What is morality? Can there be morality without God? Does evil exist, and if so what makes someone evil? Does morality involve absolutes, or is morality relative (meaning that what's considered moral changes with cultures and time periods)? Craig R. Vander Maas addresses these questions and more and presents a model of a "Continuum of Morality" in which evil is presented as psychopathology with significant biological etiologies including contributions from neuroanatomy, neurotransmitters, and genetics. Dr. Vander Maas maintains that what distinguishes moral "good" from the "bad" is degree of selfishness, self-centeredness and greed. It is this self-centeredness that is responsible for the majority of the ongoing problems of the world, including wars, crime, genocides, racism, poverty, lack of clean water in many areas, xenophobia and destruction of the earth.Religion did not really concern itself much with morality until the Axial Age (800 to 200 BCE) in which prophets began preaching the need to care for others as being more important than rituals, sacrifices to God(s), and even strict adherence to laws and rules. The tenets of the Golden Rule developed in various religious traditions. Unfortunately, morality has often not been a primary emphasis in religions. In fact, it is questionable whether religion mostly has been a positive or a negative force in the world. This series, entitled An Integral and Evolutionary World View, advocates for the integration of knowledge from all academic disciplines in order to develop an accurate world view, which the author believes is transpersonal and evolutionary. While science helps us to determine what reality is, it does not address the meaning of reality or how we should live our lives. That, the author believes, should be the purview of religion.
Dr. Craig Vander Maas is a clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist who lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His areas of expertise include pain management, chemical dependency, neuropsychology, psychopharmacology, and spirituality. In addition to his work as a clinical psychologist, Vander Maas is an adjunct professor for Western Michigan University and Monmouth University. He has a doctorate degree in clinical psychology and master's degrees in counseling psychology, clinical psychology, and clinical psychopharmacology. Dr. Vander Maas is a passionate educator and a lifelong learner. His interests include a broad spectrum of topics, including spirituality, religion, theology, science, politics, and history. Through his writings, Dr. Vander Maas is committed to the integration of many disciplines. The goal of his book series "An Integral, Evolutionary World View" is to present the "big picture" of the universe and mankind and to promote spiritual development. He believes we grow spiritually through education and is passionate about the need for ongoing education throughout life. "Mankind developed very little in hundreds of thousands of years until the invention of writing, which revolutionized the world. This invention now enabled knowledge to accumulate. The amount of progress mankind has made in the span of just 5,000 years since this invention has been incredible!" Many futurists, including Vander Maas, "believe we are at the cusp of a spiritual revolution due in large part to the advent of the internet, which provides easy access to vast amounts of information. Never before have we had the ability to access and integrate so much knowledge from various cultures and disciplines, allowing mankind to more quickly evolve and bringing us closer to Jesus' goal of the 'kingdom of God'. Vander Maas is currently writing a series of books subtitled "An Integral, Evolutionary Worldview". The books are designed for both individuals and small group studies. Book 1 - Evolution of the Bible, Available Now Book 2 - Evolution and Syncretism of Religion, Available Now Book 3 - Evolution of Morality and Psychopathology of Evil, Available Now Book 4 - Evolution of the Universe and the Need for Science in Religion, to be released Book 5 - Evolution of Humanity and Developmental Psychology, to be released Book 6 - Evolution of Church: Creating a Church for the 21st Century, to be released Book 7 - Evolution: The Argument for God, to be released
