Is Christianity Amoral ?

Question

The purest form of morality is simply doing the right thing, because it is the right thing to do. Once you introduce the concepts of reward (heaven) and punishment (hell) an action can no longer have any moral value because now the action is based on a desire to be rewarded or avoid punishment. Can Christianity still be Christian without the concepts of heaven and Hell?

Answer 1

yes, 'Christendom' is.
Most of what is peddled as Christianity on this earth is as Christian as Nimrod was a lover of God. Hence the term Christendom.

This viewpoint you have taken though is exactly the same as Satan's at:
Job2:” 3 And Jehovah went on to say to Satan: “Have you set your heart upon my servant Job, that there is no one like him in the earth, a man blameless and upright, fearing God and turning aside from bad? Even yet he is holding fast his integrity, although you incite me against him to swallow him up without cause.” 4 But Satan answered Jehovah and said: “Skin in behalf of skin, and everything that a man has he will give in behalf of his soul. 5 For a change, thrust out your hand, please, and touch as far as his bone and his flesh [and see] whether he will not curse you to your very face.”

Answer 2

You've made a false assumption.

"Once you introduce the concepts of reward (heaven) and punishment (hell) an action can no longer have any moral value because now the action is based on a desire to be rewarded or avoid punishment."

There is no logical basis for the relationship you claim. On the contrary, even with heaven and hell, all actions can still have moral value because there is still desire to do good.

As an example, I'm Christian. Heaven and hell are definitely in my equation. I'm assured of heaven based on my acceptance of Jesus and NOT because I do the right thing or not. I am still free to do the right thing because it's the right thing to do. I have no fear of hell because none of my actions can ever result in me being sent there.

Your major misunderstanding is that heaven is reward for good behavior. Christianity is the only religion that DOES NOT teach this concept. All other Deist religions do.

The fact is that EVERYONE has done wrong and deserves to go to hell, including Christians. The difference is that Christians have accepted the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross to satisfy the debt of our sin.

Heaven is a gift freely given (to YOU too), and not a reward that must be earned. It can not be earned.

Answer 3

Where would we be without a reward and punishment system? It's what all societies are based on. If doing the right thing is the purest form of morality then you can achieve that by making the right choices which will then lead you to the reward of heaven. If you choose to make the wrong choices you are not living morally and therfore are condemed to hell. Really your question makes not sense because punishment and reward is not relevent to being moral. They are simply concequences to ones actions. Think about it and read the bible.

Answer 4

Without following the Bible and the 10 Commandments you would not know what morality is. Morality is man's attempt to be more like God ( not to be confused with being a god). God is perfect, He is the standard . Because He is perfect He cannot look upon sin, so hell was created for those who do not accept His Son Jesus as an atonement or cleanser of their sin. Heaven has always been been there as it is God's home and the home for all who choose to believe in Him. Christianity is merely the name for followers of Christ. Christianity could not exist without these basic tenets. So yes, there must be both heaven and hell as part of the belief system. You can't just take a piece here or there you have to take the whole thing, or nothing at all.

Answer 5

Yes...because the purest form existed prior to this Age and will exist again after this Age is finished when the rotten apples have been tossed from the bushel. It was not until sin entered via the downfall of satan that the necessity for reward and punishment came into existence. Unfortuantely...Satan caused the downfall of many innocents for which this Age has been created to recover such that as few as possible may perish. To justly toss the rotten from the bushel, a measure of what is rotten must be set forth. Once the rotten is tossed, then the causality of the rot will also be eliminated such taht the purest form of morality can once again be established.

Answer 6

Why must heaven or hell be the goals of Christians. Just because they are a part of the Christian belief doesn't mean people go around doing things TO get into heaven. It's not the works that matter, because it's the faith that matters. But at the same time, faith without works is . A part of real faith is the desire to do good, even if you get punished for it.

Answer 7

Just one Christian's opinion:

I try to think, speak, and act like in a godly manner because I'm a child of God. I do the things I do because I believe they're what God would have me to do. That love and awe if have for God is my primary motivation. Much has been made by non-Christians of Hell as a tool of fear to scare people into a church or whatever. We believe Hell is a real place, but what a lame motivation that would be to become a Christian. Being a Christian means reaching out to begin a relationship with God. It's more of a positive desire to be with God eternally than a selfish desire to avoid Hell.

Answer 8

To be saved you must turn away from sin, believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus, and receive Him as Lord and Savior of your life. An act of sin doesnot cost you your salvation. When we are saved, we are adopted into the family of God. We must, out of love on one hand and Godly fear on the other, seek to live a life that is pleasing to Him. The idea that one act of sin would cause soneone to be thrown out of God's family is not in the Bible. However, acts of sin or rebellion will take away the joy of your salvation. When David sinned he had no joy, because he had rebelled against God. He said, " Do not take Your Holy Spirit from me" (Psalm 51:11). Even though he had committed adultery and had been responsible for an innocent man's death, by this clear statement we are shown that he still had the Holy Spirit. Though punishment came due to sin, nevertheless, God forgave and love him because David was repentant before the Lord. It is not that a Christian never commits an act of sin, but that he does not continue in a course of sin, refusing to confess and repent of his sins. A saint is just a sinner who fell down and got back up. Beyond that, in Hebrews 10:29 it states that if somebody actually says the blood of Jesus Christ is a common (unholy) thing and renounces the salvation he has received, then that person may have lost it all. But the same book says, "But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you" (Hebrews 6:9). It is very hard to believe that someone who has been born again would turn that far away from God. Perfection for the Christian awaits us in heaven (I Corinthians 15:54) We are being changed throughout our lives, but there is no final moment, short of death, when the believer becomes sinlessly perfect (1 John 1:8). God Bless you!!!

Answer 9

Heaven and Hell are Christian concepts, there is no Christianity without heaven. It is the reason why Jesus saved us from sin. He completely wiped our slates clean to save us from hell. Hell is separation from God, and heaven is being with God. The purest form of morality is living by the convictions and guidelines that God has set for us. If you do follow Jesus Christ, you will feel your convictions.

Answer 10

And yet. Who is guilty of putting to death hundreds of millions of innocent people? Christians? No. It's marxists like you who suggest that morality has nothing to do with religion.

You should be deeply ashamed of what you are doing....waging a propaganda war against christianity. Have you ever bothered to stop and think why liberals and other marxists do this? For the same reasons they did it under national socialism (nazism), communism, socialism and fascism (all marxist constructs). Once people turn away from religion, it becomes relatively easy to get them to accept any immoral and evil behavior, specifically genocide.

You are trying to do that here. Do you even know what you are doing and why? Do you know how much blood is on the hands of the people you are in bed with?

Shame on you.

Answer 11

I absolutely agree. As an atheist, I feel that doing the right thing is good for the sake of doing it. Whether Christians do it for that reason or to get into heaven is irrelevant - the fact is, they are aware of the reward. Therefore, you are right.