Phil Robertson from
Duck Dynasty (a show I admittedly have never watched), has once again waded into controversy with the following statement (taken from
this link):
“I’ll make a bet with you. Two guys break into an atheist’s home. He has a little atheist wife and two little atheist daughters. Two guys break into his home and tie him up in a chair and gag him and then they take his two daughters in front of him and rape both of ‘em and then shoot him and they take his wife and decapitate her head off in from of him. And then they can look at him and say isn’t it great that I don’t have to worry about being judged … there’s no right or wrong … and then you take a sharp knife and take his manhood and hold it in front of him and say wouldn’t it be something if this was something wrong with this, but you’re the one who says there's no God, there’s no right, there’s no wrong…. so we’re just having fun. We’re sick in the head. Have a nice day.”
Of course, atheists are quickly shouting that this is a "straw man" argument... that no one is advocating these practices, and that this example is outrageous and argumentative.
I know a couple atheists, and I have definitely never heard anything to make me think that they would advocate such behavior. In fact, I frequently see these people advocating for kindness and benevolence, and often for individuals who are disadvantaged... quite different from the hypothetical antagonists in Phil Robertson's example.
General advocacy for benevolence seems to be prevalent, even as religious devotion seems to wane. I have frequently seen memes and articles that decry exclusion, bullying, and the practice of judging others... many of which are quite clever. I saw a meme that said "don't judge me because I sin differently from you" (apparently President Uchtdorf saw
something similar). Certainly this thought is not reserved as a slogan for agnostics; it definitely resonates with Christians. Jesus himself said "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." (Matthew 7:1-2)
I myself have been accused of being excessively judgmental, and in spite of the irony that individuals have
judged me as being so, there is certainly room for me to improve.
That having been said, all the "hold hands and sing
kumbaya" sentiment can distract from legitimate problems that exist in society. While the vast majority of people would never break into a home and perform violent acts for entertainment, there exist some that would and do. The media has shared stories of people who have killed dozens in schools and theaters. Enemies in foreign lands share their own videos of brutal executions with knives or with fire. There exist areas of the world where even innocent children are exploited as slaves to slake the lust of adults. There are few people who would suggest that such deeds are "right" or that the perpetrators of such crimes should not be judged because they "sin differently."
Additionally, there exist people that believe they are justified in committing acts that society at large considers atrocious. Consider the example of Nehor from the Book of Mormon. He was a large and mighty man that preached the "judge not" brand of religion:
"And he also testified unto the people that all mankind should be saved at the last day, and that they need not fear nor tremble, but that they might lift up their heads and rejoice; for the Lord had created all men, and had also redeemed all men; and, in the end, all men should have eternal life." (Alma 1:4)
This idea was popular, and Nehor boldly went preaching against the church of God, which advocated not only righteous living, but also repentance for sinners. In other words, the church taught that bad men should become good, and good men should become better. They judged unrighteousness as being
bad.
In the process of "educating" these "ignorant" Christians, Nehor sought them out for argument and debate. On one such occasion, he found an elderly man named Gideon who resisted Nehor's teachings. Anger led to violence. Nehor slew Gideon.
Instead of admitting that what he had done was wrong, he actually held to his doctrine of
universal salvation. He defended himself boldly, and insisted that what he had done was not wrong. Of course, the law saw it otherwise, and Nehor was executed for his crimes.
Of course, Nehor is not the first one to become confused as to what is right and what is wrong... and
that is the real question that Phil Robertson was illustrating in his example...
How do you know what is right and what is wrong?
Those that embrace atheism may be quick to shout "straw man," but for a group of people that claim to espouse reason, there is no consensus about how to answer this question. Without an answer to this question, how does one answer the question "why not murder, rape, and steal?" It cannot be answered by "because these practices are wrong" without the existence of universal right and wrong. I suppose it could be answered by "because these practices are illegal" but in many places, gay marriage is illegal, and most atheists I know are in favor of legalizing this practice. So if morality cannot be coupled to the law, then what? Harm? What if a society does not recognize something as harmful... or cannot currently prove that something is harmful? Who will do the study on whether intimate relationships between humans and animals is harmful? Are there some applications of eugenics that have a net positive effect on society? Who can prove otherwise?
Also, to whom must something be proven? What if someone performs an act without knowing it could be harmful (a lobotomy for example, which is now considered harmful)? And if not knowing something is harmful makes it unethical, can ignorance excuse unethical behaviors such as robbery, murder, rape, etc...?
While evolutionary biology has become popular in classrooms and creationism has fallen into controversy, the ethical implications of saying that people are "intelligent animals" are rarely considered. If evolutionary fitness is the means by which humans became the dominant species on the planet, then are we on equal moral standing as cattle? Certainly there are some humans who would like to criminalize the slaughter of pigs, cattle, chickens, and other animals for human consumption... but does that also mean we should prosecute lions, hyenas, leopards, wolves, and other predators for murder? Is there a moral difference in killing a human, a dog, a rat, or a cockroach? If so, what causes this difference?
Even though these ethical questions can be difficult to answer, there seems to be a general understanding that is common to most humans. The feeling of guilt for doing something that a parent has forbidden is present even in very young children. The sense of happiness that comes from helping another is also found in young children. There is something intangible that is present in all humans that steers us toward goodness and virtue, and repels us from evil and vice. Of course, its intangibility, as well as a number of other factors, can cause this to diminish or even disappear for some... Nehor was a clear example of this.
Ultimately, this intangible force is to help us to recognize other things beyond our immediate perception. This is precisely why Jesus taught:
"I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and
am known of mine." (John 10:14, emphasis added)
The ability to recognize right can also lead us to recognize our God. Honing this spiritual awareness is a fundamental purpose to the mortal experience.
While it may be popular to say "judge not," or that "judging is wrong," it is important to know that these thoughts do not remove the personal responsibility of each individual. Ignorance, popularity, available proof, empirical evidence, or evolutionary biology will not be sufficient defenses on that day when a man stands before God to be judged. This is not to say that there is no mercy... the power of Jesus Christ is available to those that
have faith,
repent, and
live as he taught.
Yes, Jesus did condemn hypocritical judgment. Yes, Christ said "he that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her..." (John 8:7) But he also said "go, and sin no more..." and "except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:20) Vital to following Christ is changing our lives to better. Vital to salvation is learning and doing good. (James 1:22)
Also, if all judgement were wrong... then Christ would not be a judge himself. Consider this passage:
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but
he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me,
ye that work iniquity." (Matthew 7:21-23, emphasis added) In the end, though right and wrong are nearly impossible to comprehend alone, the man that truly follows Christ can be confident that he is doing right.
People can say what they may about Phil Robertson's example, his show, and his facial hair... but in the end there is definitely value in understanding the importance of God as a source of goodness, authority, and judgement.
