please don't answer if you are REALLY religious....?

Question

so i'm really sick of my mom trying to get be to believe in God. i tried telling her that a lot of the stories in the bible came from mythologies. blah, blah, blah. then we started talking about morals and sins. i told her that every has different morals and that there's not really such thing as a sin. something can seem normal and ok to one person, but it's something totally wrong for another. it's a matter of what a person believes in, what their environment was, and i guess how they were raised. what is your take on the matter? what are your takes and your definition of morals and sins? how are they different?

ok, please don't comment on anything that has to do with politics. the two subjects i hate the most are religion and politics.

and no, Hitler was wrong to kill the jews. he has bad morals. he's not necessarily a sinner.

society has developed so much that we have established a basis for what IS right and wrong. but like i said, what's the difference between having bad morals and committing a sin?

i totally respect all your answers, but i just want to clear some things up.
1. i said don't answer if you are REALLY religious. i don't care if you are christian or not, i want people who can see both sides to answer.
2. my rebellious teens years were over a while ago. this whole topic has been going on for years, and i just want to get some opinions.

it sounds like some of you guys want me to be exorcized or something. yeah, my mom probably think i'm the devil child, too bad i'm not the only one the family. i'm just the one who speaks my mind.

i think you guys completey missed the question i'm asking because you were reading too much into my relationship with my mom. all i asked was WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MORALS AND SINS.

Answer 1

Tell your mother that she doesn't get to judge you AT ALL. It goes against her beliefs. There are tons of people out there that agree with you. Don't be afraid to stand up for what you believe in. Sins are purely religious. I don't believe in sin. And a person can be very moral and very ethical without religon. I wonder how many religious people are in jail for rape and murder. Can we say "christian preachers"??

Answer 2

Morality is instilled it the individual, but it does not originate there. We are all born with the inate capacity for empathy and morality--our species could not have survived otherwise--but it takes our upbringing to fully form it.

I believe that morality comes from society and is based more or less on the ethic of reciprocity (the golden rule, from empathy). We determine what is right essentially by that parental admonishment, "How would you like it if someone did that to you?"

I don't believe in moral relativism, which appears to be what you are advocating. Relativism inevitably leads to Godwin's Law, which Disney Dude broached astonishingly early in the debate. Some societies are more ethically advanced than others, and Nazi Germany's ethic was clearly inadequate by our standards.

I don't believe in absolute morality either; absolutism leaves one no way out of ethical dilemmas. See Exodus 32 and Judges 11 to see the bloody consequences of a moral code that doesn't go beyond "because God said so," or "because it's the law." This type of "morality" is called a "command ethic."

I advocate objective morality--an ethical code that is based on some objective standard, yet is flexible enough to respond to morally ambiguous situation. E.g., if you've found yourself bound (Ex. 20:7) to offer your son (Gen. 22) or daughter (Judges 11) as a human sacrifice (in violation of Ex. 20:13), an objective morality based on reciprocity allows you break the vow, and will not hear of "I was just following orders."

Morals is about right and wrong or good and bad. Morals need no religious context. Sin is a transgression of a religious law, which isn't necessarily relevant to right and wrong.

Answer 3

Believing should come from you alone. A belief can be either as you accept that there is God or there is none. That must come from what you really feel in your heart and what your mind is telling you.
It is not your duty to your mom however, to convince her of the opposite because her belief is her own prerogative. She may be trying to let you see her world because she seems to be happy with that and she feels it is her duty to ask you to share what she enjoys at the moment.
Do not talk to her about morals or sin because you will never meet each other at the end. Just tell her that you are seriously processing your mind about the things that will carry you throughout your journey through life. The moral obligation that a man needs to do is to be right to himself and to give others the right to live and choose their own way to find or create their own destiny. Every sin is forgiveable and pardonable when the person who made mistake acknowledge his fault and work to clean up his mess. Not believing is not a sin but believing is more sinful if you embrace a faith but not follow the faith's order called God's command.

Answer 4

Perhaps you shouls try telling your mother that you have learned your morals from her and the rest of your family. If your mother believes you are good person, aside from your choice of religion, then she should back off of you. You have a lot of years left in you, and over time, you will no doubt change your mind in many arenas of thought as you have new experiences. Maybe you will want to convert one day, and maybel you won't.
As for sins, since I am an athiest, I don't believe in sins. Morality it a tricky thing since you are right; different people tend to have different ideas on what is right and what is wrong. From what I have seen, morality is not innate. Look at a two year going through the everything is mine stage of life. That child doesn't just magically grow out of that; parents or guardians are there to tell them "No!". As we grow older, we gain our morals based on those around us and society as a whole. Eventually, we hold on to the ones that make sense to us and dump the other ones. For example, when choosing a side on the divorce issue, you will instinctively rationalize your choice through use of your chosen moral standards. Is it more important to "save" an unborn fetus, or is it more important to have the freedom to choose? Neither answer is absolutely right, but one is right for you.

Answer 5

It sounds like your young and believing everything you hear in school. I find that interesting. You take as fact what a teacher tells you but deny everything your Mom does. Is it perhaps to be accepted in your school social group? Whatever the reason, your stand on morality are wishy washy and they have actually been the underlying reason for many people who kill without remorse or treat others abusively. When there are no boundaries anything goes and it most likely will. Our society has not set standards that are solid. They change over time and fit the agenda of those in power. That will ruin a people. It's evident all through history.

Perhaps it's time to stop fighting with your Mom and just ask her to give you time. Ask her to turn you over to her God and pray but give you space to determine your objectives in life. But I will warn you now, you will always face consequences for every action you take whether it be good or bad. Don't think the lack of absolutes you wish to believe in will eliminate that.

Answer 6

1.) Sin does exist because a sin means "a bad act" or "a rude act".

2.) I think people's morals are based upon how religious their family is. If my mother was a strict Christian then I will "Ignorantly"(because I am too lazy to read the bible) follow the religion.

3.) People's morals are also based upon their intelligence.

Well that is my take on the matter.

Answer 7

There are no sins as they are an affront to a Deity and since none exist there can be no sin. Morals are doing what it is right and ethical. Ethics need not be based on a religion. Who is the better person, one who act out of fear for consequences that might occur in the hereafter by a vengeful god or a person who does the right thing because it is the right thing to do and anticipates no celestial reward for doing good things?

Answer 8

So you want a logical reason for the whole religion thing?
Ok your mother didn't beat you with a claw hammer when you were born did she...No. She does not lock you in the basement to do slave labor does she?...No.
Because these things would be wrong.....Bear with me for a moment...

You were raised in a society somewhere right? Doesn't matter if its the USA, Iran, India, Tibet....these are all society's that have different religions ...And each country reflects a very strong influence played on by religion.

Virtually every religion in the world agrees on things like its wrong to murder...Its wrong to steal.....They make the world better...Agreed? I mean if there if there were no rules what would the world be like.
So as an end result then following proven doctrine leads one to be more kind and usually better life.. And it fills a void that we are all born with..

You have a right to believe what ever you want to...

Answer 9

Can't say I'm religious but I am spiritual. I guess you're Mom wants you to believe in God so that you may be able understand what morals and values are. You will not understand life, if you do not know the One who Created you, who is God. Is your Mom a Christian? Well, it is true your Mom can't force you to believe in God, but don't forget that God is " the way and the truth and the life" (John14:6). The environment does change but a person's morals changes by self-choice, your choice. I hope you make the right choice and follow the TRUTH.

Answer 10

I think you are normal, a teen that is rebellious, angry, unknowing of a lot of things, suspicious of almost everything, and searching for answers. Many of the answers can only come through time and experiences. Just one tiny little 'thing'... you have your own moral standards, right? Have you ever failed to live up to the standards you have set? Sure you have, and that would be a sin in anyone's dictionary. No judgment here, everyone falls short of their own standards. Please don't let hate get into this... understand that mom is only trying to help, not as you wish, but still she does not mean to harm you.

Answer 11

You can't just wish morality away. Moral relativism was proven to be insane by Nazi Germany. In 1943, it was perfectly legal and 'moral' to kill Jews and homosexuals. Do you really want to trust a system that can do that?
There MUST be an absolute morality, and that morality has to have an Author. You don't need to be religious to acknowedge that.
Sinning is merely 'missing the mark'. Whether you sin against God, Society, your parents, or yourself, you cannot pretend that sin doesn't exist. EVERYONE fouls up.