Do we need organized religion to have morality and ethical behavior?

Answer 1

No.

Answer 2

Yes. The answers given, for the most part thus far, have basically proved the point. Each person suggests that his or her moral and ethical code is right. So which one is right? Without an absolute truth, there can not be moral and ethical behavior, because who becomes the guide to what is moral and ethical?

In the end, every person does what is right in his/her own eyes, what feels good. As a result, the morals and ethics change on a regular basis because there is no standard.

Besides, without a religious moral code established by a just and holy God, then what is the sense of having any moral code? If there is no judgment, then why not follow Darwinian philosophy of the survival of the fittest? What makes rape wrong? Murder is no longer murder, because it is simply survival. Stealing cannot have a right or wrong basis, just ask the bigger dog who takes the smaller dog's bone.

In the end, unless there is a God before whom all human beings will stand and be judged, then morals and ethics are simply words without meaning.

Answer 3

Oh jeeze dude I get so sick of answering this question- I can have morals and ethics without religion (which by the way has some pretty mean nasty baggage) if you can't I feel sorry for you that you are such a weak person that you need some fantasy father figure to have his hand constantly over your butt waiting to spank you if you should step out of line, but that's just how weak some people are.

Answer 4

Who defines what morality is and what ethical behavior is? Not everyone agrees on this, even within some religious communities. Did you ever read "Lord of the Flies"?

We need some way to promote morality and ethics.

Answer 5

Not for myself. Personally I try to do right by people. I like to do the right thing because I'd want someone to do the right thing by me and....it's the right thing to do. That's all there is to it.

Now---I don't say that everyone is guilty of this but I'm telling you this way of thinking is more common than not:

If the only thing that stops you from participating in a wrong act is the fact that 'YouR Deity said it was wrong' can you really call yourself moral?
Do you truly KNOW the difference between right from wrong or are you just adhering to a set of rules?
There is a difference, y'know? People like this are no more ethical than the next person imo because the only thing propelling them to behave ethically are rules and regulations. Pending judgment. Fear of reprisal. Fear of punishment....and they're just blindly following the rules, because their deity said it was 'the right thing to do'.

That...is not morality. These people are not moral or good. Infidelity. Lying. Stealing. Deception, etc....someone had to lay the rules down and inform everyone that certain actions are wrong and even THEN some people still don't 'get it'.
So to me it's all lip service with some of these religious people.
....they are no more ethical or moral than the man who doesn't stick up a store because he's surrounded by cops.
Or the individual who runs red lights when the cops aren't around. Or the people who would cheat if their spouses never found out.

Anywho---
I'm sure we all know what happens when a group of religious people misunderstand scriptural instruction and carry out horrific acts while following rules and ethical morals they barely understand? That's right--sheer craziness!
-Manifest Destiny.
-The burning of suspected witches, period. Thousands upon thousands have been killed. Adults as well as babies...
-The Transatlantic Slave Trade

These and so many other acts couldn't be halted because the religious people did not and many still don't have the ability to think independantly. They cannot step outside of 'what God said' and QUESTION the validity and correctness of these 'rules'. Why? Well here are my thoughts: They have never bothered to define for themselves the difference between right and wrong or develop their OWN moral code. If you have no principles of your own you will mindlessly follow whatever is set before you.
That's what I've noticed.

Look at the religious who defend gay bashing and mistreatment under the banner of the Lord. They treat the homosexuals like a pack of subhuman lepers and I don't care how you cut---it is simply not right. I mean....have we learned nothing from history? A book tells you that these people are unnatural, strange and perverted and you just----believe it? You carry out prejudice because of it? Do you truly think it's right to treat another human being this way over something so minor and trivial? Thank God the bible makes no mention of left-handed people or the religious would probably be dismembering people.
Anway right is right and wrong is flat out wrong---- everything that is recognizably human about and within you should be screaming and railing against this...

But....this is what religion does to some people. Turns them into MINDLESS LEMMINGS....
Considering this I have no idea why many religious persons particularly Christians are of the mind that earth would be an immoral hellhole with-OUT religion. And what the hell is that based on? Couldn't be history...or current events. If any can figure it out let me know....

But still--- I would hesitate to rid the world of all religion.
Some people literally cannot function without religion. Seriously. They probably would not know how to act if they did not have a deity to tell them what to do. These are usually the ones who have to cite a prayer for strength before they contemplate doing something wrong.
....ESPECIALLY those who can't see ethical behavior occurring outside of religion. I've seen a few around on here an lemme tell you...these are the mf's you want to keep an eye on! Because there's a raving lunatic hiding beneath the surface.
Because if science ever completely disproves the God Hypothesis.....these will most likely be the first people to 'crack up'!

Anyway some religious people (like the people I spoke of above) NEED to have something to believe in...so I'm all for religion in a sense.
If belief in an ever watching deity is the only thing that can stop them and their nutty weak-willed, weak-minded friends from giving into criminal behavior and pushing this planet to the brink of chaos, I'm for it.

Answer 6

Religion creates subjective morality in which one tribe can go around killing another tribe because "God" said so.

We should eradicate all religion in exchange for a universal code of ethics that cannot be manipulated due to the will of the powerful under the guise of a deity.

Answer 7

No..morals and ethics were around thousands of years before religion stole the concepts.

Answer 8

Absolutely not. Religion and morals/ethics are not mutually inclusive.

I know people who claim to be religious, yet have questionable morals.

I know Atheists and Agnostics who are very ethical.

Answer 9

No. People don't need to be religious to be moral or have ethical behavior.

Answer 10

No, in fact I would suggest that because of religion we have even more unethical behavior and less morality. How can I say this? Because the following quote is very true.

"Religion is an insult to human dignity. Without it, you'd have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things, but for good people to do evil things, that takes religion." - Physicist Steven Weinberg

The people who do good do so because that is who they are, not because of religion. Evil people do evil things because that is who they are not because of religion. But then there are times when good people do evil things in the name of their religion and without it they would simply not have done it and so religion must be to blame.

Answer 11

To have morality and ethical behavoir according to who? (extreme case; Adolf Hitler killing 6,000,000 Jews was probably moral and ethical to him then).