Is Religion the Problem?

By LeRoy Lawson

Can We Be Good Without God? Biology, Behavior, and the Need to Believe
Robert Beckman
Amherst: Prometheus Books, 2002

Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence
Karen Armstrong
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2014

Home Sweet Anywhere: How We Sold Our House, Created a New Life, and Saw the World
Lynne Martin
Naperville: Sourcebooks, 2014

I bought Can We Be Good Without God? because I wanted to know the answer. It”s not unusual for someone going through a medical, familial, or other kind of crisis to ask, “How does one who doesn”t believe in God get through something like this?” The question contains a confession: “My faith in God is my coping mechanism. I couldn”t survive this trial otherwise.”

On the other hand, Robert Buckman, oncologist and rationalist, believes survival without God is quite possible. This book is his defense for his decision to live an ethical life without recourse to the supernatural.

How does one cope? In his own case, when his life-threatening dermatomyositis took him through his own version of a foxhole experience (“There are no atheists in foxholes,” says the adage), he discovered that his godless spirituality served him just fine, thank you.

The book isn”t only about him and his personal experience. In fact, he doesn”t tell his own story until the end. Rather he offers a carefully reasoned exploration of the evolution of belief (based on the evolution of the human species) with close attention to the myths he finds in all religions. When he turns to the behavior of groups, he admits his fear of “the destructive effects of communal beliefs.” Generally speaking, he says, we behave better on our own than when we act as a part of a group. Even groups, though, don”t need God.

To replace theism he offers his “alternative gold standards,” 10 principles (not commandments, as in the Ten) that foster ethical behavior. Grounded in the acceptance of evolution, these alternatives provide the kind of belief system without which humanity can”t function. But such a system doesn”t have to be a belief in God, since “in all its forms the supernatural is a myth.” Therefore no external deity or intelligence is controlling or even influencing our conduct. We”re alone here.

Here”s one of his principles: “Equality of opportunity should be a fundamental principle of human conduct.” A good principle, indeed, but how is it to be achieved? (And where did the principle itself come from?) I didn”t find much to encourage me in this example, even though his final principle is “Humankind”s destiny is not predetermined””much of it lies in our own control. There is hope.”

Since the very next sentence says, “It”s up to us to look after each other and ourselves,” though, I don”t feel very hopeful. Human history hasn”t exactly proved that “equality of opportunity” enjoys wide acceptance.

While reading, I couldn”t help thinking of Dwight Eisenhower”s famous statement that America”s form of government makes “no sense unless it is founded in a deeply-felt religious faith, and I don”t care what it is.”

As for me, I do.

Peace on Earth

It is instructive to regard Karen Armstrong”s Fields of Blood as a kind of answer to Buckman”s question, “Can we be good without God?” It could almost be summarized thusly: “Apparently even with God we cannot be good.” Almost, that is, but not quite. Her carefully balanced study of violence and religion ultimately concludes that not all of history”s wars and genocides and terrorist attacks and human inhumanity can be blamed on religious fanaticism, even though attaching the blame to religion is very popular today. “If only we could get rid of religion we could have peace on earth,” is a growing, though misguided, lament.

Armstrong, former nun and present prize-winning author, examines the religious documents of the world”s major religions. She finds the seeds of violence in them all””but an even stronger abhorrence of war and cruelty. You can”t blame everything on religion!

For example, post-9/11 Americans are prone to charge Islam for the catastrophe a handful of Muslim terrorists created that day. It is said they were driven to suicidal mass murder because of their fervent belief that Islam”s Paradise awaited their heroic act. Not necessarily so, says Armstrong. In fact, studies have shown that most Muslim terrorists (like these) are more secular than religious. Further, just as all Christians are not alike (and most are peaceable), so Muslims are not all alike (and most are peaceable). To blame religion alone for this violence is not fair.

Truth to tell, all “secularists” are not innocent of the extremes of violence. Most of the blood shed in the violent 20th century was not lost because of religion: think of Stalin”s murdered millions, Hitler”s exterminated Jews, the Young Turks” slaughter of Armenians, and on and on. Innocence is not the exclusive possession of the self-proclaimed righteous, whatever religion or nonreligion they profess; nor does the enemy (whoever the enemy of the moment is) have a corner on evil.

I suspect members of other religions might raise some questions about Armstrong”s reading of their documents, as I have of her reading of the Bible, but I also suspect they will welcome a book that does not think we would have peace on earth if only we could get rid of these pesky religions. Replacing religion with secularism has brought about no reduction in wars and rumors of wars. If Armstrong is right, all religion could be banished from the planet, but odds are strong that still there would be no peace on earth.

This is not an easy study but a helpful corrective to the increasingly popular misperception that religion is the problem and secularism is the solution.

Joy on the Road

In May 2003 I retired the second time. Joy and I sold our house and bought a used, notoriously unreliable, motor home. We sold the car and bought a pickup truck to tow (and to haul the Harley) and became full-time RVers. We did North America in a year-and-a-half and have been bragging about our adventure ever since.

Now along come Lynne and Tim Martin to steal our thunder. They also sold just about everything. But they didn”t buy a motor home and vehicle, and they did not confine themselves to North America. Their new “home sweet home” became Home Sweet Anywhere.

Having sold their house (in a day!) and divested themselves of more than they thought they could part with, the Martins took off to live abroad: Mexico, Argentina, Portugal, Italy, Turkey, France, Morocco, England, Ireland. They toted two stuffed duffle bags, a couple of computers, and not much else except their spirit of adventure, lust for learning, and love of each other. They spent weeks or months in each exotic location.

Was it all glorious? No, there were language barriers to overcome, enough driving terrors to scare the bravest, cultural customs to fascinate and revolt, money management challenges (always), and offspring back home they couldn”t help missing.

But, yes, it was mostly glorious. There is much to savor in Lynne”s vivid descriptions of the local sights and smells and sounds and characters.

If you are tempted to follow the Martins” example to be “home free” in other countries for a year or two, be sure you read the last chapter for its helpful checklist of survival hints. The advice is based mostly on tips they learned the hard way.

As we”ve grown older, Joy and I have had some serious conversations about my next retirement: “Let”s sell out again, buy another motor home, and take to the road.” Now, after reading this book, our horizons have expanded to include the possibility of living abroad for a couple of years. There are so many destinations on our bucket list, including some missions we support and would like to visit. After all, the Martins were in their 70s when they ventured forth. We could also do this in our 70s.

If we hurry.

LeRoy Lawson is international consultant with CMF International and professor of Christian ministries at Emmanuel Christian Seminary, Johnson City, Tennessee. He also serves as a CHRISTIAN STANDARD contributing editor and on Standard Publishing”s Publishing Committee.