Lawrence Kohlberg<\/a>.<\/p>\nIn this theoretical example, Heinz\u2019s wife was dying from a special type of cancer.\u00a0 But there was one drug available that could save her. \u00a0It had been discovered by a certain pharmacist who was selling it for ten times more than what it cost him to make the drug.\u00a0 Heinz did not have this much money but the pharmacist refused to lower the price. \u00a0So the question was: \u00a0in this case, which is more moral \u2013 for Heinz to break the \u201cThou Shalt Not Steal\u201d commandment and steal the drug \u2013 or obey the commandment and let his wife die? \u00a0This type of situation describes moral concerns that go beyond the type of morality that can be dictated by church \u201crules.\u201d If those who simply follow church or society\u2019s rules can be said to be at the \u201cconventional\u201d level, then this type of morality that allows for the need to sometimes make painful and difficult decisions that go beyond the rules can be called \u201cpost-conventional.\u201d<\/p>\n
Many atheists are at the post-conventional level and derive their sense of morality from being able to trust their own instincts and powers of reasoning more reliably than they can trust a bunch of black and white rules set out by a church. \u00a0This is something that conventional (and pre-conventional) people often misunderstand about non-believers. \u00a0Because the conventional people NEED the rules of a church to keep their behavior in line, they often preach vehemently against (or try desperately to convert) anyone who does not belong to their religion. \u00a0They simply cannot understand that some people do not need these moral rules to be good.<\/p>\n
How do we know that many atheists are at this post-conventional level?\u00a0 Well, if you put together Kohlberg\u2019s stages of moral reasoning and the stages of many who have studied faith development, you find the stages line up pretty well.\u00a0 In Kohlberg\u2019s moral stages one grows from egocentric to ethnocentric to worldcentric.\u00a0\u00a0 In the religious development stages, as outlined by Ken Wilber, James Fowler, M. Scott Peck and others, one grows from egocentric, to ethnocentric to worldcentric\u00a0 to universal.\u00a0 Same idea!<\/p>\n
The egocentric person\u2019s morals only center on whether he is likely to get caught.\u00a0 In religion, the egocentric person cares only about what will benefit him.\u00a0 (Granted \u2013 some atheists are found in this group, but most of those are not the ones who have actually studied what they believe in enough depth to call themselves atheist.)<\/p>\n
The ethnocentric person\u2019s morals center around following the rules of his group.\u00a0 In religion the ethnocentric person will adopt the beliefs of his group without much personal reflection because if he reflects too much on his beliefs, he might reason himself right out of his group, which he cannot afford to do.<\/p>\n
In morality, the worldcentric person focuses on the effect it would have on others in the world. \u201cIs it right or wrong in general, not just according to the rules of my particular group?\u201d He is willing to sacrifice the approval of, or membership in his group if their rules don\u2019t make sense in a particular situation.\u00a0 In religion, the worldcentric person or post-conventional person is willing to sacrifice membership in his group if he finds a reality or truth that takes him out of that group.\u00a0 He has perhaps been willing to subject his religious beliefs to careful scrutiny and may have found them wanting.\u00a0 This is the most common way people who call themselves atheist get that way.\u00a0 They have reached the post-conventional level \u2013 in morality and in religion.<\/p>\n
This is not to say that atheists are more right or more moral than religious people, but only that they as a group are certainly not LESS moral or less right!<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Many atheists are at the post-conventional level and derive their sense of morality from being able to trust their own instincts and powers of reasoning more reliably than they can trust a bunch of black and white rules set out by a church. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1150,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[9,30,14,12,31],"class_list":["post-161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spiritualmaturity","tag-atheists","tag-lawrence-kohlberg","tag-morality","tag-religious-belief","tag-self-governance"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/a>Some atheists, to be sure, are without morals. \u00a0But many\/most who have actually thought through their beliefs sufficiently to call themselves atheist have moved beyond the need for moral rules supplied by the church. \u00a0Such people are principled and self-regulating and their morality comes from something deep inside themselves.<\/p>\n