Not theology, but humanity

In a previous post I mentioned that a particular opinion was not really Christian, but was held by a lot of Christians. And then this weekend, while going through some old papers, I discovered that some years ago I had described myself as philosophically but not theologically Christian. I really have to take that back.

I hold to a whole range of moral opinions that Christians would recognize and approve of. I believe it's wrong to murder, steal, rape, and lie; that it's good to keep your word and look after the less fortunate; and a range of other things that broadly derive from the old principle of "do as you would be done by". But I don't believe these things because they're Christian values - I believe them because they contribute to the kind of society I want to live in, and that principle is far older than any Christian writing, or even anything in the Bible.

I also believe that slavery is wrong, that genocide is wrong, that women are equal to men, that punishment should be proportionate, and that people should not be killed for their religious beliefs. A lot of Christians believe these things as well, but they are much harder to justify as "Christian values" because there are examples in the Bible where these are contradicted explicitly or implictly. Slavery, for example, has been argued for (and against, to be fair) on the basis of the Bible.

And I believe (as my previous post said) that when your country is attacked, you have to defend it with force, or it will be attacked again. Passive resistance only works on very civilized opponents. I will never make a conscientious objector (at least not on that basis). I don't think that's a Christian position; Jesus would not have us bomb or shoot anyone. But it is what most Christians think, because they can see the results, no matter what it says in their Bibles.

So, no. I'm not philosophically Christian; I don't believe anything on the basis that it says so in the Bible. I believe in things based on the effects they will have. That often results in me agreeing with most Christians, but that's because they get their morals from the same source. People who really try to get their morals from the Bible often end up poring over suspect translations and unclear wording, and reaching odd or inhumane conclusions (like forbidding blood transfusions, or pain relief in childbirth). Most Christians are smart enough to ignore the Bible when it says something repugnant.

Why do I care? Well, some Christians like to claim that all morals come from God - theirs, of course. On this basis they'll tell you that atheists have no morals (or are in denial and refuse to acknowledge God's authority so that they can indulge in some horrible sin). Describing myself as philosophically Christian just feeds that line, and it doesn't accurately describe my position.
For one thing, I can't think of a single moral issue where I would be in anything worse than a substantial minority of Christian thought. For example, I think birth control is essential to the future of this crowded planet. The Catholic church would tell me I'm sinful, but most Protestants would disagree, and most Catholics vote with their feet.

Some would like to have a Christian monopoly on morality, and pretend that all good comes from their church, so they can paint opponents to any position of theirs as amoral sinners. It just ain't so, and the rest of us need to stand up and say so.