In the battle between morality and faith, morality is winning

[phantom power]

I'm a little less optimistic. One other thing that history shows is that humanity gives birth to a never-ending supply of people who for various reasons like being a cog in somebody's authoritarian hierarchy. I hope I'm wrong, but I personally suspect that churches will always be with us.

Close to 60% of teenagers who go to church drop out after they leave the nest. Obviously, as an atheist, I can't see this as a bad thing. I appreciate that liberal Christians like Rachel and Jamelle find spiritual solace in having faith, but by and large, the historical purpose of religion is not to comfort but to control. Religion's primary function is, if you look at the whole of history, about creating rationales for unjust power hierarchies. Kings have used "god" as their excuse for absolute power, and religion is the primary reason that men in a diverse array of cultures over cite as the reason they should be the lords of their wives and daughters. Even liberal Christians are tied to the long history of power-grabbing through religion, using the language of submission and calling believers a "kingdom". When it comes to fighting against gay rights and feminism, the church is functioning as it was designed to do: Support existing power structures, guilt and shame people considered inferior, and demand the right to ultimate control. This fits in neatly with, oh, all of history.

It's also worth noting that situations like this undermine the religion apologist argument that states that morality comes from religion. It clearly doesn't. Instead, what you see is that people have an existing moral system and they evaluate their religion by it, rejecting the faith if it conflicts with their morality or embracing it if it's conducive to their morality. People whose moraly systems are built around establishing strict power hierarchies, and stomping out sex and other forms of pleasure they see as subversive, well, those folks fucking love religion. It's a self-perpetuating system, but one thing it absolutely demonstrates is moral decision-making isn't something granted us by religious power, but something we do for ourselves, based on input from a variety of sources, including internal ones.

Situations like this demonstrate, however, that while the appeal for many to most ardent believers in a faith is that it gives them power and control, that power is not, in fact, absolute. The church needs people in the pews to survive, and while those people are constantly told their role is to submit and obey, if they just decide they don't want to, the church is shown to be an emperor with no clothes. Thus, religion throughout history has had plenty of takebacks. The churches that used to preach segregation and white supremacy don't do so anymore, at least as openly. A lot of churches, especially more mainstream ones, are giving up on the argument that women are just support staff, and many are even letting them be ministers and priests. Either they get with the times on gay marriage, or they find their ability to exert power diminish. Since churches are about power, most of them will adjust over time. That's why they're freaking out now; they know what's coming.

In the meantime, every time a situation like this arises, where progressive change is demanded and churches resist mightily before giving in, a chunk of believers walks away, never to return. I think that's great. Good to see people realizing that in a fight between morality and faith, morality should win.

http://pandagon.net/index.php/site/comments/in-the-battle-between-morality-and-faith-morality-is-winning

[Jackpine Radical]

1. Here are the principles and foundations of my church. I invite your comments.

There are seven principles which Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote:

The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

Unitarian Universalism (UU) draws from many sources:

Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life;
Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love;
Wisdom from the world's religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life;
Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God's love by loving our neighbors as ourselves;
Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit;
Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.
These principles and sources of faith are the backbone of our religious community.

[phantom power]

2. I've never quite understood why UU aren't atheists, but...

like Amanda Marcotte said, I'm an atheist, so my viewpoint is inherently biased that way.

[Jackpine Radical]

3. Many are atheists.

There's nothing in those principles that preclude atheism. Very few are in any sense traditional Christians, but some are. I'd guess my congregations is at least half atheist/agnostic, with a mix of deists and transcendentalists among the rest.

[ananda]

4. You've gotta be kidding me?

Morality is winning where?