2007-10-03 00:02:47 · 41 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Must you have morals to be religious?
We both know the answer is a resounding no. Religion doesn't call for morals, it calls for obedience.
2007-10-03 02:45:09 · answer #1 · answered by Steven N 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
No , you do not need a Religion to have morals ...
... But you can have Better Morals without a religion.
Humanitarianism is a classic example : All human beings deserve respect and dignity and should be treated as such. When a earthquake or flood strikes the religious often say those people are being punished for their sins ( EG Sodom and Gomorra ) . Humanitarians are driven to rush in and alleviate the suffering of the victims – clearing up Gods mess.
In my personal experience I often find the non-religious and atheistic often take the moral high ground , since they are not restricted by outdated concepts in ancient texts. For example , the treatment of woman , most religions seem to see women as second class citizens. 1 Timothy 2:11 is the kind of thing from the Christian Bible which I find wholly immoral.
A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.
2007-10-03 00:38:09 · answer #2 · answered by londonpeter2003 4 · 3⤊ 1⤋
No, in fact I remember reading a book within the last 3 years written by the Archbishop of York (not the current one) called Morality without Religion. The only trouble is that I must have got some slight detail wrong somewhere as I cannot now find its existence by those specifications.
2007-10-03 00:23:39 · answer #3 · answered by Eddie D 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Personally, I have no set religion. I believe in God, but I do not attend church or read the bible (I went to a parochial school so I pretty much know what's in there lol). I do not think that religion plays a part in one's morals. I believe morals are what your parents teach you while growing up and not due to religion. Just look at religious extremists and the things they do--would you call that moral?
2007-10-03 00:07:12 · answer #4 · answered by lilbit8867 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Absolutely not. The problem is, once you abandon religion, you find you have to really think about your morality and articulate it, and that can be a challenge. For atheists like me, morality is not all set out in black and white fairytale rubbish as it is for religious people.
2007-10-03 07:15:31 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Undoubtedly, religion is man's association with the Divine, and the ultimate objective of religion is realization of Truth. Forms which symbolize Truth are only indications; they are not Truth itself, which transcends all conceptualization. The mind in its efforts to understand Truth through reasoning must always fail, for Truth transcends the very mind which seeks to embrace it.
Many are the sources of Hindu thought which inspire men and women to live the ideals of compassion and nonviolence.
We all know that Hindus, who are one-sixth of the human race today, believe in the existence of God everywhere, as an all-pervasive, self-effulgent energy and consciousness. This basic belief creates the attitude of sublime tolerance and acceptance toward others. Even tolerance is insufficient to describe the compassion and reverence the Hindu holds for the intrinsic sacredness within all things. Therefore, the actions of all Hindus are rendered benign or ahimsa. One would not want to hurt something which one revered.
On the other hand, when the fundamentalists of any religion teach an unrelenting duality based on good and evil, man and nature or God and Devil, this creates friends and enemies. This belief is a sacrilege to Hindus because they know that the attitudes which are the by-product are totally dualistic, and for good to triumph over that which is alien or evil, it must kill out that which is considered to be evil.
The Hindu looks at nothing as intrinsically evil. To him the ground is sacred. The sky is sacred. The sun is sacred. His wife is a goddess. Her husband is a god. Their children are divine. Their home is a shrine. Life is a pilgrimage to mukti or liberation from rebirth, which once attained is the end to reincarnation in a physical body. When on a holy pilgrimage, one would not want to hurt anyone along the way, knowing full well the experiences on this path are of one's own creation, though maybe acted out through others.
Yes,religion is a must to perform good deeds.
For more info,please visit http://www.himalayanacademy.com/resources/books/wih/
2007-10-03 02:37:51 · answer #6 · answered by Siva 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
No skylolo any one i believe who has a shred of decency can have morals, i believe its all about how we are brought up in life, the way we are taught whats right or wrong, religion is just a form of control for the masses, & i say that even though im Roman Catholic(non-practising) i believe in the goodness of humanity but also the evil of humanity.
2007-10-03 00:10:23 · answer #7 · answered by winter gerzy 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Religion does not equate to morals. You can be a good person without being affiliate to a religion. However, being a good person is not enough, if you do not believe in God.
2007-10-03 00:09:35 · answer #8 · answered by Aeon Enigma 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
No, and you may even have more morals than many of those hypocrits who call themselves religious, for instance the recent scandal involving the head of that Mormon commune is standard fair for that religion and many religions preach hate and intolerance, including Christianity.
If I want "religion" I go to the gym and exercise and meditate, or go visit a good friend or a therapist. I don't need religion.
2007-10-03 00:06:58 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 1⤋
To have morals? No, you can have morals without religion, but it does help. Also, considering the fact that without religion, you get moral relativism, then you would need religion.
2007-10-03 00:19:26 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋