The subject of morality has occupied much human thinking over the ages. What makes an act moral or immoral? How can we know the difference between right and wrong? Or even if there is such a thing a right or wrong?

The humanist position is that right and wrong are matters of human perception. That which makes us happy or contributes to our welfare and well-being is good. That which does otherwise is bad. This is very simplistic thinking, but in the long run, within the constraints of our respective cultures, it's what we all go by.

For example, a Muslim man may feel that it is morally necessary to kill a female member of his family, perhaps a daughter because she has offended the family honour by accepting a boyfriend of which the family does not approve. Infidels, meaning non-Muslims, may find the idea horrific. Yet the Christian Bible also instructs parents to kill their disobedient children.

In the Western World, we have developed the idea of equality between the sexes, a concept that is quite foreign to Middle Eastern cultures that see women as little better than chattels. Even so, probably the great majority of immigrants from Muslim countries make a great effort to adapt their ideas of morality to their new countries.

Sexual morality is one area where almost everybody seems to be confused. When I was growing up in the 1930s and 40s and on into the 50s, it was not socially acceptable for unmarried men and women to have sex. Hotel and motel operators even tried to make sure that they did not rent to unmarried couples. Teenage pregnancy was a subject to be whispered about behind closed doors and spoken of in hushed tones.

Even so-called profanity was forbidden in that long-ago time. I remember that it was considered shocking in the 1939 movie Gone With The Wind when Rhett Butler informed Scarlett O'Hara, "Frankly, Scarlett, I don't give a damn!"

Today, at least in the Western World, what was once considered shocking and terribly immoral is now par for the course. Unmarried people now have all the sex they want and even same-sex relationships are not now considered beyond the pale. In fact, current wisdom suggests that where sex is concerned, morality consists in making sure that nobody is hurt in any way by what is done and that everyone takes responsibility for the consequences if any. This strikes me as far healthier and more responsible than the old way which pretty well consisted of closing our eyes and hoping for the best.

Morality differs not only between cultures, it also changes over time. This shows that it is purely a human invention, not something that is imposed on us by our cultural deities for all time. In other words, if we are good, we are good without gods.

Bill Broderick is a director of Humanist Canada and chair of Humanist Quinte. Meetings are held September through November and January through June, in Room P-22, Loyalist College Training and Development Centre, fourth Sunday of each month, 1:30 p.m.. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

| More...