The document discusses different perspectives on the basis of ethics and whether belief in God is necessary to be ethical. It explores definitions of ethics as standards of conduct and behaviors that create trust and safety. Ethics are often seen as culture-specific but there may be universal principles like respect. Standards and rules are based on needs for safety, obedience, competition, community, and self-expression. Different types of ethics prioritize authority, diversity, and internalized versus externalized guidance. An integrated ethical approach respects all needs and perspectives to promote life, relationships, expression, and inclusion.

1. Do You Have To Believe
in God to Be Ethical?
UUCB January 2, 2005

2. Ethics - Definition
 Webster’s - normal state of humans’
 Essential quality of one’s own character
 Standards of conduct
 Whose standards?
 Community
 Profession
 Social Contract?

3. Ethics - Purpose
 Ethics - clarify the
way people normally
behave toward each
other.
 Creates trust and
safety
 Golden rule(s)

4. Global Ethic?
 Ethics often seen as
specific to culture
 Is there a universal
basis?
 Could respect be a
universal?
 Standards are based
on what? Why?
 Rules for “goodness”

5. Standards / Rules Based on
Needs
 Need for safety = Standard that protects
 Canary
 Need for rules = standard for obedience
 Penguin
 Need for winning = standard for competition
 Eagle
 Need for community = standard for
relationship/diversity
 Barn Swallow
 Need for self-expression = standard for variety &
freedom
 Swan

6. Different Ethics
 Canaries, Penguins and Eagles
Fear based = respect for authority

Ethics include obedience to higher authority

Mix up ethical and legal

Seek to preserve the traditional order

See success as a measure of “goodness”

Hard work and good connections - model citizen -

image
 Community is similar to self
 Authority externalized (God)

7. Different Ethics con’t
 Barn swallows and Swans
Experienced based

Seek greatest good - other focused

Value diversity of thought, people, experience

Love options

Look to “spirit” vs.. Letter

Value self-expression

Community is larger than self

Authority is internalized


8. Integrating Differences
 Respect others needs
 Make sure they are met or that
you understand and will address
that need.
 Don’t ignore or disparage
 All ethical actions should:
 Not put others at risk
 Be extended to all others (as
rules)
 Promote success in life
 Promote relationship
 Allow for a range of expression

9. Being Ethical
 Caring about your fellow humans
 Expressing that care by meeting their needs
 Respecting the spark of divinity that resides in
each or the goodness in each soul
 Trust that each is doing their very best
 Have patience, allow for personal space and no
coercion
 Listen actively so understanding is recognized
 See the value of the other perspective
 Include others in the decision
 Incorporate the value of authority, if needed in
ways that address all of these needs

10. Albert Schweitzer
 First thought of humans is,
“I’m alive”
 Reverence for Life is first
ethic.
 Second ethic is surrender
to life - not control of it.
The exaltation found in
being alive is the source
of all ethics.
 Thus veracity -
authenticity is the ground
of virtue.
 Sincerity is thus the first
ethical quality.

11. Albert Schweitzer
 Loving the life in me I must then love the life in all other
beings
 Goodness becomes enhancing the life in all other and in
myself and in the development of all beings to their
highest possibility.
 Evil is what hampers or eliminates life.
 I believe that the life of the soul is as great as the life of
the body. So respect is key to ethics.
 Ethics becomes spiritual when it puts us into harmony
with the universe.
 As the universe seems to move toward complexity and
toward life, then a reverence for life and all that that
means seems to me to be the basis for ethics.

12. Universal Ethics
 Reverence for all life
 Working to enhance
life and the
development of all
living things
 Respect for all living
beings as they strive
to live as I do