Morality refers to values that distinguish between good and bad behavior or right and wrong. Different religious systems outline moral guidelines that their adherents should abide by to remain faithful to the group since immemorial. Morality separates spiritual entities from secularism in many cases and in many minds. From childhood, faith-based teachers endeavor to instill different moral values in young followers to align with the teachings of a specific faith. Despite the numerous differences between various religious persuasions, there is a general agreement in pieces of literature that religion depends on and develops alongside its virtues. This paper will analyze what role morality plays in different faiths.
Each system of beliefs has specific value frameworks that guide people concerning personal behavior and help them to declare between right and wrong. Thus, the sources of moral teachings for various religious systems include religious leaders, written and oral traditions, and holy books that outline and interpret acceptable living standards (Bell 2017). Their uniqueness ensures that each person can find a spiritual community that supports their ethical values.
Contemporary monotheistic persuasions like Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Sikhism define morality based on rules and laws outlined by their respective deities and taught by spiritual leaders therein. On the other hand, polytheistic faiths seem to reckon that a person’s circumstances and intentions play critical roles in determining whether the individual acted rightly or wrongly. Furthermore, the stages of life, kinship, and social rank categories decide good and evil in Hinduism.
One’s moral values are often defined by their faith, which makes it possible to draw a parallel between people’s actions and their culture. According to a 2019 survey, 45% of respondents from 34 countries affirmed their belief that God is vital for a man to have good values and remain moral (Gramm 2021). The growing number of nonreligious people worldwide seems to coincide with increased violence, war, robberies, rape, corruption, prostitution, and rampant divorce rates. Hence, many firmly hold that there can be no morality without religion. The most prominent basis for connecting religion and morality today includes the divine command theory and the Confucian virtue. The sacred command approach holds that an action is morally upright when God requires or commands it; hence, it “is common to many religious traditions, especially the monotheist faiths” (Kessler 2006, 209). These ethics create a lasting impact on one’s religion, creating communities that strictly uphold them and promote morality as they perceive it.
Sharia law stipulates a Muslim’s proper code of conduct in Islam. The Sharia law emanates from the deity Allah, whom Muslims regard as supreme and do not report to any other power. As a result, Allah’s superior status makes his instructions on right and wrong living solid and unanswerable. It is necessary to understand that Muslims perceive the Sharia as “the answer Islam gives to Socrates’ question about how we should live” (Kessler 2006, 207). According to the Islamic faith, Allah is subject to no one, and nothing can be wrong on his part; hence, what he declares to be a virtue is a virtue. This notion highlights the role of gods in modern society. The same principle applies to Jewish and Christian religions, where the Ten Commandments given by Yahweh on Mount Sinai remain the moral benchmarks for the adherents of these faiths (McGaughey 2020, 23). Thus, some codes shape their followers’ perceptions of liberty, well-being, relationships, and even mundane activities.
On the other hand, Confucian virtue ethics refer to both a spiritual and a moral code. This belief system and philosophy are derived from Ancient China, which continues to serve as an ethical guide to living and thriving with solid characters (Serfontein 2019, 6). Confucianism emphasizes the value of possessing a sound moral character that can influence the world around the individual via the notion of cosmic harmony. The formation of this system came “from the traditional rites and customs handed down from the past Golden Age,” signifying the long-lasting impact of religious beliefs on humanity (Kessler 2006, 215). This notion shows that spiritual aspects of religion can transform into cultural ones. Some of the moral values exceed their initial boundaries and govern nonreligious people’s experiences in the form of philosophy (Kessler 2006, 168). This idea emphasizes the importance of continuously educating people to keep them in virtuous character, as their goodness can transfer to others.
Closely linked with morality are the ideas of retribution and guilt in almost all religions. A person who went against set moral standards was guilty of disobeying the deity, and their actions called for punishment. Some people are guided by retribution, which “takes many different forms in religion, such as the law of karma and judgment day,” leading to a strict following of ethics codes (Kessler 2006, 224). Moreover, religions teach the aspect of redemption or purification for those who stray from outlined guidelines. There are ways for various systems of faith to make one’s habits right with society and deity once they deviate from the principle.
In conclusion, morality remains critical for many religions globally, as it helps communities to align their cultural values with their beliefs. Different belief systems can create unique environments where their ethical codes are actively disseminated or even enforced. This notion shows that there are many ways in which people can spread their values and shape the world to their image of perfection.
Works Cited
Bell, Daniel A. 2017. “Against Individualism: A Confucian Rethinking of the Foundations of Morality, Politics, Family, and Religion by Henry Rosemont Jr.”Philosophy East and West 67, no. 2: 565–68. Web.
Gramm, Gordon. 2021. “The Relationship of Artificial Intelligence and Religion to Secular Morality.” The Humanist. Web.
Kessler, Gary E. 2006. Studying Religion: An Introduction through Cases. 2nd ed. Mcgraw-Hill Higher Education.
McGaughey, Douglas. 2020. “Religion and Morality.”Journal for Islamic Studies 38, no. 1: 23. Web.
Serfontein, Bernice. 2019. “Imagination, Religion and Morality: An Interdisciplinary Approach.”HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies 75, no. 1. Web.
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