Life Stories Without Religion

I suggest that religious stories might involve gods, God, or be completely secular in nature. Religious stories are invested with both explanations of how the world works and how life should be lived. The religious explanations that describe, explain, predict what is are derived from the statements of various authorities and must be accepted on faith rather than personal observations and experimentation. Similarly, what should be correct behavior is also derived from authorities and must be accepted on faith without discussion or debate. In religious stories explanations and moral judgments are often confused one with the other. Conflicts arise between and within individuals whenever factual or moral truths are questioned. Doubt is forbidden and conflicts can become violent whenever doubters create doubt in others. Much of the political horror and violence that has and is wracking our world derives from those living within faith based or secular religious life stories in attempts to silence interpersonal and intrapersonal doubt. I will refer to two books tonight: Shusako Endo's novel "Silence" and a polemic by Christopher Hitchens entitled "God is not great: How religion poisons everything."