Two parents dying in five weeks gave me a heavy dose of my own mortality. Until then, my death was a mere abstraction. Dying happens to other people - not me. I 'm going to heaven in a fiery chariot. It was a life-altering experience. One business associate commented on the significant change in my personality. He said: I transcended from obnoxiously unbearable to marginally tolerable in my business relationships.

Since 1985, I have had an imminent sense of my mortality. I will "not go gentle into that good night. " I continue to try to accomplish something of real consequence, but have not - with three notable exceptions. We had three sons that are exceptional. But, grandma gets most of the credit for that, especially for their civilized behavior that was acquired despite their father 's example.

Unless one is very young, the loss of our parents is a signal that we are in the final stage of our life. It's interesting talking to your children about your impending death. They point out that there are many good years left; like they have a clue. Being my kind of crazy is OK, but having a brain that doesn't work is not the way to spend my remaining years. A long degenerative process toward death is terrifying to me.

My personal favorite religious motivator beyond reason is: IMMORTALITY. Only death provides proof. What a great motivator: Live a moral, ethical life as if you are held accountable for all eternity, AND your sins are forgiven. This brings us to God and religion. There have been several books written by atheists attacking religious belief in God as delusional and a menace. They cite murderous behavior of past Jews, Christians and Muslims and use the Theory of Evolution to explain creation.

As a skeptical Christian, one of the reasons that this is so topical is the failure of religion to adopt scientific insights to better understand God 's Laws. Too bad, it devalues the message of most religions and requires us to put science and reason outside the realm of religious belief. Reason gives us the best chance for guidance and decisions and accepting God.

A later reflection will take the notion of a new (old) Christianity further. A viable religion must be easy for the majority but embrace the minority who are spectacularly expanding our knowledge and understanding of the universe. Spiritual and Scientific insight are not independent realities. At Religion's core are the teachings of some leader or sage.   Some feel that only their words represent the true Word of God.

In 1820, Thomas Jefferson finished his condensation of the New Testament into what is now called "The Jefferson Bible " by relating only what Jesus taught. Jefferson writes: "We find the writings of (Jesus ') biographers a matter of two distinct descriptions:

First, a ground work of vulgar ignorance, of things impossible, of superstitions, fanaticism and fabrications. Intermixed with these, again, are sublime ideas of the Supreme Being, aphorisms and precepts of the purest morality and benevolence, sanctioned by a life of humility, innocence, and simplicity of manners, neglect of riches, absence of worldly ambition and honors, with eloquence and persuasiveness."

It is revisited by Immanuel Kant in his Metaphysics of Morals: "Act only on that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law." In earlier writings, I discussed the four cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, temperance and fortitude and the three theological virtues of faith, hope and charity.

These virtues and the Golden Rule provide us with guidelines for living an ethical, moral life. However, we need to apply these in terms of rules for ourselves and society. These rules then become the laws of a nation. Kant tells us in his "Elements of Ethics " that ethics in ancient times was called the doctrine of duties. "The notion of duty is in itself already the notion of constraint of the free elective will by the law. The impulses of nature, then, contain hindrances to the fulfillment of duty in the mind of man."  If you are citizen of a democracy, the body of the law and "The Spirit of Laws " is your guide for ethical citizenship.

The love of law is fundamental for democracies. Montesquieu says about republics: "In these alone the government is entrusted to private citizens. Now government is like everything else: to preserve it we must love it." In the United States the founding fathers intended that separation of church and state would protect the church from the government not to protect government from the church.

In his farewell address, George Washington said: "Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. …reason and experience both forbid us to expect that National morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle."  If you are religious, the teachings of the Prophets, leaders and history guide the duties of moral and ethical behavior. You must redefine those duties for yourself.

It is important for each person to ask what is ethical and moral behavior, develop a set of duties and constraints and then live by them. Here are few: obey the law, nurture your family, apply the golden rule, practice the seven virtues, keep your word, don 't whine, learn as much you can, forgive other people and yourself for failure, and never quit. Unfortunately, many religious communities focus on fabrications and devalue the sublime ideas of religion and science and its application to our conscience.