I want to call attention to . . . . the hope that the universe is fundamentally on the side of goodness. . . . . the hope that when we live a moral life we are more in harmony with the essence of the universe, more true to reality, than those who choose the path of moral indifference or brutality. When we are virtuous, we come into alignment with the fundamental reality, and thus into relationship with it. And this connection offers more intrinsic fulfilment than any terrestrial prosperity ever could.
(From Eric Reitan’s ‘Is God a Delusion?: a Reply to Religion’s Cultured Despisers (page 50).
And just in case you thought he underestimates the difficulty of doing that:
Human beings everywhere find it easier to tear down than to build up, so they operate under the delusion that paradise will blossom on its own once the sources of evil are identified and wiped out. The West focuses on wiping out Muslim extremists, who focus on wiping out Israel and the western contagion. Religous zealots focus on destroying heresy while atheist zealots focus on destroying religion. And all the while, the hungry masses continue to starve.
(Same source: page 201)
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