How do RELIGIOUS ETHICS relate to the STAGES OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT? (See details.)?

Question

Kohlberg described 6 stages in moral development:

Level 1 (Pre-Conventional)
1. Obedience & punishment orientation (Do it or suffer)
2. Self-interest orientation (What's in it for me?)

Level 2 (Conventional)
3. Interpersonal accord & conformity (The good boy/good girl attitude)
4. Authority and social-order maintaining orientation (Law and order morality)

Level 3 (Post-Conventional)
5. Social contract orientation (Greatest good for the greatest number)
6. Universal ethical principles (Principled conscience)

When you consider the moral teachings of your particular faith, doctrine, or discipline, how do their teachings fit into the particular stages of moral development described by Dr. Kohlberg?

^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohlberg%27s_stages_of_moral_development

Answer 1

Fundamentalist Christianity stagnates in Level 1. My fundamentalist Christian psychology professor flat out admitted as much, claiming that all the others were too 'grey' morally to be true.

Funny thing is, of all the religions or non-religions, atheists consistantly show up at Level 6, which is rare for those with theistic beliefs.


---------------

Aaaaaaaaaaand cue Fish to provide the proof that fundies enver make it past level 1.

Answer 2

God bless you for posting this! This is exactly what I have been trying to say here. I had lost my chart of his stages. The Fundamentalist are at stage one. I keep telling them to evolve past that. Maybe some will read your question and understand. I pray that they will. My Church is in number 6. The Episcopal Church.

Study the moral theology of the Episcopal Church and you will see that we are different that all of the others. Based on Reason and a higher moral law that says that the laws of man are not always the same as the laws of God. The law of Love is the greatest. And Love involves compassion and mercy. When the two laws man/God differ, follow God. This is why we can say that Abortion is not acceptable as a form of birth control, but can be done out of mercy for the woman who was raped.

Answer 3

This is indeed the most intelligent question of today.

I will answer it by saying that my particular religion fosters the stage of moral development by creating an environment that Re-enforces the behaviors in all three levels. It all so cements its existence by communal activities and the learning of doctrine in a common language that all members are brought up to learn.

There is not enough room here to be totally specific. But my religion can be described as Judaism.

Answer 4

Many won't admit it, but you'll find that many christians and muslims are stuck in the pre-conventional stages of moral development where they claim they are moral because they fear punishment from their gods.

That's why they mistakenly think atheists and agnostics are immoral (they don't have a god to punish them - which is incredibly telling on how christian/muslim morality works) which is obviously not the case as most atheists and agnostics actually reach the post-conventional stages of moral development. Religious moderates get there too, but not from their faith - they pick and choose based on their own inner concepts.

Answer 5

For Christians, and believers of different persuasions to boot, the interest in morals and ethics is useful, in the sense that it is the main blatant factor of having ideals in the 1st place. Morals and ethics, in spite of the undeniable fact that it incredibly is relaxing discussing the adjustments between them, are the two all in favour of techniques of determining between authentic and incorrect. in case you have a concept that authentic and incorrect exist in any respect, it fairly is the place ideals are utilized to useful judgements. Many atheists even have morals, ethics, or the two--it incredibly is, they have substantial concerns approximately authentic and incorrect and the thank you to make certain between them. (a honest form of them are extremely all in favour of the thought non secular ideals reason human beings to make blunders in those judgements--it incredibly is the substance of a super form of the arguments around right here.) in case you have not have been given those concerns, then you fairly're a different form of atheist from those. yet it incredibly is through fact atheism could be the two linked to a concept of authentic and incorrect, or not. for many theists, the assumption of authentic and incorrect is already tied in with theory in a god or gods in the 1st place.

Answer 6

The truth of the bible is the foundation of moral ethics.