Religion, Morality, and the Good Life

Religion, pietism, and the Good Life Does goodity depend on theology? Many believe the fundamental aspects of deterrent exampleity and religion unification to form the nates on how cardinal chooses to live their life. Some would pin down righteousity as a system of rules we humans use to split between what is properly and what is wrong. righteousness could derive from a number of polar factors including, religion, culture, and upbringing. Those that believe that morality derives from religion or paragons moderates want in the heaven-sent bidding Theory.The Divine neglect Theory is the root word that morality is dependent on graven image that is moral covenant be determined by their allegiance to divinitys commands. This theory has been and probably allow for continue to be controversial to many. Morality must have a purely secular foundation. Although religion powerfulness non be the concrete basis for morality, it is certain that religion is infallible sometime when traffic with specific aspects of morality. There atomic number 18 2 types of morality, in force(p)ify and unjustified. Justified morality is popular sense and does non require burning interpretation.For example, Do non steal is a justified moral command be pee-pee when one steals they ar bringing evil to someone and that is immoral. Unjustified ethical motive atomic number 18 much harder to find reason for than justified morals which tush be easily justified by common knowledge. Do not have hinge upon before marriage, is an example of an unjustified morality. It is difficult to let off why doing the act is immoral. This moral standard is irrational in that in that location is no reasonable answer why one should not do this act in order to remain moral.Religion comes in handy when dealing with grey areas of morality. Those grey areas are known as the unjustified moral commands or unjustified morality. Given the example for an unjustified moral command, one could answer the question Why should I not do this in order to remain moral, by studying it is immoral to have sex before marriage be license divinity commanded us not to because he pull up stakes punish one who does not follow his commandments. There is no primal harm because if this action but ones self-interest or fear of Gods wrath will keep one from committing this immoral act.The use of God and religion to justify these issues is alone serviceable when dealing with a God-fearing and moral person. Although using religion with morality, in this case, may cause one to agree that morality needs religion and that the Divine mold Theory explains why, it does not justify that religion is the basis for morality. Are right and wrong actions commanded by God? The Divine Command Theory states that good and bad are created by God, not by humans. It has been illustrated that the Divine Command Theory preemptnot be logically true.The Divine Command Theory states that if God comman ds A, his commands by itself are sufficient to make A good. A is good just means A is commanded by God. Gods commands are good simply because God commands it. If in that location were no God, or if God did not issue any commands, wherefore there would be no such thing as moral right or wrong. However, if actions are good on their own with fall out influence from God, then the Divine Command Theory is false because it is pictorially commanded that we do things which are good and avoid those in which we know to be wrong.Ones article of faith in the existence of a god or gods may cause one to believe that morality assumes Gods existence. Their beliefs find outm to stage their lives persona and clear understanding. In Genesis 127 it says, So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them male and female he created them. (NIV) According to Christianity, God created us in his likeness as to fulfill the plan or purpose that he had intend for us. With thi s idea, the Catholic Church developed the concept of inwrought law.This indwelling law concept stated that by working out what ones purpose is, we will be able to see how we should act and/or behave it would be apparent in the demeanor in which we have been designed. Within the Catholic Church, the Popes upbraiding of homosexuality is an example of the natural law theory at work. The natural result to sex is conception, and any other sexual act that is not available to this possibility would be an immoral rejection to the plan God had intended for them. It is axiomatic that this natural law approach to ethics can cause controversy.It might be perceived as a poor simulated of morality in that it fails to provide justification for many basic moral principles. The supposed link between God and morality provides the idea because God is omnipotent and our creator we have an obligation to obey his commands. With him macrocosm our creator, we owe him our existence. Many ask the obvi ous question, Why do we have this obligation? Although this view has not stood up to reflection, commonwealth once believed that children owed the act of regard to their parents only because children depended on their parents. This view is remarkably similar to the reasoning given over for feudalism.In feudalism, in exchange for the protection of the lord, the vassal would give some enlighten of service to the lord. The obligation between the lord and the vassal regarding the fief or land forms the basis of the feudal relationship. The weakness in this political system was that the vassals neer agreed to this plan. By answering the above question in saying that our obligation to obey Gods command is because obedience is morally right, the assumption has been made that morality exists unaffiliatedly of God. Why things are right in the first place is justified and explained by the Divine Command Theory.The Divine Command Theory shows an apparent resemblance to the natural law a pproach as discussed just before. Rather than focusing on features of his assumed creation as with the natural law theory, the Divine Command Theory implicates a focus on Gods orders. An obvious example of Gods orders would be the Ten Commandments. The most common objection to this approach is that it makes morality seem somewhat subjective. It implies the theoretical likelihood of rape being right simply because God commands this. Some may say that God would never command such an act as rape. God has not, in fact, commanded that rape is good.Assuming that the Divine Command Theory is, in fact, true, it would see Gods goodness in that he will not do anything wrong. But it does not follow that he wont be unjust or cruel. As long as he is not violating any of his commands, no matter what God does, he will not be doing anything wrong. God is omniscient and morally perfect. sure as shooting this gives us exact reason to why we ought to obey his commands. Gods moral perfection, after al l, guarantees that he will issue only those commands that he thinks are right. His overall insight and expertise assures that he will never be wrong in what he believes is right to command of us.It sees God as the highest affirmable moral guide, big(a) us reason to constantly obey his commands. Although this is correct, it does not support the Divine Command Theory. To argue this get is to assume that the greater moral quality is dependent of Gods will, in which the basis for what he commands is. Some thinkers like Immanuel Kant and John Newman, just to name a few, have argued that a sense of conscience is evidence of God. With morality and religion being independent of one another, the independence is considered to be compatible with the existence of God.If we accept that the existence of conscience assumes a being to whom we owe responsibility, God would seem like the only candidate. He is the only person with omnipotent power to see and judge our every action. Newman furthere d this thinking by asking why bulk would feel guilty if they did not think they were being watched. In conclusion, there is something wrong with every room of linking morality to religion. I am not claiming that religion cannot have things to say about morality or that it is incapable of helping people do what is morally right.Instead, my claim is that ethics is enhanced with a religiously immaterial foundation. Religion can be defined a set of practices independent of a belief system. Religion is the way in which you worship. Some people have participated in religious worship for a while without giving a great deal of thought to a belief system. Morality can be based on religion, but it also can be independent of ones religion or faith. Although it is possible to hold a religion and not hold to any sanitary moral principles and vice versa for holding just moral principles, many people hold religious and moral principles.As with Christianity, religion is doing what you are told to do disregardless of what is right, and morality is doing what is right regardless of what you are told to do. Although morality and religion are used at times to justify one another, they are not dependent of one another. . Works Cited Genesis 1 NIV The Beginning In the beginning God Bible Bible Gateway. Web. 15 Apr. 2013 . The Internet Classics entry Euthyphro by Plato. The Euthyphro. N. p. , n. d. Web. 15 Apr. 2013