Architecture and Morality

BM093 New York Skyscrapers, listentoreason, 2005

Back when I was studying social sciences at college one of the classes would assign reports on an issue of our choice relevant to the course. Possibly overreaching into doctorate territory, I repeatedly tried to investigate religion and morality, or more correctly disprove the correlation between them. In fact, one of my lecturers told me it was a good idea but way beyond my means and the scope of the course. I later threw in some swear words and just published my opinion on this blog.

The claim of ownership on morality by religion in general is without substance. The Archbishop of Cantebury, Rowan Williams, in particular irritates me. Softly spoken, every time he pops-up it's to say things would be nicer if we'd just listen more to that swell fellow upstairs (but don't expect him to lift a finger). The Abrahamic religions have spent centuries now claiming that armed with their unique truth and moral compass, the ills of the increasingly secular world can be cured (secularism being equated with materialism). Problem is, this moral compass has been spinning around for millennia. What may have been permissible then is not now, and vice-versa.

The practices and habits of people in the Old Testament were the cultural norms of the main characters: the Israelites (the Mary Sues of the Bible, it was their holy book first). The gentiles wanted a piece of the action as the also-chosen people whilst ditching a few rules, such as the prohibition on eating shellfish. One of the more obvious deviations from the Bible is slavery - common throughout antiquity until the Christian Abolitionist movement opposed it in the 18th Century. There were those who approved and those who opposed slavery even in the early Christian church. If those in the same church can have differing morals how can there be a theological set of absolute morals? How can morality have an origin in the divine truth when it changes?

The first recorded societies appear around 7000BC, before Abraham and before Moses or Muhammed or Jesus. Some morals must have existed before the Ten Commandments and before the first settlements, otherwise those complex societies could not form and function. Maybe some societies did practice human sacrifice - that does not make them amoral. On the other hand, some morals have persisted like "Thou shall not steal", though that too may be changing.

Whilst I'm here:

But he spoke of the scientific theory of dark matter, which he said involved "a lot of dark matter which we can't even see, being propelled by forces we don't understand". He added: "And they say that religion is all about faith
-A Church of England Synod Delegate

The difference between religion and science is that religion claims to have the truth, but science provides a means to find the truth for yourself. Dark matter is an area of ongoing research, unlike God. If you rely on someone to lead you, don't be surprised when you're lead over the cliff edge.

I would not lead you into the promised land if I could, because if I led you in, some one else would lead you out.
-Eugene V Debs, c1908

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