Religious leanings

[gridlore]

Seen in firecat's journal:

If asked to label my religious/spiritual leanings, I call myself:

A rational agnostic

I have not seen proof of any deity, or deities. Nothing has touched me with a revelation, even when I was most open to one. I see an amazing universe that seems to follow the laws of science. What was once miraculous is now explained.. how long until the remaining questions are answered?

When I discuss this with the religious, the inevitable question is "then where does moral behavior come from?" with the unspoken idea that with this belief I should be out looting and raping. I act the way I do because it is the way I would like to be treated myself. The Golden Rule is a simple one, and if all of humanity followed it, the world would be a much nicer place.

After death? I have no frickking idea. But I'm in no hurry to learn. The idea that I just cease disturbs me. But I've yet to see any concept of an afterlife that makes sense. Perhaps resurrection.. after this life, I deserve another chance.

Comments

[firecat]

When I discuss this with the religious, the inevitable question is "then where does moral behavior come from?"

I don't normally consider myself a big fan of sociobiology, but I do think the capacity for moral behavior is in our DNA, the same as with other social species such as dogs and herd animals. Moral behavior = getting along with the rest of the herd.

[lizw.livejournal.com]

I tend to that view myself. It was the unspoken thought behind my a href="http://www.livejournal.com/talkread.bml?journal=lizw&itemid=86471">answer to the fifth question in my last-but-one entry.

[cmdr-zoom.livejournal.com]

I would tend to agree; a lot of what we call "moral behavior" simply makes sense in terms of game theory (Prisoner's Dilemma et al). Some people have different assumptions, which lead them to make different moral choices, but it's all about benefits and costs.