Instead of being good because of the fear of not going to heaven, be good because you should be:
Would God prefer “sheep” that follow his rules because of the fear of not being able to go to heaven? Or would he prefer people who actually use the gift of their mind to study the cosmos and reality? We have a concept of paradise in our religions. With an attitude adjustment, we could bring paradise to earth within about two generations. Without the adjustment, we might destroy it sooner than that.
Almost every religion teaches that you should “be good.” I say, “Be good because you should be!” What do I mean? We owe “being good” to all the creatures that made human existence (our backbones, our senses, our lungs, our brains, etc.) possible. To understand this requires an understanding of evolution and how many species have come before us. Our civilization is built on their successes and failures. We owe it to them and our future brothers and sisters. There does not need to be a “God” for this to be true. But you do need to be knowledgeable of your evolutionary past.
