The Meaning of Life in a Secular World

Bob Topper

(1/28) Reincarnation is a core belief of the Hindu faith. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna explains that changing one’s body is like changing one’s clothes. I accept that possibility as I accept the idea of a Christian afterlife. Both speculations are fascinating.

But I am far more amazed by the life I live. How is it that this unique assemblage of trillions of atoms and molecules which compose my body came to be at all? And how is that I am consciously aware of my physical body as though it is simultaneously both me and something apart from me. These questions I find far more profound than reincarnation.

But my existence is a fact. Renee Descartes’ deduction, "I think, therefore I am," is proof enough. The possibility of future or past lives may fascinate but are only speculations.

Religions claim to know more and answer the profound questions about existence and the meaning of life. But Christianity’s answers rely on circular arguments, and its message is conflicted. The loving god of the New Testament is at odds with the vengeful god of the Old Testament, and the preaching of love and forgiveness is at odds with stoning promiscuous daughters to death.

The relevance of the Bible to today’s society is questionable. It was written early in human history and rewritten over and over. Still, Christian fundamentalists insist that it is the word of God and must be taken literally. But much of the bible is fanciful. Science has shown that humankind did not descend from the Garden of Eden but evolved along with the other creatures of the earth; the earth orbits the sun and is 4.5 billion years old. And Jonah and the Whale, Noah and the Ark, and the Virgin Birth are fictional. And we also know homosexuality and gender dysphoria are natural inclinations, natural variations of human sexuality.

The Bible may have some value allegorically, but it is certainly not factual. Science on the other hand is a product of our rational minds. It is a search for truth and understanding that is based on factual evidence. Science is not a belief system and does not compete with religion.

The doubt that surrounds organized religions, coupled with the fact that there are 10,000 of them, implies that religion is a human creation, a compilation of mythical stories that are passed down from generation to generation. Furthermore, the concept of a supreme being who created our 93 billion light-year wide universe, yet listens to our prayers, challenges imagination, and still leaves the fundamental question unresolved...who created the creator? Humankind may never comprehend the true nature of a god or fully understand the cosmos. The notion that one can know the mind of an almighty God and believe he or she is doing his work is delusional, and the idea that an all-powerful god needs the help of mere mortals is irrational.

How then does one cope with a need to understand? If the world in which we live is unknowable, is life absurd and meaningless as concluded by Camus? No, not at all. Sartre, a contemporary of Camus, gives a better interpretation. - I can think; I have a rational mind. Whether this is a gift from the gods, or a result of natural selection is irrelevant. The fact that I have a mind obliges me to reason, to make sense of the world and to make my life meaningful.

Every day we make choices, practical decisions, and moral judgments, which affect the people we know and love and impact on the physical world that surrounds us. We can choose to make things better or worse. We can be kind or mean spirited, generous or selfish. But we are constrained to choose rationally and compelled to choose for the better. There is an underlying need in us to make our world a better place, to create, to build, to invent, to paint, to write, and to improve our surroundings.

Of course, people can be misguided or overcome by greed, ambition, and narcissism. That increases the obligation of those who are not.

Take climate change. Fundamentalists believe that God designed a self-correcting environment that enables humankind to flourish. They may also believe that, because they are living in the end times and will be saved by the Second Coming and the Rapture, there is no need to be concerned about the future of the planet. I can choose to accept that mystical world view or accept climate science, which says we must act to protect the planet for our children. The only rational choice is to accept climate science. By compelling one to act, it brings meaning to life.

Everyone must enjoy this right to choose rationally. Apart from reason and evidence, there is no logical framework by which that right can be denied. No one can insist that their personal beliefs are preferred. One can compromise on an interpretation of evidence but nothing more. And so, there is no justification for the fundamentalist’s insistence that everyone conform with their beliefs.

Christian doctrine conflicts with America’s democratic principles, for it denies the right to choose. Moreover, it bars the agency necessary to bring value and meaning to our lives.

The Enlightenment thinker Baruch Spinoza explained why democracies are superior to theocracies. The first priority of a theocracy is satisfying a mythical god. The needs of people are secondary. The theocratic Republican party will now control our government. It will not satisfy the needs of the people.

Consider the choices Mike Johnson will make. A Christian fundamentalist and dispensationalist, he believes that teaching evolution is the cause of mass murders. He also believes that God condemns abortion and LGBT+ rights. Johnson may be sincere, but lacking objectivity he will choose to enact legislation that pleases his God rather than furthering the rights and welfare of the American people. He will attempt, for example, to pass a nationwide abortion ban, knowing that the overwhelming majority of Americans are against it.

And consider the irrational choice that Christian fundamentalists made in the last election. Without their backing Trump would not have won then or in 2016. They chose him, believing that he will support legislation and appoint court justices that favor the Christian world view. The hypocrisy is palpable. Trump is a convicted felon and a con artist, the polar opposite of the Jesus that Christians profess to love. The essence of Christ’s message, "love thy neighbor" is an embrace diversity and inclusion, which Trump and the MAGA Republicans vilify. Christ taught us to feed the hungry; give water to the thirsty; care for the sick; clothe the naked and shelter the homeless. Trump and the MAGA Republicans want to eliminate programs that help the poor and disadvantaged. If Jesus were alive today, would he approve?

For our lives to have meaning, freedom of choice is a necessity. We need a strong democracy. But with theocratic Republicans in control of government, democracy is in jeopardy, and the success of the last four years will be squandered, all in the name of God.

And the oligarchs are smiling.

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