Religion and Morality

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.

The positive and negative experiences associated with Wang Lung’s children, specifically Poor His moral ambiguity is heavily influenced by outside forces in his life that changes his view upon the world. The most excusable action in the eyes of the readers is when he commits a crime because his family is struggling in the southern city. Other citizens stricken by poverty tell Wang Lung that the riches do not belong to the wealthy, but to the poor. This conflicts with his belief that God determines one’s fate and way in life. Wang Lung goes against his morals and commits robbery because of his influence from others and the situation he was thrust into. This action determines Wang Lung’s wealthy future, but also symbolizes overcoming an obstacle, in this case, overcoming his internal conflict with his morals. The audience begins to notice the shift in Wang Lung’s character which will continue to develop negatively as his values are no longer intact.

Belief in a God is necessary for a moral society 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

The Rachels and Vuletic all conclude that morality is independent of religion. From the Vuletic article it stated, “The only reason I can fathom for why believers might think transcendental moral facts are better explained by theism than by atheism is because--speaking from personal experience as a former Christian--believers have been psychologically conditioned to feel that a complete explanation has been offered for anything and everything whenever someone says the word "God.” I agree with this statement. I do not believe that morality is dependent on religion. I believe that the only reason why people believe this is because believing in God allows them to follow what he stands for. I do not believe that God or even “God’s laws” can be followed by everyone and demonstrate what is right from wrong. Even though I am not a religious person, I can see why this would make life easier. Your views are justified by God, because you are follows the beliefs of God.

These individuals are known to be experts of morality. The chapter proposes two reasons as to why these individuals are called upon so frequently. One, for those who believe and have some sort of religious back round, and second, for those who believe in what is called a “scientific view” of the world. This chapter presents the idea that there is some popular belief that religion and morality go hand in hand and that in order to understand morality, you must understand religion. It is explained that when we view morality from a religious perspective, we give meaning to morality in a way that a “good man” made this world that we currently live in and that we are his children. While the book proposes the question that people who believe in God, or a higher power, base their values on what those religions state is right or wrong, whereas for an atheist the question still remains; how do these individuals weigh their moral compass and place their values?

Without God, there are no morals or any reason to act any way other than selfishly as Ayn Rand states. The solutions from atheist are along the lines

(Zagzebski, 1987: 295). The first premise states that if there is no God humans need to rely on their own human intuition in regards to living a life based on moral truth, as our own selves do not possess the necessary faculties to be able to judge what is perceived as ethical. Since, there is no what of knowing what is morally correct, as there is no moral compass that one may follow then moral despair is a rational thought for the atheists. However, moral despair is not a rational thought as humans are constantly trying to live a life that pertains to some sort of moral code and that is embedded in theistic principles.

In addition, the traditional arguments that refute the existence of God disregard the source of morality, of humans in the sense that moral actions are objective, however, the belief that moral people will be rewarded with good fortune and immoral people will be punished with misfortune. Morality along with the pursuit of happiness would become obsolete without the belief that those who perform moral actions are rewarded, due to the large population performing immoral actions that seem more rewarding and worthy of their time. In the

Religion and religious traditions both have ethical beliefs as a common set. Meaning, they have moral meanings and understandings. They don't actually measure the same set of ethics, however, many religions have some set of ethics and they believe that those particular ethics are mandated by some supernatural forces. For

Many moral and religious questions arise in Elie Wiesel’s Night regarding faith in God during crisis, obligation to others over oneself, familial bonds, etc. However, the one with the most dramatic impact on the narrative and arguably the most important one in Night questions God’s role in the Holocaust. Was

Can a person be moral and not believe in God Name PHI 103 Informal Logic Instructor Date of Submission 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

Running head: MORALITY AND RELIGION Does morality need religion? Ms. McBain HSB 4M0 February 29, 2012 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

Morality and God 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

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).

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