8 Sources Of Morality
Nick Byrd
Religion is a whole other ballgame in regard to morality. And that is because with religion the dots are necessarily connected between what we choose to do on this side of the grave and the fate of our very soul itself on the other side of it. And, come on, what are the mere decades we spend from the cradle to the grave compared to the millions and billions and trillions of years that our souls will luxuriate in should we pass muster on Judgment Day.
Though, sure, it’s not easy for us to imagine what a “soul” actually entails over eternity. In fact, I suspect that many of the religious among us anticipate “somehow” getting our bodies back again and interacting with all of our loved ones doing righteous things in the presence of God Himself.
Whereas for the No God folks, morality revolves mainly around being rewarded rather than punished for the behaviors we choose. Though, clearly, historically, sometimes morality is intertwined in one or another ideology – from Rand to Marx – and we can feel comforted in the fact that even though oblivion awaits us there and then, at least here and now on this side of the grave we can take comfort in knowing that we are “at one” with the Good Guys.
More – far more – to the point, these moral norms are anchored to both sides of the grave. You can embrace one or another secular, political, ideological “ism” and be comforted and consoled all the way to the grave. But then what? With religion you are never not comforted and consoled.
Religious norms, moral norms. What’s the difference on Judgment Day?