OPINION

Morality is a Selfish Religious Blasphemy

September 16, 2007
Desh

You must do "good" - every pastor, priest, mullah, god-head, Prophet and Saint advises us. Is "good" a qualification of an action? Or is it a judgment on the result?

Let me ask this in another way - When does an Action become a "Good" action? When one is convinced that it leads to a good result! In itself, action is of no use and significance.

So, when we say we are going to do good - with the finality of a morality - aren't we appropriating the role of God to ourselves? If indeed we could ensure the result of every action - then why have that "old man with a white beard" sitting up there? What the heck is he wasting his time at? Isn't morality then, being brutally honest, the greatest religious blasphemy of ALL time?

Now, let us come to the religious foundation of Morality. Why be good (for a moment let us humor a little more on believing that there indeed is a "Good action" within your power)? Indeed why? Day of Judgment .. keep away from sinning.... it will lead to heaven... It may not be a cashiers check, but can you see a "consideration" in the genesis of Morality? If I should do "good" because I will get such and such.. then will I ever do good if that consideration was not there?

If you see a neighbor dying and you have to take a decision to whether save him or not - and the pastor told you that doing so will lead to the darkest Hell... would you do it? Would you do it if he told you .. that this action will help you save "yourself" (whatever he may mean by "yourself" in absence of a body while pointedly rejecting "after life"!!). Yes, you would! You do that everyday!

Altruism is defined as selfless concern for the welfare of others.

So, the focal word is "Selfless"! Is a system that promises you something in return for an action (even it had the authority of 100 Bibles) - selfless?

Isn't Morality as the world knows it - a selfish pursuit?

Let's come to the third absurdity of Morality. Central to morality is the concept of "Good" or "Evil". Essentially, an act of judgment. To judge something - you need a benchmark. A baseline. Compared to which, you can say if something fares "above" or "below" the threshold and so it can take on a value judgment. Without a baseline - there can be no judgment!

So, what is the baseline of Moralistic Good? What are we comparing an action against? Is there an "absolute" baseline out there?

Religions are built on a network of arbitrary judgment-facilitating "baselines"! In fact religion is nothing but a deliberate act on part of its "executive management" (including its Guru, Master, Prophet) to create an intricate labyrinth of such Moralistic "baselines"!

People do not fight in religions - these "baselines" do! For these baselines become the means to consideration.. to a wealth promised for all that one has been gearing to do! If one was doing things - without any pursuit or hope of a consideration, and so without any resort to "morality", one would have no arguments on baselines! If someone came along with his baseline, you would be .. like "whatever, I don't care!". But what if you had a baseline and another brought another set along. And your baseline was your only measure of your Karmic bonus at the end of a certain arbitrary period? Your stock just fell! Isn't it? Suddenly all that you had invested in, became of no use!

Morality, therefore, is born out of a fear. Fear cannot exist with love - true love. Love exists when there is no fear - of authority or loss. If one "loves" induced by fear, then is that love? You need to give food to the hungry  - because? Why? Mother Teresa saved the dying because Jesus would save her and come to her rescue (He probably never did, in her mind though)

Were Mother Teresa's acts then really Altruistic? However good her actions were - were they without any hope of return? Doesn't that make them conditional actions? Can a conditional action ever be born out of Love?

The truth is Morality is the foundation of a selfish and self-centered society. True love and good is not possible in a society which obsesses with arbitrary measures and benchmarks to judge and decide what is good or bad with self-defined and obsessed "baselines".

Desh loves to blog on things known and unknown to him and everything in between. He comes from the diplomacy laden city of Delhi and is currently in the US. He has many blogs of which only three run daily (or somewhat!) - SAP Professional Network , Drishtikone.com and Business Musings.
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Morality is a Selfish Religious Blasphemy

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Author: Desh

 

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#1
Shantanu Dutta
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September 16, 2007
04:28 AM

The article is a bit abstract for me. But this much I will say that Mother Teresa's version of selfishness is any day welcome in this world than the variety we typically see. She is welcome to her returns....She in any case never claimed to be an altruistic social worker. She was a religious figure , a nun and if that is being selfish , i wish ther would be ,lots of priests and nuns and their equivalents in the other faiths. The more the merrier of this sort of selfishness.

#2
Desh
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September 16, 2007
09:44 AM

Shantanu:

I did not add the thoughts on Karma Yoga in there.. but that is what I was getting to.

There is a reason why Krishna's "Karmanya Vadhikaraste... " is so critical in spiritual pursuits. Really speaking, I am convinced more and more that Vedantics did not go around circles on morality. They were more into "Duty" or "Dharma" (different from religion).. in a dispassionate way. So, there was no "motive" to any action. An action was done because it HAD to be done!! No more. No less....

I will get to these thoughts probably in the next part maybe.

Cheers,
Desh

#3
A. S. Mathew
September 16, 2007
11:05 AM

Mr. Desh, your article is very articulate. It is like the quesiton " which came first, the chicken egg or the chicken"?.

Years back one person made an announcement that he is going to cross the Niagra falls on a rope
connected from the U.S. side to the Canadian side. He made a fortune and he challenged everybody " any of you think that I can cross the
Niagra falls with a person on my back". The response was great, everybody uttered " you can do it". Then the next challenge came " you all believe that I can do it, then get on to my back"
He repeatedly offered half of his income, but nobody dared to take such a risk. Finally one person ventured, and the daredevil told the man
holding on to him " don't look to the water but look to the other side". They made it and the
man believed the challenge got wealthy instantly.

David Linvingston and his brother had a talk in their younger days. David Livingston said " I must go to the African continent and tell about
Jesus". But his brother said, I want to make money and retire rich. David Livingston went to
Africa, and he is buried with the British royal
family at Westminister Abbey. Did he expect that
honor when he went to Africa?

How many people will dare to find a diamond in a
landfill, seeking for that with a bare hand?
Everybody has the right to make their conclusion and answers to the question " did Mother Teresa do the charity for special favour and love from God in Heaven?" Please ponder for a few minutes!

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