[ExI] In Europe and U.S., Nonbelievers Are Increasingly Vocal

[samantha]

Stefano Vaj wrote:
> On 9/18/07, nvitamore at austin.rr.com <nvitamore at austin.rr.com> wrote:
>   
>> I am forwarding this message from another list I am on:
>>
>> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/14/AR2007091402
>> 501.html?referrer=emailarticle
>> =======================================================
>> In Europe and U.S., Nonbelievers Are Increasingly Vocal
>> By Mary Jordan
>> Washington Post Foreign Service
>> Saturday, September 15, 2007; A01
>>
>> BURGESS HILL, England -- Every morning on his walk to work, high school
>> teacher Graham Wright recited a favorite Anglican prayer and asked God for
>> strength in the day ahead. Then two years ago, he just stopped.
>>
>> Wright, 59, said he was overwhelmed by a feeling that religion had become a
>> negative influence in his life and the world. Although he once considered
>> becoming an Anglican vicar, he suddenly found that religion represented
>> nothing he believed in, from Muslim extremists blowing themselves up in
>> God's name to Christians condemning gays, contraception and stem cell
>> research.
>>     
>
> My concerns are:
> - that the rejection of monotheistic religions is often based on
> "moral" reasons, which have nothing to do with epistemological issues;
> - that such moral reasons substantially reflect "ethical truths",
> taken for granted and self-evident, which are nothing else than
> secularised judeo-chistianism.
>   

Are you sure?  There is substantial EP grounding for much of human 
morality.  This is quite apart from any religious tradition.   There are 
certainly ample good moral reason to reject mystical/religious thinking, 
much less its products.   But please let's not grand religionist some de 
facto monopoly on morality.

- samantha