Ethics and religion are inextricably linked. In their developments, ethics often relied on religious consciousness. At the same time, it is important to show that ethics is broader than religious beliefs. It is often secular in nature, designed for everyday life, not directly related to religion. Without turning to religion, it would be impossible to explain the origin and existence of certain moral norms and principles. The common goal of religion and ethics is to achieve harmony with the people around you; and harmony with the inner world of a person. Therefore, it is important to decide in which situations it is necessary to act according to ethics.
There are many versions about the origin of religion, about its judgment, about its ramification. But every person makes a choice for himself. Considering religion, it is easy to say that “unity” is the most appropriate definition (Astrachan et al., 2020). When several million people believe in one truth, they are spiritually united. One word “faith” can make whole masses think, then what is religion capable of? Using various instruments of control over people, religious leaders can inspire ordinary believers with completely different ideologies. Religious ethics also regulates people’s attitude to God and, of course, dictates certain norms for its expression (Rachels, 2021). In addition, this philosophical discipline interprets ethical rules, norms, requirements and traditions as attitudes that have a divine nature or origin. In other words, according to this direction of ethics, these norms are given from above and have an absolute, non-reasoned meaning for every believer.
The problem of the relationship between religion and ethics is connected with two aspects. First, it is important to understand whether there is a certain “ethical minimum” characteristic of any religious consciousness. Secondly, it is necessary to answer the question of how ethical norms are determined by religion. In other words, what is the function of religion in this sense: it reinforces naturally established norms or creates them (Carlisle, 2023). In reality, it is difficult to comment unambiguously on the origin of ethical norms, and even more so – to deduce them from the modernly understood lines of the sacred books. However, there is no doubt that religion is, if not a generator, then a catalyst for ethical processes. At the same time, one or another religion can not only be proud of the civil ethical system built on its basis (that is, ethical norms accepted by the majority of the population), but must understand its responsibility for it.
Considering both cases, one can conclude that the question of ethics and religion is very complex and makes you think. In the first case, the girl realized that she was a lesbian when religion prohibited same-sex relationships. She is afraid to tell her parents, expecting a negative reaction and understands that she will commit a sin by dating a girl. On the one hand, religion is about love and acceptance, but when faced with such a situation, people do not know what decision to make. I think it would be ethical to tell my parents about the problem, try to convince them that it is not her fault. Eventually they will accept it and find a way out of the situation. It would be unethical to hide your whole life, orientation and relationships.
In the second situation, the couple wants to have children, but cannot, because after the first pregnancy, the woman became infertile. The only way out of this situation is to do IVF, but this is forbidden by religion. An ethical way out of this situation would be to study the topic of IVF in more detail and if fertilization is performed by the husband’s cells, then IVF takes place inside the marriage and does not violate religious statutes. Otherwise, it is better to take the child from the orphanage, since this does not violate religious postulates and is within the ethical framework. It would be unethical in this situation to give up and give up children altogether.
According to emotive theory, all sentences containing ethical terms like “good” and “bad” only express the emotional state of the speaker. Therefore, in both cases, any decision that is made in these cases will be ethical. I think that in both cases the ethicist agreed with my opinion about the ethical form of behavior. The decisions I have made are as safe as possible for the heroes of the story and take into account the opinion of relatives and their values. According to the ethics of the divine command, God can consider anything morally correct, including something that, from another point of view, is morally reprehensible. Therefore, in both cases, any decision made by the characters of the story can be ethically correct.
In conclusion, despite all the apparent autonomy of religious morality, it is closely connected with the social system of morality. The interpenetration of religious and secular norms occurs despite all the conservatism of religion. Religion cannot completely separate itself from society, since it is an integral part of it, and therefore will experience its influence, but society cannot abandon all those norms that religion brings to it.
References
Astrachan, J. H., Binz Astrachan, C., Campopiano, G., & Baù, M. (2020). Values, spirituality and religion: Family business and the roots of sustainable ethical behavior. Journal of Business Ethics, 163, 637-645. Web.
Carlisle, C. (2023). Spinoza’s religion: A new reading of the Ethics. Princeton University Press.
Rachels, J. (2021). The Elements of Moral Philosophy. Stuart Rachels.