The Bible of the Good and Moral Atheist
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The BIBLE of the Good and Moral Atheist The Bible of the Good and Moral Atheist Text Copyright © February 22, 2006, revised May 18, 2006 by BGMA Publishing. All rights reserved. First edition, 2006. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner, with the following exceptions: (1) the .pdf file may be distributed electronically in its entirety without alteration and without any monetary charge for distribution, (2) this book may be distributed as non-bookbound printout in its entirety without alteration and without any monetary charge for distribution (non-professional bookbinding for individual or small group use is permitted), and (3) parts of the book may be quoted under fair use provisions. BGMA Publishing retains all rights to professionally bookbound copies, for-sale distribution, and electronic for-sale distribution. Many thanks to all the people who made this possible. Book price: a suggested voluntary contribution of $5 or $10, sent to BGMA Publishing c/o G. Kern, 359 E. Chestnut St., Lancaster OH 43130. 20% of all proceeds will be donated to charity. Copyrighted material. TTIISCOCADAAMHSM GPKL TICIAGWADNRUBWLSJREL ASTTTAIP ROPWPT99ACSSDCSSFAIY AFIGMWY5 TTORMMOHEMAESRAEJSAEPZMP DABLSAMAWASKFWMA 962258310586766160195159 i The Books of the Bible of the Good and Moral Atheist The Books of the Testament of Philosophy …….. 1 Welcome………………………………. 2 Morality………………………………... 3 Virtues & Ethics………………………. 7 Tenets…………………………………..9 Atheists…………………………………10 Arguments……………………………...12 Quotes…………………………………. 22 Books…………………………………...32 The Books of the Testament of History ……….... 43 Genesis…………………………………44 Biogenesis……………………………... 47 Human Evolut ion…………………….. 52 Religion………………………………... 57 Science………………………………… 59 The Books of the Testament of Life ……………. 62 Life & Death…………………………... 63 Inspiration……………………………...66 Charity………………………………….69 Celebrations……………………………71 Reflections…………………………….. 74 Questions……………………………… 86 Resources………………………………91 Future………………………………….. 103 Appendix A: Comments & Responses………. 105 ii The Testament of Philosophy The Books of the Testament of Philosophy Welcome Morality Virtues & Ethics Tenets Atheists Arguments Quotes Books 1 Welcome 1-9 Welcome 1Think for yourself! Do not be afraid to question all the statements in this book. This book contains the thoughts and opinions and interpretations of regular people, just like every other book you have ever read, without exception. Accepting the teachings of others without questioning them is a recipe for narrow -mindedness and ignorance. Use this book as a guide to a life based upon reality. The start of the trail has been marked for you. We will show you where to find out more information on every aspect of Atheism, and how to live life as an Atheist. But, you alone will choose how to complete your journey to understand the nature of the world, to put aside the false supernatural, and to live as a good and moral person. This book is not intended to be an authoritative guide to the study of morality, nor a set of rigorous philosophical or logical arguments for or against god. It is not meant as a scholarly treatise on the science of the Big Bang or evolution, nor an exact timeline of the events involved. It is merely an introduction to such concepts in common terms, in addition to being an outline for life as an Atheist. More detailed and accurate papers and books exist on all of these topics (the Book of Books offers a good selection of such material), and the interested are encouraged to seek out such information, and to read it all using the sharp lens of reason. Many other books on Atheism concentrate on the “whys” of Atheism. They either ask why we should believe in the concept of Atheism, or tell us why we should not believe in god. Although this book covers such questions in a basic way, answering the “whys” is not the primary purpose of this book. The Bible of the Good and Moral Atheist is about the “hows” of Atheism. How should an Atheist approach the world? How should we seek purpose? How should we deal with death? How do Atheists approach morality? How do Atheists pray? How should we celebrate life? The goal of this book is to make Atheism accessible and comfortable. We are used to reading religious tomes such as the Bible, the Torah and Talmud, or the Quran. We are comfortable with learning moral lessons in this manner, and modifying them to apply to our own lives. Those books give us structure and guidelines, even though the miracles and supernatural events that supposedly occurred are obviously fictional. Religious words comfort us in times of distress, and help us to comfort others. What The Bible of the Good and Moral Atheist does is give us the same moral lessons, explanations of existence, and comfort, but without the fables. If you are not an Atheist, please feel welcome to read about our philosophy! Atheists are not evil, scary, devil- worshipping monsters. We are good, wholesome, moral members of society. We go to school with you and work with you, we have friends and raise families, we coach soccer and donate blood and give to charity. We are conservatives and liberals and moderates. Whether you are a Theist, a Deist, an Agnostic, or still searching for a way, we’re sure you’ll find our Bible enlightening. The Bible of the Good and Moral Atheist is divided into three testaments. The first section, the Testament of Philosophy, describes the philosophy behind Atheism, covers the basic arguments for Atheism, and gives the reader a guide to quotes and books concerning Atheism and freethinking in general. Next is the Testament of History, which tells the history of the universe, the world, life, humanity, and human understanding. In this section there are also basic descriptions of the scientific theories and discoveries behind this history, and the evidence supporting these explanations. Finally, the books of the Testament of Life serve as a guide to living life as a Good and Moral Atheist. Much like religious tomes have in the past attempted to do, these books educate the Atheist on questions of life and death, answer questions, and offer sources of inspiration and reflection. Included in the Testament of Life is the Book of Resources, where we categorize and give short reviews of websites of interest to Atheists. If you choose to embrace Atheism and reject the supernatural, you will receive the key to true morality, true understanding, and true purpose in the world. Take what you wish from this guide, and go out and live your life to the fullest. Find the purpose that motivates you, and strive to make a difference. We only get this one life; we each must make the most out of what chance has brought to us. Good luck on your journey! 2 Morality 1-8 Morality 1All morality begins and ends with sympathy. We have evolved the ability to empathize, to share the motivations and feelings of those around us. From this, we have gained the ability to sympathize with the plight of others, to understand what may be causing them distress or pain, and to wish, for their sake, that their suffering would stop. Armed with this sympathy, we act in a moral way to prevent the distress and suffering of others. Our opinions on what constitutes a moral course of action may differ, but the underlying sympathy is the same. With sympathy for others and recognition of the similarities between people, we each build an internal code of the morality of our actions. We seek to protect innocent children, for we were once children ourselves and needed protection. We seek a society that does not foster immoral actions, in order to protect the members of society like ourselves. We feel and internalize various plights and pains of others in this process, and develop a true morality. American revolutionary and President Thomas Jefferson put it well when he wrote in an 1814 letter, “Nature [has] implanted in our breasts a love of others, a sense of duty to them, a moral instinct, in short, which prompts us irresistibly to feel and to succor their distresses.” In our daily lives, we occasionally encounter challenges to this morality, where we are faced with actions that may cause some distress to others, and we must decide whether our own actions are moral or not. Our code of morality may allow for small transgressions or small injuries to others, but not large ones. We might perhaps take an inexpensive item like a pen from our workplace, but we do not take an expensive one. We might ignore a man caught in a downpour, but we do not ignore a drowning man. We might argue politics with people on the street, but we do not assault them. We recognize the harm to others in theft, in neglecting someone who is drowning, in committing assault. Theistic religions, on the other hand, offer a false morality based upon threats and rewards, usually combined with a scripted set of moral and immoral actions. Adherents who fail to follow the scripted moral actions are threatened with divine punishment, while adherents who follow them closely are promised supernatural rewards of bliss or pleasure from god. However, these religions often do include references to the true morality of sympathy. In the Christian bible, Matthew 7:12 (KJV) states, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.” This is known as the Golden Rule, and the common form of this is often quoted, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This is the true embodiment of sympathy. Although much of the rest of the scripted morality is false, the morality put into practice by most theists and by most people throughout the world is true, and is based on sympathy.