The Divine Spark

“It is by responding to the call of God contained in the being of things that man becomes aware of his transcendent dignity. Every individual must give this response, which constitutes the apex of his humanity, and no social mechanism or collective subject can substitute for it. The denial of God deprives the person of his foundation, and consequently leads to a reorganization of the social order without reference to the person's dignity and responsibility.” ( John Paul II, Centesimus Annus, 1991)

It needn't be "their" God, mind you; but in the absence of god(s) In what do we find the value of human life?

If it is not in essence "divine" then value can only be judged by utility. And who will judge? Why, everyone of course, and in varying opinion of worth (since we cannot be all things to all people) and so we have situational ethics and moral relativism . . . a world of fear and power.

"Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, just as it is the spirit of a spiritless situation. It is the opium of the people. The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is required for their real happiness. The demand to give up the illusion about its condition is the demand to give up a condition which needs illusions." (Karl Marx,Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right)

I believe, perhaps for different reasons, in what Marx says here; insomuch as religion is a human construct, and such constructs are corrupted by human nature.  We do not need to be religious, which too often requiires we grovel in a abatoir of guilt and abasement. We merely must recognize that we are extraordinary, and live up to that ideal. Or you could put it this way;

"Do good, for Good is good to do: Spurn bribe of Heaven and threat of Hell." (Haji Abdu El-Yezdi, Kasidah)