The opening of my latest column in the Theist vs. Atheist series debate at EveryJoe:
“In my judgment, issues of morality are the most difficult in philosophy. They are intellectually challenging, as everything about the human condition is relevant to them, and they are emotionally gripping, as our highest values are always at stake.
“So it makes sense that religious philosophies often make morality the center of their appeal, and it makes sense that disagreements about religion can easily become tense and even emotionally overwrought.
“Our question in this article is whether morality is natural or whether it can only be explained by reference to a supernatural being that issues moral rules and enforces them.
“Each of us as individuals decides what our core values are and how we will act to accomplish them. In selecting the content of our value beliefs and deciding our methods of action, we almost always confront at some point this complex question: Should I choose my morality religiously, e.g., (a) by seeking direct communication from the gods or a God, or (b) by accepting an established religious system’s moral code — or should I choose naturalistically, e.g, (b) by going with my society’s prevailing norms, or (d) by deciding independently what I judge to be good and bad? …” [Read more here.]
Here are the links to other columns in the series.