John Arthur Religion

Therefore, the only reason one has to behave ‘morally’ is because god, the bible or Jesus says you should. Moreover, the consequences of behaving in contradiction to Christian values or behaving ‘immorally’ involve punishment by god whether it be in this life or the after-life. This philosophy sheds some light on why atheism is feared, despised and misunderstood as well as why atheists are persecuted in America. If there is no god to answer to or no consequences for ‘bad behavior’, why then, would anyone behave in a good moral fashion? What is to prevent deviant behavior, if there is no god? These questions are the main basis for the Christian argument which maintains that atheists are untrustworthy, immoral or amoral, social deviants and therefore lesser human beings. Some have gone as far to say that atheists are unpatriotic, un-American and do not even have the right to be acknowledged as citizens of the United States.

At the end of Baldwin's 1952 novel Go Tell It on the Mountain, John Grimes, the young protagonist, has an epiphany or what is more commonly referred to as a visionary conversion experience, a staple of American religious life. He embraces Jesus and endures a state of ecstatic mysticism in which he experiences "his drifting soul ... anchored in the love of God" (204). John's rebirth in Christ, his being "saved," is an affirmation of one of the strongest bulwarks in the African American community during slavery, and especially since its abolition: the black church. (2) Baldwin has said that "everything in Black history comes out of the church." It is "not a redemptive force but a `bridge across troubled water,'" Kalamu

The belief that morality requires God remains a widely held moral maxim. In particular, it serves as the basic assumption of the Christian fundamentalist's social theory. Fundamentalists claim that all of society's troubles - everything from AIDS to out-of-wedlock pregnancies - are the result of a breakdown in morality and that this breakdown is due to a decline in the belief of God. This paper will look at different examples of how a god could be a bad thing and show that humans can create rules and morals all on their own. It will also touch upon the fact that doing good for the wrong reasons can also be a bad thing for the person.

morals. Usually when people call upon God, it’s because they're giving thanks to him for

In Glacier National Park, which is in the Rocky Mountains of Montana, there once roamed

Example: *Undershaft shocks when he sees his daughter Parpara is a Major for the Salvation Army, unlike his belief in morality and religion. He does not have the financial outlook for the world.

What is religion? Is it a type of belief or worship? Is it simply an interest? According to Dr. Shaun Casey, who served as the U.S. Special Representative for Religion and Global Affairs for several years, there is no official definition of religion. In fact, the term is “problematic.” Religion is viewed as being the cause of violence around the world, or can be seen from the perspective of opposing or fighting for religious freedom. As a result, religion is a multivalent force, which is why we must have knowledge of religion, rather than promoting religion.

When thinking about morality, it is necessary to consider how aspects from both nature and nurture, along with free will, may form ones moral beliefs and dictate ones moral actions. To understand how moral beliefs as well as actions formulate and operate within individuals and societies, it is imperative that a general definition of morality is laid out. Morality, then, can be defined as ones principles regarding what is right and wrong, good or bad. Although an individual may hold moral beliefs, it is not always the case that moral actions follow. Therefore, in this essay I aim to provide an explanation that clarifies the two and in doing so I also hope to further the notion that one’s moral framework is a product of all three factors; nature, nurture, and free will. The first part of this essay will flush out what exactly morality it and how it manifests similarly across individuals and differently across individuals. Contrariwise, I will then explain how morality manifests similarly across societies and differently across societies. Alongside presenting the information in this order, I will trace morality back to primordial times to showcase how morality has evolved and developed since then, not only from a nature-based standpoint, but also from a

Almost all religions with Gods have a set of morals they want their worshippers to follow, in this case I used the Christian religion as an example. Most Christians strive to be the best people they possibly can. While most tend to behave this way out of the goodness of their own hearts, some behave in this manner because they fear hell and God’s wrath. They believe that their behavior dictates whether or not they end up going to Heaven and Hell, and thus follow the morals laid out by the bible, i.e. the ten commandments. While religion plays a heavy role in determining one’s morals, people create their own morals as well. For example, a person may always hold the door open for others, not because they do it for fear of eternal damnation, they do it because they believe it is right. Gardner states that people do this to help achieve that better future each person has in their mind. In the end, everyone has this idea of what they want their life to be like in the future, and they develop their morals around that. When that person eventually dies, they die knowing that they followed their morals and were a better person for it in the grand scheme of things.

Religion can be instrumental in shaping a moral compass and it has the compelling power to unite a community. However, too often, it is used as grounds to estrange people that do not share the same beliefs. Religion is definitely something that can change over a person’s lifetime, but said change cannot be forced. Members of a religion do not spend their lifetimes collecting evidence that there is a higher power in the world as a scientist might; they try to spread good with the conviction that their actions are indisputably in the right. Religion truly displays its extraordinary when it is yielded for righteous and virtuous

Those who follow a religion most likely base their moral standards on the words taught in their faith. What if a person could live an honest, righteous, straight and virtuous life, without any religious beliefs, at all? In addition, this same person could also possess compassion, consideration, empathy and tolerance and even instill these morals to their children. The basis of a non-religious moral code, is frequently, the Golden Rule, which has been implemented in many religions. Plainly stated, it suggests, if you would like it to be treated a certain way, another human would probably appreciate the same treatment. It’s a simple, straight-forward concept that echoes into far reaching corners of religions and stands on its own as the cornerstone for non-religious individuals. It is possible to live a moral lifestyle without following a religion or believing in a deity.

Morality and ethics have always been a large source of debate and contention between different factions of various interests, beliefs, and ideals due to its centrality and foundational role in society and civilization and incredible importance to everyday life and decision making. In many of these disputes religious belief, or a lack thereof, serves as an important driving force behind one or both sides of the argument. In the modern world, one of the bigger instances of this can be seen in the many debates between Atheistic and religious individuals about the implications of religious belief on morality. One of the most famous Atheists, Christopher Hitchens, asserts that religion is not only unnecessary for morality, but actually impedes

Morality only exists if we believe in God; therefore if God doesn’t exist there is no morality. There have been so many evil acts committed in the name of God that it is difficult to maintain that a belief in God equates to morality. There are situations that happen every day where decisions are made based off of human rights that contradict the word of God. Morality comes from within, it is an understanding of right versus wrong and the ability to choose what is right. Knowing all this a belief in God is not a requirement for a person to be moral. (Mosser, 2011)

To many individuals, morality and religion are two related but distinct ideas. To be specific, morality consists of principles set by societal norms concerning the distinction between right and wrong and good and bad behaviour among persons. Alternatively, religion involves the relationship between human beings and a transcendent reality or a superhuman controlling power, God. In many societies in the past and present, the idea of God is used to help reinforce moral codes as valuable and vital through rituals and methods of presenting the teachings of God. By many, religion is used to instil fear

Religion in the world has always been considered a rather important aspect of society. Although this is true, there are still people that question the existence of God. A survey done among 1000 people showed that 65 percent of Americans believe that religion is losing its influence on American life (Sheler, 8). Even so, Belief in a God is necessary for a moral society because since the beginning of history man has always made up some sort of role model to explain events and situations that seem inexplicable, God gives people a sense of comfort and hope to know they aren’t alone, and when a society believes in a God, there is a religion behind it that gives ethics and values that they must