Morality and Religion

[nebula]

it's just that I had this discussion with some people from another church last weekend and they said they stayed moral because they feared going to hell not because it was the right thing. It just kind of irks me that some Chrisitans feel this way that's all.

Well, I do agree that "staying moral" should not be about "fearing going to Hell."

However, I disagree that it should be about "the right thing to do."

Doing what is moral, right, just, righteous, holy - whatever term you feel most comfortable using - for Christians should be about "loving God above all things" and "loving your neighbor as yourself."

It is about obedience.

It is about love.

It is also about a transformed life.

"Ever changing from glory to glory."

"For it is God who works in you both to will and to act according to His good pleasure."

"Now the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."

"Don't you know that those who have been crucified with Christ have died to the things of this world?" (I think I got the quote right.)

I could go on and on and on and. . . .

[Guest yod]

Morality is a social judgement based on cultural norms. It can change from one society to the next.

I would argue that this is not entirely true. There are some ideals that are true across ALL societies. Now the entire moral ruleset does tend to change, but certain tenets always do hold true.

But all of those things are moral because they are righteous. Not the other way around.

[mobile21]

Just a simple question, but requires a complex answer. Where does religion begin and stop compared to morality? I'm not talking about being saved here, more of the questions that many of us grapple with about being a good person. IE is morality a seperate entity from religion? I know for most Christians it is blended with their faith but then again great theologions have surmised that morality must stand on it's own or it's not morality.

Ready... Set... Discuss!

"A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeeded be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death." --Albert Einstein

Religion can contain morality but morality can't contain religion.

Religion is composed of philosophy, axiology and ethics.

When it comes to religion, you can't isolate a concept as you can do it when analyzing ethics.

[Leonard]

Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

No, Boldlyproclaiming, I didn't miss what you were saying. My comment was really just a side-bar. Hope it wasn't too distracting.

With a blessing,

Leonard, a sinner

Hey, I think this was my 200th post!

[Tyler]

Posted by Mobile21

Our Lord Jesus Christ promised to St. Faustina in 1935 the following: "Whoever will go to confession and Holy Communion on that day will receive complete forgiveness of sin and punishment. Mankind will not enjoy peace until it returns to My Mercy."

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

You believe that?

2Co 11:14 And no wonder, since Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

Only Christ Saves

[stevehut]

Morality is a social judgement based on cultural norms. It can change from one society to the next.

Oh yoddie, yoddie, yoddie...

Cultural customs overrule the Scriptures? Please tell me that's not what you meant...

[Guest yod]

not at all steve-O

you don't know me very well, eh???

Let me give an example;

I think it's China where you are supposed to burp after a meal? That is morality in their society (politeness) where it's rude in ours.

Righteousness never changes from one society to the next.

And burping doesn't make you good or bad in God's eyes. (thank God!)

[Guest yod]

nah...that wasn't a good example...let me try again.

To an insecure wife it might be immorral for her husband to help any woman who she thinks is prettier than her. In her mind that is borderline adultery and a morality question.

Rightousness helps their neighbor without those concerns because "to the pure all things are pure"

Am I as clear as mud yet?

[irishcowboy]

if a person loves his(her) master, then they will do what the master wants.....

if a person does not love his or her master, they will be rebellious against their master......

The Lord tells us...... has said to us..... if you love Me, then keep my commandments..... there is no threat of punishment in this statement......

as far as keeping slaves, ( servants ) the Bible is specific on this as well......

it is specific on how to care for servants and how to be a servant......

mostly a servant can only be a servant for a set number of years, and then they are to be released......

it also tells us that we are not to owe no man anything but love, why??? cause if you owe some one something, you are obligating yourself to them, making yourself a servant ( or slave ) of sorts.......

this is one thing that credit cards have done, is caused people to make themselves slaves/servants to the banks/creditcard companies......

we are told we can not serve two masters, if you have a dept of any sort, then you are serving the creditor as your master..... if you have several debts, house, car, 6 credit cards all with a balance that is carried over from month to month, then there is 8 masters that are bucking for head master, and you are trying to figure out which one is the one that will get the payment this month, placing yourself deeper into slavery.....

money is one of the meanest masters a person can ever have.... money is one of the most wicked masters a person can be enslaved too........ thus, even in modern day times, there is slavery.....

the Bible tells us how to avoid slavery, and if we have slaves it tells us how to treat them justly.......

some religions have morals, but their morals are not moral at all, the homosexual religion is not moral, the religion of rape is not, the religion of satan worship is not, the religion of witchcraft is not..... there are other religions that even have said that if it dont hurt anyone, then it is ok..... that would include adultry, as long as it dont hurt anyone.... or theft, as long as it dont hurt anyone...... or lying, as long as it dont hurt anyone....... that is their moral view...... others are open to anyone and every one, they do not exclude anyone from their religion, and that is one reason they are the fastest growing religion this day, and that is muslim......

did you know, that in the United States, the Assemblies of God are the fastest growing denomination out of all the "Christian" groups???? yea, they have more new people coming in then any one else.... they have more people being saved then all the other "denominations" in the U.S.A. ....... the sad part is even their growth rate is at a steady ZERO PERCENT GROWTH RATE...... that means they are only holding steady..... they are only having the same number come in as that are leaving ( people leaving the church cause of reason, and people dying, adn going to nursing homes ) .....even at a Zero Percent growth rate they are still the fastest growing.....

Following the Lord is not a question really of doing right or wrong, being moral or immoral, it is about doing what the Lord wants you to do, not what man wants you to do......

Man is saying that certain things are ok......

God says NO!!!!!!

but yet cause we want to be Politically Correct, we do what man wants over what God wants, thus placing ourselves in the seritude of man instead of God......

Morality and the Bible are not separate things to be considereed.... God and Morality are not to be separate items, God and Morality are to be linked.....

V.R.

mike

[Hvnly1Rose]

nah...that wasn't a good example...let me try again.

To an insecure wife it might be immorral for her husband to help any woman who she thinks is prettier than her. In her mind that is borderline adultery and a morality question.

Rightousness helps their neighbor without those concerns because "to the pure all things are pure"

Am I as clear as mud yet?

Sorry Yod...that is also a bad example because jealousy is involved and not just morality.

Why not take the clothing issue into account. In one society it is prohibited for a women to show any skin at all (Afganistan, Saudi Arabia..etc) and then in another it is widely excepted to show as much skin as you can, even to be naked (France, Brazil...etc).

Morals are passed down from generation to generation. What I thought to be moral I later found out was not because I came to know the Lord. So, if in fact you are learning your morals from your parents and society it doesn't mean that they are the CORRECT set of morals.

I also believe that the Lord does put His word into our heart from an early age but we don't always heed to it, in fact we usually go our own way and are led by the people around us. So, if I were to live in a tribe of people that are canabalistic then I wouldn't have "thou shalt not kill" in my moral code. I believe that morality is a learned thing, just like after we are saved we read God's word and find out that something we thought was ok really wasn't, then we fix it (hopefully). So, when we except the Lord we become righteous and the Lord guides us in our walk of His morality...not society's.

JMHO

Blessings,

Rose