Myths of the Tribe: When Religion and Ethics Diverge

Religion is woven into the fabric of our daily lives and is integral to everything we do. Our belief in our religion determines whether we think we will survive this life. Yet there are approximately 4,300 organized religions, according to the statistical database adherents.com, which are further divided into more thousands of different denominations. The World Christian Encyclopedia, published by Oxford University Press, further separates Christianity into more than 33,000 denominations ranging from Baptists and Mormons to snake-handlers and holy-rollers. This book explores the historical foundations of religion and examines how it relates to ethics and morality.

Because of religion’s highly personal nature, any discussion of religion is ripe with emotion. For many, religious faith answers the question of the meaning of life. Its close scrutiny tends to create anxiety, because such analysis is perceived as a challenge to basic beliefs. The obvious solution is to approach the subject with as little emotion as possible. Saying this, however, does not remove the difficulty, because when the stakes are this high it’s difficult to excise emotion. Still, I will try to be objective by using, insofar as possible, universally accepted facts, assuming in 2019 that any facts are universally accepted.

One pitfall to this examination is language itself. The meaning we individually ascribe to a set of words almost always differs. An illustration was provided by Bertrand Russell when he said, “I am firm. You are stubborn. He is a pig­ headed fool.” To avoid being characterized as a pig-headed fool when I only intend to be firm, I will use words carrying the least amount of emotional baggage. I will not, however, shy away from asking questions that require blunt phrasing. Before beginning the substance of this book, I invite you to consider an introduction by Robert Ingersoll to a speech he gave on May 8, 1888:

“I am here tonight for the purpose of defending your right to differ with me. I want to convince you that you are under no compulsion to accept my creed; that you are, so far as I am concerned, absolutely free to follow the torch of your reason according to your conscience; and I believe that you are civilized to the degree that you will extend to me the right that you claim for yourselves.”

We used to debate our important national issues, but now it seems we instead watch television and express unfiltered and undebated opinions on social media. The purpose of this book is to spur debate. We should read other viewpoints and debate fairly. If we disagree, we should respond carefully, rationally, and logically to those whose views differ from our own, so that we can begin a rational dialogue about institutions and ideas too long withdrawn from dialogue as sacrosanct.