Breaking Political Myths

Morality Transcends Religion - Breaking Political Myths
By Bridge Madison

Once again, moderate Democrats are urging the party to “talk religion” and embrace faith-based campaigning if they want to win elections. They’re wrong. By focusing on their specific religious beliefs, Democrats can only perpetuate the exclusionary myth that morality is (and can only ever be) inherently connected to religion.

This article references a post last month on The Huffington Post.

There are basic human morals that exist independent of a [or “my”] belief in God. That’s the message Dems should be sending!

Some believe the origins of morality are intrinsically connected to the evolutionary process. (Creationists are not likely among those who believe this.) As humans evolved, a need to discern the difference between right and wrong developed in opposition to strict concepts of survival and “every man for himself” mentality. It’s not that people stopped wanting to survive. But, earlier versions of us began to realize that policies of self-interest alone were counterproductive to perpetuating the species. So a few core concepts began to develop, the most ingrained ones involved killing and protection (strict or nurturing).

From these core concepts, we can examine what we might agree are “basic human morals.” First let me say, although I minored in cultural anthropology in college and it’s remained an interest of mine for the last 20-some years, I’m not an expert in multicultural ethics. That said, here’s my list of basic human morals I respectfully suggest are at least philosophically universal among the cultures I’ve studied:

• relatively universal taboo against cannibalism;
• prevalent taboos against incest, pedophilia and child abuse;
• widely held abhorrence against rape, though much of the world continues to subjugate or objectify women (and some men) which makes a more prevalent taboo difficult to reach;
• abuses of other individuals through slavery, human trafficking, forced prostitution;
• a general abhorrence of torture;
• respect for human life (laws against murder prevail, but philosophically societies have diverse understandings of what it means to respect human life);
• in many cultures, but not all, concepts of equality between races and gender (this issue is given a lot of lip service in many societies, which provides a general sense that this is morally correct whether or not it’s a concept that’s actually followed and promoted through public policy)
• in many cultures, but not all, respect for animal life (some societies overtly exhibit respect for animal life, and many more have laws against animal cruelty, though laws on conservation of endangered species are less prevalent); and
• in many cultures, but not all, respect for the environment (though few societies overtly exhibit these concerns, there are wide-spread laws against polution and arson; there is also a general respect of nature — though in the United States, for example, many people deny the existence of global warming despite compelling evidence. There is similarly lip service on environmental issues in many societies, which provides a general sense that such concerns are morally correct whether or not they are followed and promoted through public policy).