Wednesday, February 17, 2016

How do we learn to be "good"?

While out to dinner with a number of people who I have known for a long time, the dreaded issue of religion arose. One of the more vocal and passionate folks at the table started to discussing the need for religion for kids, otherwise they will never be able to learn the difference between good and evil, or learn the basics of being a good person.
At the table were many scout leaders, and I simply raised my right hand, gave the scout sign and said “A scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful…”. At which point the discussion shifted to others and their experiences with religion and their upbringing.
It struck me in that moment that as we look at those things we hold dear, we often miss the forest through the trees. A fine, caring, smart man, who is both a product of, and contributor to, scouting, missed the most basic tenet of one the guiding forces of his life while trying to explain why religion was the only route to becoming a good person.
What have your experiences been? Can a person be “good” without a belief in a spiritual higher power or without organized religion? Is it possible to be “good” for the sake of being “good” without the promise of some great reward in the future? Can the lessons of “good” be taught without the context of “G-d”?


(For those unfamiliar with the Scout Law, it is the 12 basic guiding principles for scouts, “A scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent”)

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