Religion As A Foundation Of Morality Essay

Religion As A Foundation Of Morality Essay
For several hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of years, religion has been part of nearly all cultures. Starting as a rather barbaric force, religion
swiftly diffused into nearly every culture across the globe. Almost every culture has adopted, forcefully at times, some form of religion. It is asserted
that before religion, we were nothing short of barbaric savages with no sense of right or wrong; it is said that religion saved us from an imminent
self–destruction from our unethical ideas. Some will even assert that we need religion as a foundation of morality to guide us to divine tranquility and
peace. I humbly object to this by saying we certainly do not, nor did, need religion to develop our morality in society. This is supported by evidence
found in the human–like characteristics observed in primates, such as being able to understand the concept of fairness, or plan for the future. Something
that humans know and do quite often.
Plenty of people find solace in the idea that religion was the founder and creator of basic human decency, and without religion there would be chaos
and anarchy in human societies. So the question arises, where would our morality be without religion? At first it may seem sensible. The 10
commandments proposes 10 rules to follow––even though, nowadays, only a few of these commandments are widely considered to be immoral if
directly disobeyed. Another example is Karma: one 's actions will have an effect on them later in life that depends on their
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Essay on Morality and Relgion
Iris Murdoch–"Morality and Religion": Notes pg. 733, para 1: Murdoch's purpose is to question the relationship of morality to religion, and look at
their differences as well as the definition of religion.
–She claims this essay is moral philosophy and feels she must clarify whether her philosophy is religious or not.
–She discusses how some believe religion really must be "breathed in" during childhood (taught to children by their parents); otherwise, adults may feel
they are just faking it–but, Murdoch notes, those who are religious when younger will have a hard time giving it up as adults. pg. 733, para 2: Virtue
(doing right) is the most obvious connection between morality and religion. –Seeking virtue has lost popularity, and...show more content...
–But Murdoch admits that religious people experience a heightened consciousness, which resonates with literary critic Matthew Arnold's claim that
religion is "morality touched by emotion." –Murdoch explains the great intensity and assuredness that religion provides: it is deep, holy, absolute,
engages one's imagination, and engages the whole person at every moment of his/her life, and every moment matters.
–Murdoch concludes that a high level of morality without religion doesn't have any foundation.
–With religion, Christians have points of reference to give their morality foundation, like the image of Christ, and Murdoch suggests that Christians
adjust their attitudes to resonate with the image of Christ in order to make their beliefs true. [So these images Christians create become for them the
truth even though they're man made.]
–Since images of Christ change over time, Christianity is a continuous adjustment to its images throughout history. [suggesting a perpetuation of a
fantasy or that religion changes as historical periods change] pg. 737, para 5: Murdoch uses the example of a simple Welsh traveling pastor's (Francis
Kilvert's) journal entries to demonstrate how religious reverence can make someone sound comfortably dumb, naГЇve, simple, humble. Kilvert is so
secure in his faith that he is like a child. pg. 738, para 5 (con't): Wittgenstein (Murdoch's teacher) described why believers like

Religion and Morality
In this paper I will discuss the relationship between religion and morality. I will first address the question asked by those with religion, how are
atheists moral? Then I will examine morality and its relativity to culture. Next I will explore whether those without a religion are actually more moral
than those with a religion. And finally, I will discuss any possible objections to my claims. This argument is in no way saying that those that believe
in God are unmoral but that those who don't believe in God, are just as capable of being moral. Being atheist means that you choose to believe that
God, or a god, does not exist. You have no faith or religion, you don't go to church every Sunday morning, or pray every night before you...show more
content...
At a point in the book, Wang Lung kills his newborn daughter because of her sex. During a time of famine, he steals gold coins from a wealthy
family. And after he encounters money and prosperity, he spends his time in a tea house with a concubine instead of with his dying wife
(Sparknotes Editors, 2012). But, in this story the main character does feel guilt for the things that he did. Knowing that it wasn't right, and that it
didn't feel right to kill his newborn child, Wang Lung still did it and the act was perfectly acceptable according to their culture. When he stole the
gold from the wealthy, he knew morally that it was wrong but, his family needed the money therefore his motivation was to provide for them. And
when he purchased a concubine, Wang Lung was complying with the cultural norm of wealthy Chinese men. Whereas in our culture, and its
predominant religion, the idea of adultery and lust is considered unmoral. It is even arguable that those without a religion are more genuinely moral.
For example, the Christian religion. The whole belief is that you don't sin and therefore are rewarded with eternal bliss. If you do sin then you will
be forever damned. The motivation for all the good that they are guided to do is to have a better afterlife, selfish isn't it? Well one who has no
religion, has no belief in the afterlife. All the actions and choices that they make in this physical life are all

The True Meaning Of Religion And Morality
Religion is the set of beliefs of a person, including the rituals one would engage in according to their religion. According to Google's Dictionary, it
is the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods. Matthew Arnold once said, "The true meaning of
religion is thus not simply morality, but morality touched by emotion." Morality is a particular system of values and principles of conduct, especially
one held by a specified person or society. In other words, it is the belief of whether something is right or wrong. Arnold here is stating that truereligion
is not just beliefs of what is right or wrong, but more so beliefs of what is right or wrong after taking into account ones emotional standpoint on the
subject. For example, religion is not just believing smoking is wrong, but rather believing smoking is wrong as you believe that it harms yourself and
the people around you. Arnold's quote may come across as blatantly obvious to some; to others it may just confuse them. "We have just enough
religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another." This quote from Jonathan Swift also discusses the topic of religion. Swift here
is stating that those with religion have enough of it to make them hold distaste for things in the world, but not enough to love and appreciate others.
Most religions in the world preach loving and respecting others, while striving to achieve the best version of ourselves. However, in our modern

Relationship Between Religion And Morality
In examining the relationship between religion and morality, there are many equally important topics that should be considered. One topic, nonetheless,
that I think is essential in beginning to discuss the philosophy of morality in the context of religion is that which is concerned with whether religion
has a significant role in the definition of morality. Religion does have a significant role in the defining and understanding of morality, and this is
important for ethics. The aim of this paper is not to argue whether it is possible for one to be moral without being religious, for this I assume is more
or less evidently possible, but rather whether a general concept of religion and God is needed in the proper interpretation of morality. I will refer to
Plato's Euthyphro and its focus on piety and the dilemma it generates, in guiding this discussion.
In Plato's Euthyphro, a dialogue between Socrates and Euthyphro, the nature of piety is discussed. Euthyphro proposes several "definitions" of
piety and focuses on the relation of piety to the gods. For one of these definitions, he proposes that piety is that which is loved by all the gods. In reply
to this, a dilemma arises; and Socrates asks whether the pious, or holy, is loved by the gods because it is pious, or pious because it is loved by the
gods. A similar form of this question asks whether the Good, or good action, is commanded by God because it is good, or good because it is
commanded by God. If Euthyphro accepts the

Does Religion Imply Morality?
Does religion imply morality? Not exactly, according to research. Contrary to popular belief, non–religious persons are not evil and do have morals. In
fact research shows that people associated with no religion may be more moral than those who are religious. Furthermore, the irreligious do good
deeds for the sake of being a good person, while religious people tend to do it for recognition or because someone or something tells them to. The
origin, the truth, and the perpetuation of this stereotype are all important in understanding why this stereotype still continues in our modern society
today and why it should be eradicated.
The birth of this myth came with of course, the start of religion. Professor and author Frans De Waal states, "Human morality is older than religion...
Our current religions are just two or the thousand years old, which is very young and our species is much older, and I cannot imagine... our
ancestors did not have some type of morality" (Morality without Religion, "Big Think"). He then goes on to say that as time went on and the
population grew larger that our ancestors probably installed these religions to keep everyone in check when they could not. And with this outbreak of
religion came new standards and rules that everyone was expected to follow and punishment for anyone who did not. Most religions look down upon
those who do not believe, or even believe in a different religion. Those "non–conformists" were seen as a threat, and so they were made to be

To answer this question, we must first understand what both ethics and morality are. As ethics is defined as the philosophical study of morality, those
who study religion get their moral precepts from what they believe God says should be done. This perspective is not at all unexpected, because all
religions apply a perspective on morality. Morality is defined as beliefs concerning right and wrong, good and bad– beliefs that can include judgements,
values, rules, principles, and theories. Morals are what help us guide our actions, define our values, and give us reason for being the person that we
are. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2009, over 228 million Americans classified themselves as practicing some type ofreligion. Due to...show
more content...
These religious codes of conduct, such as the Ten Commandments, are generally very broad statements, elucidating only general principles that may be
inconvenient to apply to each specific case. Some religious moral codes may also contradict one another. These contradictions compel religious
believers to decipher religious directives or to draw out the implications of particular views– this is otherwise known as doing ethics. When conflicts
such as moral contradictions and inconsistencies arise, conversations including ethics and moral reasoning is the only way to solve these
inconsistencies. Those who are genuine devotees of a certain religion may question if their religion's moral instructions make sense according to one
another. In these distinct cases, intelligent resolution of the claims can only be sorted out by putting in place an unbiased standard that can classify the
competing viewpoints. This is where ethics comes in as the neutrality in the form of critical thinking, proficient arguments, and careful analysis. Any
beneficial conversations about morality that occur between those who practice religion and those who do not, or those with different religions, must
incorporate a common set of ethical concepts and a shared procedure for resolving issues and making judgments, all of which ethics provides. It is also
understood that in these conversations moral positions on the issues

Religion, Morality, And Atheism
In the generally fair conditions in the United States, many Americans may be unaware that events similar to Christianity's counter–reformation are
more of a current reality with other religions in other countries. As of February 2012, an Indonesian man, Alexander Aan, is serving 5 years in prison
for a single Facebook post: "God doesn't exist." An event like this should certainly cause us to question our thoughts on religion and how much good it
actually does. While some studies show that "religious people... donate more money to charities including non–religious charities," specific religious
groups have targeted and tortured others to enforce conversions to their religion. Prejudice against LGBTQ+ groups is widespread throughout
religious groups as they claim their deities are against it. However, these are just a couple of examples showing just how unethical religions can appear
to be. But these are only the connotations of religion, morality, and atheism. The true definition of religion is "an organized system of beliefs,
ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or group of gods." Note that morality has the separate definition of "beliefs about what is right and wrong
behavior" and the counterpart of religion is atheism, or the lack of the "belief in the existence of a deity or deities." These definitions are crucial to
objectively viewing each argument when answering whether religion's effects on different culture's morals are positive or negative. The argument

Studies in recent years have shown that, the faith–based education programs have provided deep opportunities to establish rehabilitation to the
offenders.This study is an attempt against the gap in this field which is the defiency of such a programs over the Muslim inmates in the corrections
center. With an organised staff, this study will bring datas through testing, observating, evaluating and collecting after its finished. Through these
interviews and presentations with the inmates, we will be better able to analyze their absences and shape their further path on a better life. Community
relationships has vital effect for developing and sustaining faith and morality. Our study will serve as an important mechanism for a complete positive
conversion over the inmates. This study will examine the relationship between faith, morality, and the faith–based correctional education program
contributing to moral development of Muslim inmates through Nursi's approach. It will make an assumption that faith development is associated with
moral education. As Nursi (1926) demonstrates, faith is the way to perceive the spirit of the education and the beauty of leanrning in itself. Nursi's life
indicates that, nobody can imprison one's zealous spirit but only the physical body. With the well–nourished faith, people are become more wistful to
the educaiton of morality as he addresses, ''a person who is not ameliorate himself, can not ameliorate anybody, so I will start from myself," (Nursi,

Morality And Religion : Morality
Morality and Religion: a Response to Does Morality Need Religion (Prompt 1)
Some people believe our life is based off of morals, a belief of right/justification or wrong/ unjust. Living this way perceives their ways of the world by
doing what they feel is good or bad or what is lead by their conscience regardless of religion. Others believe in religion, a feeling or act of faith, from
God or "gods" ( Merriam–Webster). These acts motivated by faith and God/ "gods" provide a comprehension between choices, a choice given to all
for all based off of a religious belief. In analyzing this presentation, it will show what the writer of this topic is trying to point out to the intended
audience or its purpose, while conveying to the readers what morality and religion is. In the beginning of the essay writers Isabelle and Meaghan Miller
point out two different moralities, one being secular morality, which they define as "human logic or reasoning rather than religion". And Religious
morality "which is based on aspects of religion such as fear of God of the desire to do God's will". These moralities suggested, define ways the world
views the options given or taught to them in life. Further into the presentation, they state that "moralities lie within biology, not only human but all
animals. [Implying that] animals have three basic instincts [such as] kin selection, attachment to mate, and sympathy; morality helps us survive and
thrive". In this case, they 're not only voicing

Religion and Morality
RELIGION AND MORALITY
(i)Examine the views of scholars concerning the idea that religion and morality are linked. In this essay I am going to be looking at all the different
view points on why some people may think religion and morality are linked. I will talk about a few things that link them such as conscience, divine
command ethics, Kant 's view and Aquinas ' view. Many people believe thatmorality is based upon religion and the rules written in the Bible and other
holy books, although some say that religion is completely opposed to morality and it is wrong to mix the two.
Some scholars believe there are three views on the relationship between religion and morality, one of them being that morality depends on religion.
...show more content...
Moral opinions are judged against religious teachings.
Even secular society adopts or is influenced by religious moral teachings, for example, it seeks guidance from religious leaders in moral matters such as
genetic engineering/abortion.
In conclusion the strongest view to me is Social Conditioning, in which morality is independent of religion. I believe that peoples morality comes from
the environment that they are brought up in, and the people around them such as parents and teachers. From a very young age we are taught what is
right and wrong, and grow up respecting the law and people around us more than God.
(ii)Comment on the view that religion and morality are not linked. Euthyphro 's Dilemma was that the problem of whether something is good
because God commands it, or does God command that which is good. 'Do that God 's love that which is holy, or is it holy because it is loved by the
God 's ' – Plato.
Almost all Christians will say something is good because God says so, his commands must be obeyed. A Christian 's dilemma is that either good is a
whim or good is something that dictates to God. So if a Christian interprets that it is God 's will to murder, they think they are justified because it is
God 's choice.
A.C Grayling believes that religious morality is irrelevant to modern society because what people value has changed. He thinks that modern morality
includes a great concern for human rights, animal

Nietzsche 's Views On Religion And Morality
When it comes to the topic of religion, most of us readily agree that there are certain rules and actions that God requires of his followers. Where this
agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of why we follow the rules. Whereas some are convinced that following God's rules leads to
heaven, others maintain that religion is only a code of conduct that can get in the way of happiness by stripping us of our passions. In "Morality as
Anti–Nature," Nietzsche claims that all religions are founded in a moral code of conduct that is supposed to lead to happiness. However,
Nietzsche thinks that these religious rules keep people from being happy, because passions are part of what make people happy. I agree with
Nietzsche that every religion and morality is founded on a general principle of 'do this and do that,' and I also agree that religions and morality do
some damage to our passions. However, I think Nietzsche doesn't realize that religions are more than just a code of conduct: they create communities
that fulfill a person's social needs. Nietzsche describes a common religious formula and then explains why the formula is based on a great error.
Nietzsche says that "The most general formula on which every religion and morality is founded is: 'Do this and that, refrain from this and that – then
you will be happy! Otherwise...' Every morality, every religion, is this imperative" (352) Nietzsche claims that every morality and religion's function is
solely a code of

Morality In Religion Study Guide
Lesson 12 discusses morality in religion. It focused on the concepts of deontology and teleology, and whether people base their morality on a rule
or an act. I like the concept of deontology as that is the idea of Humanism, and morality based on the idea of being good to other human beings.
Teleology is a major factor in religions, for example Christians who do not do certain things for fear of going to hell. Teleology is also for
nonreligious people of course, doing a moral act so that one does not go to jail, etc. I enjoy thinking about and discussing morality, and think this lesson
covered the idea well. Morality is of course manifested in my everyday life, as I try to live the best and moral life that I can, abiding by the Humanist
Manifesto

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Morality and Murder
In every setting, be it cultural or social, there are the fundamental principles that guide the lives of the people in the area. The guidelines express the
desirable actions from the undesirable ones. The society brings up the young ones in the community using the helpful principles as a way of ensuring
they lead respectful lives avoiding evil practices. In philosophy, morality is the distinction of the things that are right from those that are not right by the
virtue of the principles that guide the particular setting. Many places use religion as the guiding principle in the definition of morality. The primary
function of this paper is to consider the relation between religion and morality and the perception of morality from different faiths.
The Existence of God and Murder
The existence of God supports the religious views of the religious groups and the teachings of the religious groups. With the religious books painting
out God as the creator of everything, it is the moral duty of the people in the religious inclination to preserve the creation (Petruzella 47). God, through
the sacred books, gives the specific guidelines that the people should follow for moral uprightness. Everything that exists in the face of the earth
originates from the hand of God, and the human beings have the responsibility of preserving it. Human life came from God in his work of creation.
Murder is the destruction of human life. With the call to

Morality, Religion, And Morality
There are millions of people in the world who use religion as a guide to what is morally right or wrong in society. They have the perception that
morality is impossible without a belief in a higher power or that religion and morality cannot be separate. On the other hand, there are also many
people who believe that the only real basis for morality should be separate from a belief in a god and from religion itself. So does society really need to
believe in a higher power to have morals? The answer is no for a few simple reasons. Morality is not necessarily a part of religion, nor is religion
the essence of anything moral. Religion and morality can be separable in many different aspects along with the fact that not everyone who is moral is
religious. Society can in fact have moral values regardless of whether a belief in a higher power is present or not.
It can be argued that someone who is religious has a higher sense of morality than someone who doesn't practice a religion at all, but does practicing
a religion make you a better person than someone who doesn't? The world has a large number of people who do not practice any religion but still
live moral lives. "Atheists and agnostics do not behave less morally than religious believers, even if their virtuous acts are mediated by different
principles. They often have as strong and sound a sense of right and wrong as anyone, including involvement in movements to abolish slavery and
contribute to relief efforts associated with

Religion vs. Morality Essay
To be moral simply means to do what is right; however, doing what is right is easier said than done. Perhaps if one was a child, one would, to the
best of their abilities, follow what his parents demand of him, this would constitute them as doing what is right. Now let us say that the child is an
orphan, or does not believe what his parents say is right, should following them still be considered moral, or is it even up to him to decide? Perhaps
the child has evolved past parenting all together and therefore needs no more guidance. Defining what is considered moral has now become much more
complex. Sam Harris presents the same basic argument of morality in his book Letter to a Christian Nation, by applying it not to a child and his parents,
...show more content...
While atheists do not believe in God, it does not mean that they do not serve a god and religion. Capitalism, at least in America, is everyone's religion.
It is served each and every day as millions make the pilgrimage to work, to gain the capacities to tithe into the economy by following the ever
present sermon of buy, buy, buy. The sermon is far greater than any religion of God, for it is sought out daily by various means such as the
television, radio, and advertisements on clothes that society themselves perpetuate. Martin Luther once stated that "one's religion is whatever one is
willing to sacrifice his children for is his religion and God". Millions are being sacrificed by their economies today; workers are working 12 hour
days for less than 2 dollars. Governments are doing all in their powers to keep unions from forming all in the name of capitalism. Therefore if Harris'
argument is that only morality can be accomplished by atheism, and there is no true form of Atheism, then there can be no true form of
morality(religion of the market 67–70). Harris also groups all Christians into one huge pool of rifle toting, homophobes, who's main concern is to
prevent murder of the unborn, all the while proclaiming that war is just. However, this is where Harris' true ignorance shines. This new groups of
"Christians", should not even be considered Christians at all. A simple definition of Christian is one who follows Christ wholly, trying their best to live

What is the relationship between religion and morality? It is in my opinion that religion is dependant on morality and not the other way around.
Through this, it can be stated that morality reinforces the development and evolution of religion. In this essay, I shall show that this is the case drawing
from theories proposed by Plato, Kant and Berg.
According to Jonathan Berg, "...a way to construe ethics as depending on religion would be on the basis of a 'Divine Command Theory' of ethics,
identifying the moral good with God's Will or with what God commands."(1) So then, if one were to link doing good as essentially doing God's will,
does this mean that one must always obey God's will eventhough it may not seem to be a good act to us?...show more content...
Which shows that without religion, or rather, without the belief that there is a God who punishes the evil–doer and rewards the good in the afterlife,
there would be no reason to comply with a set of moral rules, as given by Berg, which says that "...God's approval (or disapproval) is the only
reason for being moral."(5). According to Harry Browne "...if the Unselfishness ideal is sound, there must be something unworthy in seeking to live
your life as you want to live it." Therefore, if happiness in one's life is difficult to seek due to the demands of morality and being unselfish, why would
one be motivated to perform moral acts, unless of course, one shall be rewarded after death with the promise of paradise or the gift of being
reincarnated as a human again. So, this motivation to perform virtuous acts is mainly because there is a religion that provides the followers with a
reward at the end. However, can it not also be said that religion was created as a means of asserting the importance of morality? And how would a

Morality is defined as the ability to know right from wrong, and good from bad in our society today and also the societies of the past. Morality is
influenced by your family, your religion, and your society. We will be looking at Asia, Africa and the Americas and how their morality was affected by
family, religion, and the society. In ancient China morality was influence by family, religion, and society, but I believe it was influenced the most by
religion and society. China From the early days of the Neolithic villages used the fertile soil from the Yellow and the Yangzi Rivers to product silk
which brought great wealth to the Chinese culture. They also in around 1750 B.C.E developed the technique of calligraphy, which has some...show
more content...
Over some time it is clear that people migrated and settled into what we call today Mexico and Central America. The moral beliefs of this culture
were rooted in religion and their society. The people of the Olmec's society saw priest governed on the behalf of the gods and they were also
responsible to oversee the spiritual life of the community. (fiero p.74) These people were farmers and artisans at the lower end and ruling nobility at
the upper end of the class scale. The Olmec's raised temples fitted with elaborate drainage systems. They created a calendrical system, developed
portraiture and mirror making and practiced rituals involving human sacrifice. (fiero p.74) The Olmec's political, religious, and artistic traditions
survived for centuries in the civilizations of the Mayans and the Aztecs. The last culture that will be discussed is Africa. Africa's morals like the other
societies were mostly influenced by their religion and society. In ancient Egypt the Book of the Dead, a collection of funerary prayers, was a morality
guidance system. These were a list of forty–two action or acts that were prohibited to humans. The Egyptians also used the gods as a way of
influencing their moral beliefs. The sun god or Ra was the

Essay on Morality and Religion Debate
Morality and Religion Debate
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...show more content...
Dershowitz said, in return, that people are not moral if the sole reason for them doing it was to get to heaven. Dershowitz stated "doing the right thing
because it is the right thing is more powerful than doing it because someone higher than you says so." Fowler's theory emphasises on the form of faith,
not on a particular belief system. He believed that faith could be religious or non–religious, such as God, science, or humanity. Throughout his six
stages, he links religion (faith) with morality, and how a person becomes increasingly moral as they grow older and learn more about faith. The
relationship between religion and morality has existed throughout all time, and it has cost many senseless deaths and wars. The Crusades were a major
example of how religion can be viewed negatively in politics. Dershowitz believed that if the Crusades were right, why were there not
counter–Crusades? Keyes retorted that everyone has to be responsible and accountable. He believed that the horrible things done in the name of
religion were just our world's fallen nature. Furthermore, Dershowitz believed that the Bible was a great source for homophobia, sex inequality,
racism, and egocentrism. Dershowitz and Fowler believed that the Bible is one source of morality, not the only. Alan Keyes avoided the answer, and he
said that his morality comes from the Declaration of Independence. When it states "all men

Religion As A Foundation Of Morality Essay

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Religion As A Foundation Of Morality Essay