Idea for a new religion - Chapter 16 - Morality and Crime - Part 2

MORALITY AND CRIME C 13) Preventing and curing addiction - Many forms of addiction cause great harm to ourselves and others and it is the duty of society as a whole and of each individual to help control or eliminate these harmful addictions and to help fund scientific research into the control and elimination of harmful addictions. Drug Addicts are too often treated as the lepers of ancient times but it is essential to try and cure the leprosy rather than punishing the sick 14) A good environment - All Children, regardless of their parents income, must grow up in a happy environment with safe places to play and explore and things to stimulate them. There must always be somewhere for them to go or something for them to do rather than being bored. 15) A sense of community - Children should not grow up isolated from their community. They must be encouraged to feel proud of where they live and want the best for it. 16) A balance of love and discipline - Discipline is not a bad thing aslong as it is balanced with love. Every child must grow up knowing both. 17) Setting an example- Children cannot be fooled. If they don't see adults behaving morally then they will not trust adults who lecture to them about moral behaviour.

MORALITY AND CRIME D 18) Population and crime - High population plus scarcity of land and resources equals high economically motivated crime. 19) Primitive values - Despite all the advances of humankind, human beings are still bound by a primitive value system which causes misery and crime. Competition is preferred to cooperation; success is rated more highly than virtue. Human beings compete in every aspect of their lives, they compete to posess the most wealth, to be part of the strongest tribe, and have the strongest mate; they pursue the goals of savage beasts and just as in every competition there are winners and losers and the losers feel disatisfaction, impotence, purposelessness and ultimately all of that unhappiness can lead to criminal behaviour. All are guilty of creating this problem; all participate in the competition to be higher up in the wolf pack; all are either directly or indirectly stepping on someone else to get ahead. The criminal can be seen as a person who, in order to achieve the primitive goals of our society, has shed the pretence of civilisation and has resorted to primitive methods. Spiritual aims do allow us to evolve to a higher level of awareness; to detach ourselves from the world of the wolfpack and look down upon it . If humankind truly seeks an end to crime and the other ills of society then it must seek the higher goals of wisdom, understanding and the service of the greater good.