Being an affiliate of one religion or worldview instead of another is, in most cases, a matter of the case of the person’s birth, their cultural and societal background, or the family from which the person comes from. Additionally, the particular attitudes that the person has with regards to the religion that they belong to are continuously but gradually absorbed into their mental psyche, becoming a part of the person as the particular languages that they speak as well as the particular tastes that they may harbor- something with which they eternally have a feeling of “home” and towards which they always have some form of deep affection and loyalty. Furthermore, oftentimes, these people might want to extend the manner in which they believe in their religion towards their normal life, committing their religion and world views towards the embracement of their life and ideas of “righteous” living.
For most of these religious people, friendship and marriage are a necessity for normal living, with love being the cornerstone of the religious family. Religion is thus the highest form of human friendship, acting as a means of setting the goals and challenges as well as being the perfect candidate for human beings to practice their relationships with one another and the particular deity to which they pray (Wolfe et al. 87). Family and children are stressed as being very important to these marriages, with the pattern of responsibility of the various family members being different from one religion to the other. Before the advent of the theories of “safe sex” for most religions, most of the more traditional beliefs frown on the occurrence of sex before marriage, often having stern and severe consequences towards the woman, in terms of her damaged reputation, financial security, and emotional stability (Wolfe et al. 47). Sex for most of these religions is used for procreation and bringing couples together rather than today’s means of enjoyment and physical pleasure.
Though seen as a means of acquiring skills and a means of getting jobs and financial security, education to most of these religions is just a means of passing knowledge from one person to the other, oftentimes based on the importance of exchanging text and understanding them. The methods of passing educative materials from one person to the other variables between different religions, mostly leaning towards the sacred doctrines and texts that have either been passed on from generation to generation or the modern contexts of the traditional contexts of the change (Wolfe et al. 27). These religions have an influence on the secular legal systems that are enforced by politicians and judges, imposing their stake on the manner in which people in the country live their lives and how they should behave. The religions also have their own teachings on the system of justice, order and the truth, being the messengers of what God wants the people to do.
Judaism, for example, is a religious philosophy as well as a way of life that explores the teachings of the Jewish people, with its traditions and beliefs being based strictly on the Torah. Like many other religions, the Jewish law, Halacha, forbids sex before marriage, though some conservative, as well as liberal sects, have stated a change in the stance of these beliefs (Wolfe et al. 56). Marriage is considered the ideal institution for a man and a woman, of age, to be in, with a “man without a woman being considered incomplete” (Morgan and Lawton 177). Marital harmony otherwise referred to as “shalom bayit,” is a most valued institution in the Jewish community, with the Torah arguing that a man should love, honor and respect his wife as much as he loves himself. According to the Jewish teachings, a man who honors loves and respects his woman would be rewarded by God in heaven and on Earth with both wealth and prosperity. Additionally, the Torah teaches that a man is expected to discuss all his business and otherworldly matters with his wife, never being overbearing and frustrating to those in his household and familial domain. The Torah teaches that God counts every tear that she sheds under the wrath of her husband, while the wife is expected to fulfill every wish that her husband has (Morgan and Lawton 178). Regular sexual relations referred to as “onah,” between the husband and his wife is expected from the Jewish point of view, with the wife not being expected to withhold any sexual obligation from the husband.
On the importance of the quality of life, Judaism does not allow the use of contraceptives, with the basic idea that it is the only god who has the right to control family planning and the conception of life. Abortion is thus not allowed, except in circumstances where it is not only permitted but also medically advisable. The most important of these factors is the emotional state of the parents, with the Rabbi measuring the factors of the emotional balance of those involved and whether there is a need for birth control (Morgan and Lawton 186). While Judaism does not dispute the choice of a woman towards her own body, there are limits towards the extent to which she can exercise this free choice capability, giving her no right to commit murder, at any level. However, the Jewish position towards life is that the baby becomes a human being as soon as the head emerges from the womb, with the fetus being considered only a “partial life” (Morgan and Lawton 188). The Talmud thus allows the abortion of a fetus, not viewing it as a form of life, in cases where, either the baby would cause serious emotional distress to the mother or it would lead to serious medical complications in case it is not terminated.
Though there is no word for equality in the Jewish religion, the equality of all human beings was divinely ordained, with most of the differences that exist today being not only naturally created but also legally vetoed. However, some issues arise about the nature of man to want to quell the inequalities that are around them, resulting primarily from the differences implanted onto them by the Creator Himself (Morgan and Lawton 195). Values other than those of equality, such as those of doing what is right even to other people who are not part of the religion, thus come into play, as do the innate differences that are assigned to the human society as a whole.
In accordance with the teachings and knowledge of Islamic religion, a man is not simply meant to be in this world in order to just eat, drink and seek contentment for them only. The Koran teaches that the status and reason for the creation of man were higher than any of these needs (Morgan and Lawton 302). Man is thus supposed to take the necessary steps towards achieving nearness towards Allah, with his good behavior and actions aimed towards attaining much higher status. Islam, on the other hand, has brought women from the chattel of being unequal partners in a marriage to be equal human beings in an equal relationship. According to the Islamic religion, marriage, referred to here as nikah, is a solemn vow of loyalty and faithfulness between a man and a woman, created by the strong and irrevocable contract/sacrament were the two people vow to remain in the relationship till their deaths (Wolfe et al. 87). Both the bride and the groom are at liberty to define any of the terms of the sacrament, though treating the marriage as a holy and sanctimonious injunction connecting the two people together. Marriage is intended to be a relationship where the two people involved can find both securities as well as peace of mind (Morgan and Lawton 306). Therefore, the institution of marriage is one that is meant not only to bring spiritual peace of mind but also a means of avoiding the committing of evil by ridding oneself of sin.
According to the teachings of life, referred to as al Hayat and Hadhari, life is seen as one of the greatest bounties that is granted to man by his creator, Allah. The extent of this life is at the discretion of the person, trusting the individual to treasure and utilize it to the extent to which it lasts. In this regard, life should be handled with great care, never to be discontinued or interrupted by any human intervention whatsoever (Morgan and Lawton 314). Abortion is thus prohibited in the religion. However, like most other religions, if the health of the mother is at stake, abortion can be allowed in order to save one life instead of losing two.
Works cited
Morgan, Peggy and Lawton, Clive. Ethical Issues in Six Religious Traditions, 2nd edition. London: Edinburgh University Press, 2006. Print.
Wolfe, Regina W. and Gudorf, Christine E. Ethics and World Religions: Cross-Cultural Case Studies. London: Orbis Books, 1999. Print.