A solemn recollection of what dominated the headlines of major tabloids in 2015 and in the last few months reveals a rather unpleasant truth that may have eluded some of us: Humanity has taken a thorough beating.
From the relentless women of South Sudan to the anachronistic polar bear, the victims of barbarism and witlessness serve as evidence that ethics has taken a back seat in mankind’s assertion of itself on the world.
Fundamentally, ethics requires an innate desire for good will and critical thought. Now, while optimism allows me to believe most people aspire to goodness, I cannot in good conscience apply wishful thinking with regards to the thoughtfulness, or lack thereof, of the human population. In our own great U.S., stupidity is the ersatz for culture — reigning supreme in the actions of selfie takers, cultish fantasy footballers and Iggy Azalea fans (one day we will have a dance, my sweet callipygian, cultural appropriator). And while these narcissisms and the idolatry of idiots needs to be recognized as scourges to humanity’s potential, they pale in comparison to the most indomitable hindrance to ethical thought: religion. Big, fat, organized Abrahamic religion.
I know what you’re thinking. “Great, another know-it-all college atheist, bravely espousing his views via the Alligator.”
First of all, I just want to say: Thank you. I am proud to be an atheist. And “brave”? Well, you shouldn’t have. That’s sweet.
But what SHOULD be clear is that my point is not to profess my atheism as having all the answers to life’s biggest questions, like whether there is life after death or how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. Additionally, my atheism should not be equated with nihilism; it is not rooted in pretension nor a desire to be displayed on Facebook by way of thoughtless meme and ill-informed statuses bereft of grammar.
Conversely, I value spirituality. A look to the stars without an omnipotent and prescient God in mind does not make me feel infinitesimal, but rather hopeful and inspired. A sea of infinity is right at our doorstep, waiting for us just as soon as we realize our potential. But that potential faces a rather insurmountable roadblock.
Abrahamic religion has blinded so many of us by ousting the importance of knowledge with an ostentatious certainty. In Texas for example, conservative lawmakers have won the battle to replace a scientifically sound and reasoned curriculum on the genesis of our species with the creationist ideologies of their specific brand of Christianity. A willful ignorance of such an important part of science no doubt has a profound effect on those whose minds might have been inspired to discover the next piece of our human history. It wouldn’t be surprising if those affected young minds will now instead flock to business school convinced the world is only thousands of years old.
In order for the problems of the world to be solved, education is indispensable. Education is one of the most important vertebrae in the backbone of an ethical approach to life. Having unfettered access to education for all people is necessary for the forward progress of our species — IF we actually hope to explore worlds beyond ours and save ourselves from the effects of manmade climate change, it’s our generation’s biggest battle. Yet a look at the subjection of women to little or no education by strict and rigid practitioners of Islam and Judaism reveals Abrahamic teachings as an incredible oppressor in this respect.
Notwithstanding the indecencies of quelling the spread of knowledge or granting equality for women, it is the doomsday culture of these religions that is the most detrimental to our success as a unified world. The afterlife often takes precedence for the religiously devout politicians in congress and the Levant. Our battle to save our planet from rising sea levels, increasing global temperatures, more powerful storms and highly acidic oceans cannot begin if the philosophy of those in charge is to let Jesus take the wheel and do nothing. Because after all, we’re going to heaven after all of this is through.
Man and woman have to recognize their own importance and abandon the idea of a predetermined destiny, especially one that supports the death of ethics and our planet if it means appeasing an absent God. In 2016, it ought to be humanity’s turn to decide its own fate, not God’s.
Justin Ford is a UF journalism junior. His column normally appears on Tuesdays.
