I use some wise advice from my late CEO when mentoring people.  He said, “It’s not bad to say you don’t know something. None of us knows everything. But it’s real bad to say you know something when you don’t know it. People may act on what you say. And so people learn not to believe anything you say.”

This advice is especially wise when discussing religious topics.

What do we truly know about religion? And what don’t we know?

I like to illustrate the difference by asking, “What did pre-technological people know about airplanes? What did they not know?

They didn’t know how planes flew through the air.

—Were there birds flapping hard in the engines?

—People pedaling hard in their seats?

—Clergy praying hard?

—Wizards shouting magic spells.

As Arthur C. Clarke, the famous science fiction writer and the inventor of communications satellites said: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

To pre-technological people, communications satellites and iPhones would appear to use magic.

Furthermore, it would appear that we use magic to make a metal bird the size of a whale carry hundreds of people through the skies faster than any animal runs or fish swims.

Similarly, it is essential to use wisdom rather than religion to decide how a government should act.

We should not use religion to make decisions that impact all people. We should use wisdom.

Religious beliefs vary between people of different religions (and of no religion). Hindus and Buddhists believe in incarnation. Jews and Humanists have a variety of beliefs about whether there is life after death. Muslims believe Allah will use justice to assign us our status in our life after death. Christian believe that after death we will live in heaven forever with our merciful, compassionate Savior, Jesus Christ. There is no way to prove to everyone’s satisfaction which belief is correct.

Materialists, including atheists, do not believe in life after death. They only believe what can be proven by science—experiments and observations that can be replicated in all places by all people. However, their assumption that religious beliefs must be proven by science—experiments and observations that can be replicated in all places by all people—is itself a “religious” assumption that has not been proven scientifically.

Therefore, it is impossible to force people to follow someone else’s belief or religion. Instead, we must persuade people. That is why we must establish governments and civilizations that secure Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Speech. No theocracies!

In stark contrast, we can persuade a majority (and maybe even a supermajority) of people to agree about what a wise behavior is. There is generally agreement between most religions, philosophies, and ideologies about what is a wise behavior.

These generally accepted wise behaviors can be distilled to the Golden Rule: “Treat others as you would want to be treated.” (Jesus in Matthew 7:12).

Wisdom cannot discern what makes the plane fly, but wisdom can discern how people should behave inside the cabin, regardless of that person’s religion, philosophy or ideology.

For example, logic can persuade people through free speech that they should pass food and drinks among people politely. Logic can persuade people that they should not make noises that irritate other passengers. Logic can persuade people that they should not trespass on the space assigned to other passengers.

In contrast, if there is an emergency such as a fire, we should all follow the instructions of the flight attendants without debate, leaving our items behind, and exiting calmly, quickly, and carefully. The flight attendants have previously been appointed through free speech to fulfill this role without regard to the religion, philosophy or ideology of a person who they are helping (Freedom of Religion) and without regard to the religion, philosophy or ideology of the flight attendant. (No establishment of religion). Their appointment to this role should be based solely on their merit as flight attendants, including their fluency in the language and cultures of passengers. (No Kings! No Noble Families! No Castes! No Racism!).

The wisdom of these behaviors can be agreed upon by Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, Christians, Muslims, materialists, and atheists.

Similarly, the government can adopt and implement wise behaviors determined by majorities after Free Elections. Such wise behaviors should be determined by using Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Religion and must, therefore, preserve Free Elections, Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Religion.

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

Do you believe that the merit of a flight attendant includes their fluency in the languages and cultures of passengers? Why?

Do you believe that training in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) increases the merit of a flight attendant? Why? How?

Do you believe that wise behaviors are generally agreed upon by all religions, philosophies and ideologies? Why? Why not? How? How not?

Can such wise behaviors be distilled to the Golden Rule (Treat others as you would want to be treated)? Why? How?

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For related ideas, please read my blog “Use the Ways of the First Amendment, Not the Ways of the Second Amendment”; and

please read the Appendices in my book The Promised Land, at pages 153-210.