Writers Circle: Can we teach ethics without religion?

Members of The Gazette Writers Circle met last month to discuss the question, "Can we teach ethics without religion?" The group used as a jumping-off point a May 8 Gazette article, "Raising a child right: Are morals taught in the home or the church?"

Brad Wilson

Last summer our daughter, age 16, was asking some tough questions about religion. In response, we visited a number of Cedar Rapids area churches, ranging from conservative Christianity to mainline dominations, to Unitarian Universalist. Each Sunday we went out to eat afterward to discuss what we saw.

Some of the contrasts were striking. At a church with a conservative theology, the message focused on the ‘fallen' nature of man. The emphasis was on personal morality. At the same time, they had a liberal style, featuring guitars and joyous rock music, (no longer seen as a tool of the devil). Numerous young people were in attendance.

A mainline reformed church displayed some liberal values, including concerns about peace and justice, and an overt stand opposing discrimination against homosexuals. Their music was more traditional - old hymns accompanied by organ music. Membership appeared quite old.

Should the church be a place to comfort and 'save” us when we 'fall” in personal ways? Or an institution that challenges us to take risks on behalf of 'the least of these?” How can it appeal to today's youth?

For me, the key to Old Testament morality lies in what has been called 'God's Resume:” 'I … brought you … out of the land of slavery.” Despite that preface, many see the Ten Commandments as mere personal morality. I'm with others, who see them as alternatives to the power complex, from the context of 'the moral economy of the peasant.”

I find essentially the same roots in the New Testament, at least in the earliest parts, in Mark and 'Q,” (the sections shared by Matthew and Luke but not Mark). There we see a moral stand against empire, and for covenant renewal, that seeks economic justice for peasant communities, and mutual aid, along the lines of the Sermon on the Mount. 'Blessed are the poor.” 'Forgive us our debts.”

In both testaments, the view is complicated by temple and scribes, the literate ones who wrote it all down, but who represented Israelite kings and foreign empires. Religious morality has long struggled in the 'tension” between what theologian Walter Brueggemann saw as contrasting themes of testimony and counter testimony, of 'structure legitimation” and the 'embrace of pain.”

We see it today in conservative and liberal sides of Christian morality, with some supporting the civil religion of the power complex, but in thickly Christian terms, and others opposing it just as religiously.

This is the world, and the world of religion, that my daughter will inherit. I worry about the confusion generated by conflicts between the unfriendly and friendly 'scribes” of Judeo-Christian morality. On the other hand, secular ethics alone seem too shallow to to prepare my daughter for what lies ahead. For me, Christian moral resources are grounded very deeply in thousands of years of relevant historical experience. They require critical thinking and assertive action, not blind acceptance. They promise comfort for my daughter, even as they demand courage. My faith lies here.

Diane Peterson

The answer is absolutely. Ethics and morality lessons begin at home and with the family. Of course we need a broader community to help smooth the rough edges of the growing boisterous child.

Children need loving adults, shelter, and experiences to enhance their physical, spiritual and intellectual growth and to learn critical thinking skills to take them into the future. Globally we must all endeavor to raise healthy, resilient individuals who can think for themselves. Even if we are not parents it is in our interest to encourage well-rounded health for all children.

A prevailing theory on human development is that humans start their lives with a 'moral blank state,” but new research contradicts this view. Research has found babies as young as six months old already make moral judgments. We may be born with a moral code hard-wired into our brains.

Still, each child needs to receive deep psychological messages about how special and precious he or she is. Just feeding and clothing a child will not produce the kind of person who will nurture the next generation. Those children who do not receive love suffer long-term costs that can be measured in terms of school dropout, unemployment, delinquency, and the intergenerational perpetuation of poverty and low self-esteem.

Spirituality also positively influences health. Spirituality within a family can entail involvement in community, meditation, reading a book or communing with nature. Examples of community include neighborhoods, cities, schools, social clubs, athletic clubs, close friends and a religious house.

If the universal teaching of religion is the Golden Rule, I would suggest this is only a version of parenting, such as, 'If you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all.” Perhaps we all could upgrade the Golden Rule to the Platinum Rule. The Platinum Rule: 'Do unto others as they would have you do unto them.” If you do not know how they want to be treated, ask.

Parents who rely heavily on religion to teach spirituality and ethics to children should always provide the guidance and parenting to navigate the murky structure of religious houses. You can raise children without religion; you cannot raise children without a parent figure.

Craig Harwood

Ethics is tricky business. There are certain ethical and moral foundations that all people agree on and we all try to live by. We all agree that to kill someone, to steal, to destroy someone else's property, and so on, is wrong.

But there are finer points that many of us do not necessarily see eye-to-eye on. For example, I do not hunt. I would never consider it sporting to shoot an animal with a hunting rifle, or any other modern weapon, except under extreme starvation circumstances (my own, or loved ones). However, I do recognize that I live in a state where hunting is practiced by many people, for these folks it is inside of their ethical limits to do so. It is OK, we do not have to agree on everything.

I believe that so much of our own ethical code we were given by our parents. They did this either directly, such as punishing us for lying, or through proxies such as our teachers, our preachers, coaches and other leaders. That is how I was given my first working set of morals and ethics, from my parents and their proxies. I feel they did a good job, but I will be the first to admit, I am no saint.

After being given the basics by our parents, most of us then go out and try out our ethical suit of armor in the real world. These trials are not always based on doing the right thing, sometimes the best lessons are learned by doing something wrong. Nevertheless, our morals are tested, modified and adjusted throughout our lives.

I also strongly believe that by teaching one can learn far more and learn more deeply than by simply being a good student. That is why I also think that raising your own children will help you solidify your own ethical standards better than anything else. As parents we are committed to helping our children be good solid people we can be proud of. This means we will work to instill in them a set of ethical rules to live by. We have to stop and think about what we teach them. It is at this point that ethics can start to take on real, meaningful significance. For most of us, this is the first time in our adult lives where we must really think about what is right and wrong, and why we think a particular bit of advice is correct.

So, back to our question, can ethics be taught without religion? The answer is yes, it is done all the time by parents, in many cases with the help of religion, but many times without any influence from traditional religions. There are good, ethical people in this world and in this community who developed their ethical code without any guidance from religion. However, there are still many whose parents have chosen to use religion as part of the educational system to impart solid ethical behavior.

Paul Forbes

Not that long ago in America, religion played a huge role in people's lives. It is largely why people crossed the ocean to a new land … for religious freedom.

There is no doubt that everything begins at home. As we get older, interaction with others plays a more important role and parents pray that what they have tried to teach us will help us make the right decisions.

But no matter how well we believe we have taught our children, there is that innate yearning in all of us to think for ourselves, and to make our own decisions, even at a young age. So where better to get positive reinforcement than at a community church?

The key word there is community. Since no church is physically big enough to be a church for everyone, each religion needs to create their own version of a community church. Within this framework, churches could then engage each other, working together, so as not to create cliques, but to unite all in community involvement, and share ideas to better the community. It is people that make the difference, people that get together every single week.

This church could provide help for parents in teaching the golden rule, but more than that. It would create a common bond among people, our children could learn from. All people, all ages, would benefit, and when you went home on Sunday, you would have a smile on your face, probably still humming one of the hymns, all because it was time well spent. It doesn't take the government to make a better world, it takes involvement … and that is another topic.

The answer to the question really lies somewhere between both home and church. Parents must do their job, loving their children to the best of their ability, teaching them what is right and wrong. Showing them how to take that extra step and learn what is right in each case where a moral decision arises. And use religion, your community church, to reinforce your faith and beliefs.

In doing so, we grow together as a community, forming a stronger bond among our members. This feeling, this idea, spreads throughout the country, making it stronger for generations to come.