Morality (an excerpt)

from October 2012 

I have been trying to figure out just what it is that bothers Christians about the idea that there may be no God telling us exactly what is good and evil. This seems to be a big deal! I have friends in a panic over the mere suggestion. There may be some side issues, but it appears to boil down to a Christian's desire for accountability; not even so much for themselves as for everyone else. Christianity teaches there are eternal consequences: rewards for those who do good, punishment for those who do not. I know that on the surface they believe this just because the Bible teaches it, so to them my reasoning doesn't matter, but the people I talk to are genuinely concerned about a world without guidelines. From what I can tell, they need a Big Daddy in the sky to turn to for justice because, frankly, they are immature. They are like a little child on a playground getting bullied, demanding the intervention of the teacher, demanding that the teacher make the bully play by the rules or suffer the consequences. A mature person does not need this intervention. A mature person does not need a set of moral rules. A mature person does not need to see someone else punished and does not seek reward. A mature person makes their way through life by reasoning. Christianity keeps people dependent like a child. Deism is for grown-ups.