extinction just as sure as we will die in a short time as individuals. This depresses a lot of people. I
accept it as I accept taxes. No use ruining a good meal over undue worry about the tariffs applied to the
wine. Life can be better, socially and morally.
We need a fresh and new religion to run our lives.Greg Graffin, "Kyoto Now!" The Process of Belief (2002)Naturalism presents a way to understand the world, to under stand people better, to learn why things
are the way they are, how they came to be. These are the most satisfying aspects of human brain function.
Traditional religion offers nothing satisfying now because science explains such things better. In fact, all
that is left for religion is to claim authority over issues of morality. Yuck!
Proximate meaning: A sense of meaning or purpose derived from action in the observable world.
Ultimate meaning: A sense of meaning or purpose derived from belief, and from acting on belief, in a
reality beyond or greater than the observable world.
Preston Jones
I have never found a question answered better by God than ... by science. I guess, in that respect, science
has become a religion to me, but only because it is based on testable hypotheses.
Greg Graffin, interview in HM magazine (1993)
Morality need not be connected with any institution. It is a part of human development. If traditional
religion were necessary for morality, I would be considered amoral, and that's an outright offense to me
and my children, and anyone who considers me a good citizen.
Naturalism is a young, new religion. It is satisfying because it is a teacher. It is not purposeless; it
merely focuses on proximate meaning instead of ultimate meaning. Ultimate meaning is what traditional
religion clings to, desperately trying to remain relevant.
Religion is only relevant because it is drilled into so many chil dren's heads as being important (they
grow up and believe what they learned as kids). A society raised without traditional theology is just as
moral, just as charitable, and probably more worldly and open to a variety of opinion than ours is
currently.
I have never concerned myself with ultimate meaning, but I have a deeply meaningful life. I am
privileged to have a deep effect on the way lots of people think-most importantly for me, my two children.
I have a wonderful circle of friends and a loving interpersonal relationship with my girlfriend. I was
never baptized, never aware of a single story from the Good Book, never programmed by religious
teachers, and never concerned about life after death. Rather, naturalism teaches one of the most important
things in this world: there is only this life, so live wonderfully and meaningfully.
A great beginning, if you are interested in a better education about naturalism, is Homer Smith's Man
and His Gods. Also, I highly recommend Julian Huxley's Religion Without Revelation. Anything by E. 0.
Wilson is also great.