REFLECTIONS

Ron Ebert wrote a review of Taner Edis' book, "The Ghost in the
Universe." Here is a brief quote:

'Many theists will say that morality must come from God, but Edis shows
us
that there is a much more sensible origin for our morality. Norms of
morality or any other kind make no sense apart from the purposes that
they
serve. Our interests set those purposes, and those interests in turn
are
determined by our biology and our culture. Different social and
cultural
environments will have different moral standards. We learn through
moral
examples ­- what will serve our interests and what won't. Moral
thinking
draws on our ability to envision different actions and their
consequences
-- it is an imaginative activity....Science dispels the religious myths
that would impose moral order on an accidental world.

'Edis ends his book on a hopeful note. Our gods do not belong in our
explanations or even in our hopes, but they should be at home in our
stories and our songs. We can appreciate the stories of gods regardless
of
whether they are remotely true, morally uplifting, or practically
significant.'