Morality
A question was raised on one of my other posts, if you didn't read it then you can find it here. That question was whether morality can exist without religion. My answer was yes, it can. But I'd like to explain that answer for those who might not understand how that could work.
A moral, as defined by the 1940 edition of Webster's Universities Dictionary Unabridged, is: 1. Relating to the practice, manners, or conduct of men, as social beings, in relation to each other, and with reference to right and wrong; ethical.
Morality then, is defined as: 1. The doctrine of the moral duties of life or of men in their social character; morals; ethics. 2. The practice of moral duties; course of life as regards moral duties; observance of right and wrong. 3. The quality or character of an action, or principle, as estimated by a standard of right and wrong; the conformity of an action, or principle, to the true moral standard or law.
I chose this venerable tome (it's ginormous!) for the express purpose of showing that, even in the early 20th Century, "moral" and "morality," as defined by learned men, had absolutely nothing to do with religion. Morality is, as shown above, the "standard of right and wrong" and "the conformity of an action, or principle, to the true moral standard or law." Ergo, morality is a set of rules designed to dictate the actions of men as regarding what is considered right and wrong for each individual society.
Since the dawn of time, societies have made rules regarding the conduct of it's members in order to protect them. Perhaps it's mere coincidence that "religion," in one form or another, has also existed since the dawn of time.
But not all society's laws are the same and that's because different people view actions differently. In the Mayan civilization, human sacrifice was a common-place occurrence, because the Maya didn't view sacrifice as immoral; far from it. But in many societies today, human sacrifice would be regarded as highly immoral. Therefore, "morality," or what is considered right and wrong, changes depending on the society you are in.
Whether you agree with the morals of your society is irrelevant, as a member of any society you are expected, nay, required, to follow the morals of that society. It is up to you, as to whether you actually do that or not. But you cannot blame "religion" for the rules of your society unless your society is based on a religion (for example the Islamic countries whose laws are specifically based on religious laws).
The question, then, is not: can morality exist without religion (because it obviously can). But rather: do your societies laws protect it's members? If you believe they do, then it shouldn't matter where those laws originated. What matters is that they exist and they do what they are meant to do.
A moral, as defined by the 1940 edition of Webster's Universities Dictionary Unabridged, is: 1. Relating to the practice, manners, or conduct of men, as social beings, in relation to each other, and with reference to right and wrong; ethical.
Morality then, is defined as: 1. The doctrine of the moral duties of life or of men in their social character; morals; ethics. 2. The practice of moral duties; course of life as regards moral duties; observance of right and wrong. 3. The quality or character of an action, or principle, as estimated by a standard of right and wrong; the conformity of an action, or principle, to the true moral standard or law.
I chose this venerable tome (it's ginormous!) for the express purpose of showing that, even in the early 20th Century, "moral" and "morality," as defined by learned men, had absolutely nothing to do with religion. Morality is, as shown above, the "standard of right and wrong" and "the conformity of an action, or principle, to the true moral standard or law." Ergo, morality is a set of rules designed to dictate the actions of men as regarding what is considered right and wrong for each individual society.
Since the dawn of time, societies have made rules regarding the conduct of it's members in order to protect them. Perhaps it's mere coincidence that "religion," in one form or another, has also existed since the dawn of time.
But not all society's laws are the same and that's because different people view actions differently. In the Mayan civilization, human sacrifice was a common-place occurrence, because the Maya didn't view sacrifice as immoral; far from it. But in many societies today, human sacrifice would be regarded as highly immoral. Therefore, "morality," or what is considered right and wrong, changes depending on the society you are in.
Whether you agree with the morals of your society is irrelevant, as a member of any society you are expected, nay, required, to follow the morals of that society. It is up to you, as to whether you actually do that or not. But you cannot blame "religion" for the rules of your society unless your society is based on a religion (for example the Islamic countries whose laws are specifically based on religious laws).
The question, then, is not: can morality exist without religion (because it obviously can). But rather: do your societies laws protect it's members? If you believe they do, then it shouldn't matter where those laws originated. What matters is that they exist and they do what they are meant to do.
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