Ethos
Morality
and Values 1.
This
subject of “Morality and Values,” I observe presents such problems.
I was part of a government think tank in
looking at OFSTED inspections of schools. One of the things they looked at is
the moral dimension of the ethos of the state schools. My problem was – and is: How does one get hold
of and understand morals and morality?
In this small group, on the discussion of “Moral teaching in Schools”, were Muslims,
Catholics, Jews, Evangelical Christians, and Humanists.
All of us - apart from the humanist -
agreed that morals has to come from some kind of law giver. And actually, in
all of our thinking, we concluded that the law giver must be God – that is, apart
from the humanist - who said “There isn’t a God! So morals must come from
somewhere else”.
I went on to argue that in terms of
generosity, in such things as tsunamis, famines, natural and man made disasters
and the like, the UK Is actually quite generous in its giving. I put this down
to the Judeo Christian influence in the historical background of the nation. The
humanist said, “Now don’t be silly! It is due to the fact that we were once
great colonists”. Hmm! I thought that was all about greed,
trade, and getting lots of power and things for ourselves?
Anyway! Having been one of those
interviewed by Richard Dawkins for his, “Religion is the root of all evil” programmes,
I find the stuff all over the internet, usually with many of “the learned”
atheists - so called - poking fun at my opinions. Funnily enough, I have read Richard’s book, “The
God delusion”. One of the things that struck me from the volume is how often
the base of “who we are” and “where we are”, comes down to “luck” and simple
good fortune - at least according to Mr Dawkins’ book.
God seems a better thesis to me.
And of course, both in the programme and on
the net, as well as – defiantly - in Wikipedia, comes the discussion of
morality. I am sort of “amused” that in
at least one article or comment, the fact that we live in a moral universe - and one “without God” according to the “atheists”
- is actually argued from the fact that some fish have a symbiotic relationship
with cleaner fish and actually protect them. This, so they claim, is the
logical grounds as to why we don’t go around on our streets killing each other.
The fish story is used to suggest that violence and killing is – sort of - wiser
not too.
One of the things that Richard
Dawkins said to me in the interview for his programme, (which I have not seen
on the TV repeats or YouTube, so I guess it’s on the cutting room floor), was;
“I am more righteous than you”. I, of course, said “Oh! And how is that?” To
which he replied, “I don’t go around pillaging and raping, and I don’t need a
God to stop me. You, Adrian, need God to stop you.”
To which I answered “Bully
for you! You maybe ought to watch the international news every day!”
One Swallow does not a summer make.
Adrian Hawkes
For UCB
300417
W. 550
Edited KL
