I recently had the opportunity to see an interview with Barrack Obama and Trevor Noah. One of the things they discussed was the recent decline of democratic governments around the world. In USA we have seen increased divisiveness and mistrust of our elected officials, with threats to our democracy. There’s also a coincident trend in USA toward atheism.
The basis of earliest religion is a moral code that accounts for tolerance and respect of others, and ensures a reward if the gods are worshipped. These beliefs, in different variations created trust and provided a survival benefit for our early ancestors. Subsequent monotheistic religions became more dogmatic and preached guilt and original sin.
The increasing lack of consequence for immoral behavior of people in power, as well as the history of violence and oppression under the flag of religion can account for the trend toward atheism. As organized religion is deconstructed, is the argument for “doing the right thing” for your fellow sapiens at risk of being discarded? Is the decline of organized religion a good thing? Perhaps there’s another reason to act compassionately. Our continued survival requires interdependency among our species. We can’t survive without the help of our fellow human beings. We’ve evolved from individuals to tribes of hunter gatherers, to agricultural settlements with division of labor, to our current status of a relatively comfortable life with the help of teachers, doctors, manufacturers, laborers, and distribution experts. As we continue to evolve, let’s rely on a fundamental spirituality and logical thinking as we go forward to build our best future.