Being Ethical

I’ve written numerous posts critical of monotheism, especially of the Abrahamic variety. I’ve pointed out how monotheism fails to account for the existence of evil. I’ve also pointed out that the polytheistic approach to ethics is superior to monotheism. In addition, I’ve shown that Abrahamic monotheists edited ancient Israelite polytheistic mythology to try to make it fit their monotheist worldview.

Despite all of the flaws of monotheism, it’s important to remember that many ethical monotheists exist in the world. 

 

The reader might be surprised by my statement. If monotheism is so flawed, how can there be so many ethical monotheists? Ironically, such confusion itself is a product of another flaw of monotheism. Let me explain.

Monotheism has long claimed that it, and only it, is the source of ethics. However, a review of Abrahamic religious texts reveals a serious lack of ethics in its mythology and commandments. Yahweh drowns untold innocents in the Great Flood. Then He sends the Angel of Death to murder Egyptian innocent firstborn. These are such a few examples.

With all this said, I still maintain that there are large numbers of ethical followers of Abrahamic monotheism.

My proof for this is self-evident. It’s a simple fact that ethical monotheists are all around us. We all know them. And anyone who studies history will find them throughout the ages. Ethical monotheists are present everywhere you turn.

Their large numbers are because ethics is not a product of religion, monotheistic or otherwise. Ethics arises from the human condition. 

The origin of the human condition is complicated and has been debated among philosophers, psychologists, and other scholars for ages. Buckets of ink have been spilled on this subject. My opinion is that it’s likely an emergent property resulting from a complex interplay between genetics, environment, and cognitive reasoning.

The key takeaway is that there is no connection between ethics and religion. Anyone, monotheist, polytheist, or atheist, can be ethical. Religion can help reinforce certain ethical behaviors, but it’s unnecessary.

Monotheism isn’t the source of ethics. Ethics is the product of our humanity.