Shadi Hamid @shadihamid
Senior fellow @BrookingsInst; Research professor @FullerSeminary; Contributing writer @TheAtlantic; Author of ISLAMIC EXCEPTIONALISM:
One thing that makes our current culture of judgment so punitive and unforgiving is, well, the lack of religion. Central to the three monotheistic faiths is the role of intention in judging outcomes. Without God, it becomes easier to focus only on that which can be seen.
Which doesn't make me optimistic about the future of American society. There's no sign that secularization trends will reverse. And without recourse to religious tradition, I don't exactly know how habits of forgiveness and "letting go" become conceivable on a mass level.
Secular ideologies require a timeframe marked by impatience and immediacy. Combine that with a narrowing of horizon—if there is no accounting in the next life, then judgment must be handed down *now,* even if it requires the commission of injustice—and you have a problem.
hilzoy @hilzoy
Hilary Bok (b. 1959) is the Henry R. Luce Professor of Bioethics and Moral & Political Theory at the Johns Hopkins University. Bok received a B.A. in Philosophy from Princeton University in 1981 and her Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1991.
Wait, seriously?
First, there are factions within at least Islam and Christianity (don't know about Judaism) whose members feel free to judge people without giving much thought to their intentions. This might be contrary to those religions main tenets, but it exists.
Contemporary evangelicalism, for example, deploys concern for intentions very selectively, and its adherents also feel free to fabricate intentions to suit their purposes.
How many evangelical leaders seriously asked themselves about Hillary Clinton's intentions? Not many. Meanwhile, evangelical leaders who get caught having sex with their secretaries are forgiven once they (pretend to) repent.
Again, this is contrary to the actual Bible, imho. But that just shows that having a religion where intention matters is no guarantee of anything.
On the other hand, it's just false to say that you can't care about intentions, or even that "it becomes easier" not to, if you don't believe in God. Trust me on this. I teach ethics all day long. Or just ask any secular virtue ethicist, Kantian, etc., etc.
Or just ask any ordinary person. If you knock someone into an oncoming train, does it matter whether you did this on purpose, or just tripped? The idea that people who don't believe in God are less likely to say "yes" is just not credible.
Shadi Hamid
Yes, I'm serious. And, yes, I know those factions exist. In fact, I write about them a lot :)
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