...Religion and Morality REL1300 Melissa Giovengo July 14, 2014 Being born was not a choice. Someone, or something, has made the universe in which all life is sustained. Therefore, the question of “who or what” may never be answered until the afterlife. Yet, questions still evolve as to what makes a human being decide what is right, or wrong in their walk as a citizen of the world. As to the choices of being right this essay is referring to the moral equates of truth, respect, and the honor of human life. As to the choices of being wrong references will be made to lies, sin, and the disregard for human life. Looking at the similarities of Islam and Christianity one can find many common ideologies between the two religions. Although there may be some likeness between these two powerhouse religions there are certainly many differences to be discussed. It would be important to note that in the belief of Islam one similarity between Islam and Christianity are that both believe in one God. The Muslim faith is a monotheistic religion and they are very firm in their dedication and commitment to Allah. Christianity, too, is a belief in one God. Monotheistic in principle; however, some differences exist because of a belief in one God in three persons, The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. These three are one, yet separate. For example, an egg is one, however; it has a shell, a yolk, and the white. These three parts make up one egg. Christians believe in one God with three...
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...Ever since the beginning of times people have believed that morality can only be understood by religion. It is believed that religion is the basic foundation and the code they accept to set their moral aspects of life. Any non religious views only depict the world as a realm that is in complete chaos. The idea behind an all loving God and the ultimate rule maker of the moral code describes the theory of Divine Command. The Divine Command Theory states that the question of what is morally right is a matter of being commanded by God and morally wrong is a matter of being forbidden by God. This is basically saying when ethics and morality comes into question, following Gods commands is the only way of being right. Inquiring that God is all knowing which consists of possessing wisdom beyond any other, people believe God is never wrong. There is also the notion that God is the creator of all human beings and the world was created in his image; therefore all the rules set by our creator seems to be the only rules that make absolute sense. In religious views, God created women for men, going back to the idea of Adam and Eve. When looking at homosexuality, it isn’t wrong for the disturbing views or the argument that it is against procreation, it is solely wrong because God himself said it is wrong. If a believer in the Divine Command Theory, you would understand that what God commands is ultimately right both morally and ethically. Plato makes his argument against the idea that right...
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...(i) Examine the claim that religion and morality are linked (21) If we agree with Ninian Smart, then an important dimension of all the world religions is the ethical dimension. But this is not necessarily the same as saying that religion and morality are inextricably linked. A slightly different way of framing the question is to ask whether you can have morality without religion, as Dostoyevsky suggested when his character Ivan asserts that ‘if God does not exist then everything is permitted’. Broadly speaking there are 3 different approaches to the question that can be taken: 1) Morality depends on religion 2) Morality is independent of religion 3) Morality is opposed to religion The first approach is to argue that behaving morally means behaving in accordance with God’s will, so that morality cannot be separated from religion. For religious people moral behaviour and commitment to the religion are closely related to beliefs about salvation in the afterlife. They also point out that without religion there would be no morality because all moral codes are derived from religion, many of our most firmly held moral convictions can be traced back to religious morality, such as the prohibition against murder, homosexuality and adultery. One strength of divine command ethics is that they provide a set in stone moral law with clear guidelines for how you should and should not behave; which some people may get from the bible, or other holy texts. The rules can be applied...
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...Relationship Between Religion and Morality The sense of ‘doing the right thing’ is a generally unifying concept held by the majority of humanity. Morality is a more or less uniform concept; for religious believers, this unity comes from a greater power pointing humanity in the right direction on decision making. For non-believers, the opposite applies. Possibly the most famous opponent of the link between religion and morality is Richard Dawkins. Dawkins takes the argument in the complete other direction claiming that religion leads to evil. Religion serves as a virus that corrupts human minds; on the matter Dawkins said religion is, ‘an indulgence of irrationality that nourishes extremism, division and terror.’ Dawkins assault on religion is aimed primarily at extreme Islamists and Evangelical Christians. Dawkins strongly dislikes the idea of educational institutions being misused to teach what are in his view, lies, such as creationism and biblical texts over evolution; likening it to ‘child abuse.’ The link to abusing children is an extreme one to make; but for Dawkins to mislead children and fill their head with lies is wrong. To take that further; Dawkins hates the fear installed in children through religion such as the concept of hell and eternal damnation. Education is a tool that allows practices, belief, and knowledge to continue and to be passed on; for Dawkins this means that the divisions insinuated by crossing paths with someone of a different religion is worrying and...
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...Does Morality Depend on Religion? Are right and wrong only this way because God commanded it? This is very relavent considering a majority of our country are "believers". A lot of things in the Bible are great things to live by. I can't say that I believe that everything that is written in the Bible are things that we can live by in our day and time. The Bible speaks of numerous things that we should or shouldn't do. But, it is very contridictory of itself on several occasions. The Bible was written by man, interperating what God was commanding them to write. Many books of the Bibile were omitted. So, for me, I can't follow something fully that was picked apart by men who felt that certain things weren't to be published. So not everything that God had written was allowed to be read by his followers. I agree with Rachels when he says that "morality is independant of religion". Yes there may be some correlation between the two but in my opinion, they stand alone. This is relevent to me because I, and I'm sure I'm not alone in my thoughts, battle with this concept daily. Why should I have to act the way this book says I should act when it's an interperation? I live by what I feel is right and wrong without hurting anyone or anything, or breaking any man-made laws. I don't believe this makes me a bad person. Am I different and out of the box with my spiritual views, yes. I do agree with a few things in the commandments. I believe "Thou shall not kill" , "Respect...
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...Examine the View that Morality is Dependent on Religion. (21 Marks) There are three main views for Morality and religion: Morality is dependent on religion, morality is Independent of religion and morality is opposed to religion. There is a myriad of reasons for and against each of these statements. Many people do believe that morality does depend on religion for reasons such as that western law was originally based on Biblical principles, for example stealing and murder. For many however the question is how morality should be linked with religious faith, even though this causes problems between secularists and religious believers. The view I’m going to explore mainly in this essay is the view that ‘morality is dependent on religion’. People who believe that religion and morality are linked would argue that you cannot have morality without religion and that all rules come from God as he is the source of Religion. This is backed up by the fact that even social laws created to run western countries are taken from religious books such as, the Bible. Many people who believe the statement morality is dependent on religion would be Absolutists and believe that we should never question moral codes or there is ever a time when moral codes should be lenient. Absolutists would have no emotion to a situation and would therefore condemn situation ethics as they would believe the answer to a problem is always the same no matter the situation. This is because an absolutist would...
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...Religion establishes a basic understandment of morality, but since we got laws, basic rights, that regulate our everydaylife, religion becomes unnecessary. Religion establishes a basic understandment of morality, but since we got laws, basic rights, that regulate our everydaylife, religion becomes unnecessary. Religion establishes a basic understandment of morality, but since we got laws, basic rights, that regulate our everydaylife, religion becomes unnecessary. Religion establishes a basic understandment of morality, but since we got laws, basic rights, that regulate our everydaylife, religion becomes unnecessary. Religion establishes a basic understandment of morality, but since we got laws, basic rights, that regulate our everydaylife, religion becomes unnecessary. Religion establishes a basic understandment of morality, but since we got laws, basic rights, that regulate our everydaylife, religion becomes unnecessary. Religion establishes a basic understandment of morality, but since we got laws, basic rights, that regulate our everydaylife, religion becomes unnecessary. Religion establishes a basic understandment of morality, but since we got laws, basic rights, that regulate our everydaylife, religion becomes unnecessary. Religion establishes a basic understandment of morality, but since we got laws, basic rights, that regulate our everydaylife, religion becomes unnecessary. Religion establishes a basic understandment of morality, but since we got laws, basic rights...
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...Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Religion Can Morality Exist Without Religion? | | Rajoo Kamal-Wilnoff (10781867)Sociology 321.3, Section X01Professor Bryan PukMay 28, 2014 | “Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what’s right.” – Isaac Asimov | Can We Be Good Without God? Can we be good without God? The question has been a controversial one throughout history and a variety of positions are apparent regarding the relationship between religion and morality. Theists undoubtedly find in God a source of moral strength and resolve which enables them to live lives that are better than those that they would live without Him, but it would seem arrogant and ignorant to claim that those who do not share a belief in God do not often live good moral lives. Should the question really be about the objectivity of moral values, and whether said moral values are simply social conventions, or mere expressions of personal preference? Are they valid independently of our apprehension of them, and if so, what is their foundation? Moreover, if morality is just a human convention, then why should we act morally, especially when it conflicts with self-interest? Are we in some way held accountable for our moral decisions and actions? This paper explores the ontological claim that the morality does not require religion, religious motivation or guidance to exist, based on the opposing views presented in two essays “Religion, Morality and Conscience” (1996), by John Arthur...
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...In an organized religion debate, Alan Dershowitz and Alan Keyes contended many issues on religion and morality. Alan Dershowitz, a Harvard law professor, believed that “morality can be maintained without religion.” He also stated that it must be maintained without religion because times have changed. He said that if religion is not separated from state it could have severe damage, such as the Crusades and the Holocaust. Dershowitz believes that there is a difference between morality and religion. When people are moral without religion, they are being virtuous on their own, not because they are afraid of God. He stated that religion should not consist of a Cost-Benefit Analysis. Alan Keyes, a former Republican presidential candidate, stated that religion sets the standard for what’s moral. Keyes argued “power only ultimately respects another power,” and Martin Luther King Jr. was not a preacher byaccident. Dershowitz also stated that not everything in the Bible should be believed word-for-word, even George Washington said “indulge religion with caution.” Keyes believed that if state and religion should be separated, then why does the Declaration of Independence contain so much about religion? Alan Dershowitz and Alan Keyes would have argued endlessly about religion’s role in society if there were not a moderator to stop them. Religion and morality exist together in parallel according to Alan Keyes. Alan Dershowitz stated that if religion and morality are not separated, it could...
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...Forced into Morality Cesar Galvez One may wonder what society would be like if people did not follow any sort of moral codes. People would not feel any guilt for any wrong-doing. Obligations, awareness of duty, and rights would not exist, perhaps in only the legal sense. Thankfully, most, if not all, human inherited rules of right and wrong that were not given by anyone, they are inherent morals that each human is given. However, another way a person can look at morality is religion. Furthermore, there is a considerable amount of people that believe morality and religion are fundamentally linked. According to Landau (2010), “Religion has always been the most popular source of morality.” (Landau, 2010, p.61). Humanist, atheist, and agnostics cannot identify a connection between religion and morality, arguing that is possible to be moral without a religious status. However, others argue that ethics and religion are inseparable. Religion creates a moral motivation to seek a greater moral life. If believers desire a better life and afterlife and continue to follow the religious beliefs, “God deeds will be rewarded, if not here on earth, then in another worldly paradise.” (Landau, 2010, p.62). Therefore, believers have strong reasons to be moral. According to Wainwright (2005), “Religious belief is necessary for moral motivation.” (Wainwright, 2005, p.4). On the other hand, not only motivation for a better life triggers the initiative to be moral. Fear has the...
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...our attention to the six dimensions of religion: doctrines, rituals, myths, ethics, experience and society. These are very important elements of religion. All religions have doctrines which are at the center of their activities. The doctrines involve the codes, creeds and the cult. Again, all religions have the performance of rituals. The rituals are performed in physical terms but have spiritual implication for the believer. It is these rituals that enable man to identify with the spiritual world. Examples of such rituals include libation, prayers, sacrifice, etc. Furthermore, all religions have a mythological element that makes it difficult to explain the inexplicable. Countless stories abound in the world religions about their founders, their experiences and their concept of the spirit. There are myths that are not easy to comprehend. Again, every religion has an ethical dimension. They all emphasize on good conduct or morality. No religion encourages bad or unacceptable conduct. Believers are enjoined to live a way of life that reflects the philosophy of the religion. The codes are expected to be followed religiously by members. The day to day activities of believers and what they perceive as the interference of the spiritual is seen as the experiential dimension. Issues like miracles and healing are linked to religious experience. Most religions have these elements. Lastly, religion is society based. There can be no religion without society. It takes place in society...
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...The Influence of Religion on Society’s Daily Life By Aris Totle FOUN 1001: English Society, as it is known, is built on the basis of religious teachings. Religion has a huge impact on daily life. Almost every aspect of everyday life has been influenced by religion. Religion can be described as a system of shared beliefs. Christianity, being the most widely practiced religion in the world, especially in western territories such as the United States of America, Europe, and the Caribbean; has also been the most influential. Although many persons may not be practicing the Christian religion, their values and daily practices are still mandated by Christian beliefs. The biggest influence that Christianity has on everyday life probably is that the social norms that exist in society today are almost all based on the teachings of this religion. Social norms refer to rules that govern socially acceptable behaviour. Societal norms and practices in western civilizations are largely dictated by Christian beliefs. Religion greatly impacts the morality of individuals within these societies. Collectively as a society, and individually, persons attempt to live their lives in accordance with codes of morality and ethicality. Morals refer to an individual’s own principles regarding right and wrong. Ethics also relates to right and wrong conduct. There is a strong connection between religion and morality and ethics. Although these are distinct concepts, and morality can exist without a...
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...are brought up to believe in the religion your parents are or the morals and values in your culture. Morality and values differ from person to person or culture to culture. In this essay I will argue that morality can be objective or subjective in a sense that we get some of our morals from what God gave us but we also learn our morals from different people and our daily influences. Morality and personal values vary from religion. In many different religions we all have similar values and morals because our faith all stems from one main source.But there are different branches where are faith and morals differ. For example, as a Christian we believe in many things that God said in the Bible. Our morals and values are very concrete and we should follow those ‘rules’ to the best of our abilities. Some of those set ‘rules’ are do not have sex before you married or follow the 10 Commandments. Those rules or morals are set in place to so can go to heaven. But in other religions such as Islam they don’t have the same morals or values as we Christians do. In the Islamic religion girls at a certain age have to start to wear the hijab. The hijab represents modesty. These morals and values vary in many other different religions. I think that if you are bonded to one religion is represents you and makes you feel like you are a part of something special. Religion can be represented in many different ways and many religions vary in values and morals. Morality can be defined by our surroundings...
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...Immanuel Kant published a writing, Religion Within the Boundaries of Mere Reason, a paper which described what he thought to be the underlying relationship between morality and religion. Within this writing, there was a passage which read, “Although on its own behalf morality does not need the representation of an end which would have to proceed the determination of the will, it may well be that it has a necessary reference to such an end, not as the ground of its maxims but as a necessary consequence accepted in conformity to them” (58). Although Kant’s writings can often times be confusing,this passage is understood if you know what he defines “end” and “morality” as. When Kant said “end”, what he was really referring to is an eternal afterlife,...
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...THE MORALS OF A MURDERER Faith, salvation and death. Three concepts that all intertwine at the subject of morality. The concept of morals is used to distinguish between right and wrong. Between insane and “troubled”. Between human and monster. Through the pretense of a “normal” family vacation, Flannery O’Connor subtly implements this concept of morality throughout her story A Good Man is Hard to Find. Even though this short story had multiple characters within it, the two characters who turned this work of literature into an analytical study of human morals were the Grandmother and the Misfit. In many ways, the reader is vulnerable to the morals and beliefs demonstrated within this story. But one thing that O’Connor has made certain to prove is that moral standards are what define you in society, but they don’t define you as a human. To have good morals does not mean one is a good person. As stated before, one important aspect of this short story was the Grandmother. Being a woman of religious backgrounds and one who doesn’t tend to take no for an answer, the Grandmother seemed to have gotten her way very often. Characterized as being selfish and self-absorbed, the grandmother is not an exemplary depiction of a Woman of God. But nonetheless, this is what she would be viewed as in her society. She may have been viewed as just an elderly woman, stuck in her ways. Unbeknownst to the other characters (but not the reader), beneath that façade she is a manipulative and cunning...
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