Spirituality and Morality

Many religious people cite the very existence of morality as a creation of religion, and as having no real authority without religion. Humanists, on the other hand, argue that religion is not required for morality to exist. The Humanists are right. Morality exists as much for Atheists as it does for Christians or Muslims. Non-religious moral codes have often grown out of philosophy regardless of the absence or presence of God. What is the case, is that spirituality and morality go hand in hand. A sense of belonging creates the need for a set of rules to govern behavior between members.

Spirituality creates communities and morals allow communities to function. One leads to the other and a breakdown in one tends to lead to a breakdown in the other. When we follow rules, we expect reciprocal behavior from others. We expect them to follow the same rules. Minor breakdown in rules do not threaten society as a whole, but if there is a widespread breakdown in the rules of society, a tipping point is reached where the society or community no longer exists, and no-one follows the rules.

Similarly if people do not feel as if they belong to a society or community they are unlikely to respect the rules of that society, and the following of rules only continues where transgression is likely to be discovered and punishment. The threat of punishment is a very poor substitute for the voluntary acceptance of morality.

Spirituality and morality are required for communities large and small to exist. In some societies in the past, spirituality, morals and society were all part of the same thing. Each defined the other. There was a unity between them. As societies become more complex, these things separate out and have a much looser connection between each other. When society embraces freedom, spirituality and morality are also changed. Morality must accept tolerance of other people’s behavior unless they do harm, and people must be capable of feeling a sense of belonging with diverse groups of people, regardless of individual beliefs. Without a shift in that direction, a free society is not a stable society and will inevitably drift backwards towards compulsion.