighting animal cruelty for years. It seems that god don't acknowledge animal's rights.

These are only few of the ridiculous laws that the Bible have. I hope you may understand why I don't believe in god's laws. I follow rules as long as I understand their significance and I know that they will benefit the people around me. I'll ask you back the same question now? Why are you being good?