The moral turmoil that has been a characteristic of our society ever since the middle of the last century has made ordinary citizens vulnerable to moral, political, and religious manipulation. This vulnerability, which has been successfully exploited by various fundamentalist and reactionary groups, is most prominently seen in the political processes of the last few decades. An ever-increasing number of citizens now vote their "moral conscience," even though that conscience is rather ill-informed. As a result, major social issues are not adequately addressed, and the political discussions that occur have become superficial and polemical. The intent of this book is to help remedy this situation. While a great effort has been made to be fair to all points of view, no effort has been made towards a "balanced" discussion of these matters. The conservative-fundamentalist position is both morally and religiously mistaken and, due to its political power, is extremely dangerous. The thoughts presented in this book are intended to help more moderate people articulate and defend their intuitive understanding of these matters. When more of us better understand the moral turmoil of our times, we can return to a more serious and less polemical discussion of those issues that are currently so divisive.