My sincerest thanks go out to reader @Dzarda for suggesting the following theme for today, and I hope to do the man justice.

Let us begin...

So it isn't a tightly-held national secret that more than 7 out of 10 Czechs allegedly do not believe in the existence of the Higher Power. What is commonly and alternatively referred to as G.od.

He. She. It. The Almighty. The Man Upstairs. The Big Hand. Murphy. Jayzus. J-Rock. Et cetera.

The reasons for this are manifold and a cogent review of the pained history of this beautiful and jilted Land would lead any G.od-fearing Czech or Slovak individual (although less so given the strong influence of the Roman Catholic and Ruthenian churches in that country) to sincerely doubt the existence of the deity in heaven -- or anywhere. One who/which could gracefully slip into the workings of society -- deus ex machina-style -- to extract a nation and its glorious people from a calamitous fate and the jaws of imminent defeat.

Personally, I don't engage many Czechs in the context of a religious parley. Those sorts of discussions are highly-frowned upon amongst most locals I've come to know well, and I dare the non-Czech, non-Slovak man, woman, or adolescent to challenge one of their fellow Bohemian or Moravian co-citizens with a direct frontal attack about the reasons for the paucity of their (capital-b) Beliefs in G.od. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Yet I still have several personal examples of the "religion-morality-sin" complex that you might be interested in knowing about.

For those of you who don't know me personally, I frankly admit I'm the furthest thing from a shy guy.

I've been known throughout my time in this city to approach all sorts of different Czechs and non- -- especially VIPs and Members of (Czech) Parliament -- to ask them point-blank questions about things I'm really curious about, or to tell them about things that trouble me as a "non-Czech Czech," even to request an official interview. This was one of the primary methodologies I'd adopted in approaching the viceregal of my native country, Her Excellency Madame Jean of Canada, during her time in Prague last year during Forum2000 (I was her official Prague delegate guide, ps).

But this extends to non-VIPs as well.

I go up to all manner of total strangers on the Prague streets and haven't the slightest hesitation in distributing my business cards or asking people for their contact details -- for all manner of purposes, personal and professional alike, if I'm interested. I've met some of the finest Czechs in chance encounters on the street. Made some of the most compelling friendships and even had some of the most steamy love affairs, if I'm to disclose fully. All in good fun. All mutually-satisfying. All honourable.

But in response to @Dzarda's recent comment to me from my previous blogpost:

Dzarda napsal(a):
Hey Adam and thanks for your reply. Although I disagree that too simple = not meaty enough, I believe that "v jednoduchosti je krása" and besides that I don´t eat meat :-))). However, to make it simple, I guess, it just woudn´t be you, so your offer is a great solution - respect. :-) The first thing that struck my mind was that I would be very interested to know how you, as a non-czech czech, see the reasons for so many atheists in CZ. If that seems a little bit interesting, will be greatly looking forward to your view. Take care amigo :-)
26.06.2008 09:31:27


kindly allow me to highlight a baffling case of what I can only refer to as "confused morality" which I'll in turn put the question to my fellow readers.

Continuing to build my case, I've often asked my younger (and single) colleagues and associates: "How do you meet people?"

Their answers have been a hodge-podge of harrumphed excuses and half-measures which, admittedly, I find obscure in the extreme. I don't grasp how in 2008 with the ubiquitous influence of the internet how people can still doggedly hold onto the failed shy methods of the past? Czech bashfulness in many cases is a sharp-toothed, hairy opportunity-slayer. In other cases it's potentially life-threatening; that is, when someone's life is at stake but someone prefers to leave well enough alone by engaging in what I like to term "Ostrich Creep."

When I talk to some of my female colleagues, their answers trouble me even more. And it's in their answers where I find the most pernicious effect of our atheistic tendencies, to respond to you directly, @Dzarda.

I'm positive many non-Czech Czechs can empathize with what I'm about to describe, and I'd be curious for the Czech take on this so I encourage you to leave comments below (note: vulgar ad hominem attacks against me or anyone else will be promptly deleted. So if anyone begins digressing from the main throughline, please know this in advance).

We all know how shameful it is for the over-25 year-old (an average estimate, ps) Czech male or female to be without a mate.

Whether Iinside or outside the institution of marriage -- these semantic differences are entirely irrelevant -- it's the equivalent to receiving a societal boot in the teeth when someone is sans partenaire. To be able to say that one merely has a girl- or boyfriend is the a priori baseline for most locals, regardless of whether that relationship is reciprocally-edifying, regardless of what future direction the relationship is supposed to take. Regardless if the partner is their ideal version of a life companion.

Being on the persistent hunt for a "second" mate is a frowned-upon, yet somehow strangely commonplace, phenomena in our country, I've found. The supposed shame from doing so flies rocket-like out the window when the target "second fiddle" is of foreign-extraction. Allow me to cite what I mean.

** a Czech man presently dating a Czech woman, yet who falls under the harpie-like seduction of a non-Czech woman. He chooses to do the morally-objectionable and dates both the present woman and the new woman simultaneously. With luck, neither discovers the existence of the other.

** a Czech female is in a so-called "serious relationship" with an acceptable Czech partner (someone she can bring home to babicka in her village or neighbourhood, someone whom Granny can eat "ox eyes" cookies with and drink coffee on Sunday monrning) yet who isn't her ideal version of XY chromosomal material (use your imagination here). Such a woman might therefore still be on the lookout for her better half, and this generally defaults to someone from outside the Czech national circle. For all "normal" activities -- there's Czech Man, let's name him Honza. For all that "wild, malevolent" stuff (again, use your fertile imaginations here, readers), there's the foreigner, John. This way, she can keep above-board and gain the best of both worlds.

Get me?

In both of the above-noted cases, there is a serious breach of the commitment bond. It's clear to any objective third-party observer that something is indeed stinky. But I can't tell you how often in the past I've been approached by (or approached) seemingly eligible young females, enjoyed a coffee or a beverage with them only to have them tell me at the end of the date/meeting that they're already involved with someone.

Question: so why agree to take the coffee then? Huh? ! I'm used to it now, but years ago it used to shock me. The understanding in most parts of the world is that if you've already agreed to a meeting, the expectation is that you're in a position to do so. This applies to both men and women alike. Agreed?

So what, then, is the connection to the "religion-morality-sin" complex?

In my opinion, it all has to do with the lack of a rigid moral, or honour, code. Belief in G.od means belief in consequences. Call it karma, energy, mojo, juice, whatever...but if you do someone wrong, it comes back to bite you back. It's just the way it goes. When you don't believe in G.od, you don't believe in consequences, sin, wrongdoing. You don't believe that there's a limited (not just one) number of correct ways to treat people -- what Hillel referred to in the second century BCE -- in response to one of his ardent students as to the correct way to study -- as "that which is hateful to you, do not do unto others. The rest is merely commentary. No go and get busy."

Clearly, you might find my linking of these two phenomena seemingly illogical.

Yet peering in more closely, you'll readily see the connections, that at least 7 out of 10 Czechs don't care about so-called "consequences." They're willing to go on record as saying so, seven times in ten.

So my question back to you is as follows: if the overwhelming majority of Czechs don't have a moral compass and if there can be no fallout from one's actions because one doesn't believe in a god-delivered punishment, then why adhere to staid, quasi-religious morality plays?

Why bother with silly terms like "relationship," "monogamy," "loyalty," "honour," "marriage" and the like?

The street-level proof demonstrates that this is entirely pointless for our Czech society. That it exists is bizarre in the extreme. Of course, there are exceptions to my bold statements. But not many, from what I can glean using an outsider's perspective.

So what do you think?