The Morgan Dilemna

By Mark Morgan

I am an atheist. It's a long story, but at its fundament is the question: What is the value of faith? What does faith bring to our lives? Do we need to have faith? Is it possible to construct a person, a family, a community, a country, a world, without faith? Why not?

Aradia, discussing this with me, started calling this the Morgan Dilemna (make one little typo, I tell you, and she never forgets). This is my exploration of the Morgan Dilemna. As a hypertext document, I've tried to make no part dependent on the other. You might want to read the definition of faith first, just to put us on the same page, but if you don't I've tried to make its meaning clear as I use it. Explore the Dilemna in whatever fashion you want. Every page links back to here so you can bounce around all day if you want. Have that part you just read inform that piece you read yesterday.

Here's my claim: faith does not add anything of significance to my life. In fact, I will go further and say that anyone can have just as valuable a life without it as anyone can with it. Additionally, faith can cause some problems in your thinking, and every faith has to tackle philosophical issues that aren't issues if you don't have faith. No particularly compelling positives, some compelling negatives, therefore faith should be abandoned.

Is this claim true? I haven't reached a conclusion, although if one does arrive, I'll put that in here. Think of this as a springboard for thought. And you might post those thoughts while you're at it..

• What is Faith? A stab at a definition.
• Where Faith Goes Wrong Some thoughts on faith thinking, vs. just thinking.
• Some Bad Reasons to Have Faith Some reasons people have given me when I asked, "What does faith add to your life?" Not so bad, but I don't agree with them.
• Some Good Reasons to Have Faith No answers, but some intriguing questions. Maybe faith is important, after all.

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