Religion and Morality

1. Religion and Morality Inter-relationships

2. Relationships • Is it true that morality depends on religion , even that it cannot be understood in the context of religion? • Ivan Karamoazov-”If God does not exist, everything is permissible.” (Moral nihilism)

3. Relationships • Major ethical theories have been developed independently.- Autonomy Thesis • Morality does not originate with God. • Rightness and wrongness are not based simply on God’s will. • Essentially, there are reasons for acting one way or the other which may be known independently of God’s will.

4. Relationships • Are Religious Ethics essentially different from secular ethics? • Kant argues that there is no difference- both God and humanity have to obey the same rational principles and reason is sufficient to guide us to these principles. What is good is good will- acting according to principles- Categorical Imperative. • In fact, God and immorality are necessary postulates of ethics- ought implies can. Must be able to reach moral perfection- not possible in finite life. God provides universal justice.

5. Religion is Irrelevant to Morality • Bertrand Russell- humans are free to think, evaluate, create, and live committed to ideals. Life has the meaning we give it, and morality will be part of any meaningful life. • James Rachels: In worshipping God believers relinquish their autonomy. One gives up their reason. Rachels and Nowell-Smith contend that religious morality is infantile because it is based on authority.

6. Religious Morality • Method of moral reasoning- “moral point of view.”- impartiality.- Golden Rule- consistency in our actions.- reciprocity. • Emphasis on relationships- to others in terms of Love and respect- Love your Neighbors- what means?

7. Religious Morality • Set of beliefs affirming the reality of moral retribution.- recompense- why be moral?- Karma, Punishment • Identifies ways to overcome “moral paralysis” and “despair about moral failure”- grace, atonement, assistance,

8. Religion and Moral Goals • Cosmic justice= summum bonum= happiness is proportional to virtue.- Kant – there must be a God to make this possible. • Humans desire happiness by nature- to be happy is to have nothing left to will- Aquinas- to have a total vision of reality= Beatific vision of God- necessary if nature to be fulfilled. Thomas- human desires and aims irremediably thwarted without God; this cannot be the case. • Camus- “Myth of Sisyphus”- No God- so human desires can be irremediably thwarted- absurdity of life.

9. Religion Enhances Moral Life • If there is a god, good will win over evil.- not fighting alone. (James, Royce) • If God, exists, then cosmic justice reigns- Kant. • If theism is true, moral reasons always override non-moral reasons. (Gauguin abandoned family) • If theism is true, then there is a God who loves and cares for us. • If there is a God who created us in his image, then all persons are of equal worth.

10. Divine Command Theory • An act is morally required (right) just in case God commands us to do it. • An act is morally wrong just in case God forbids us to do it. • An act is permissible just in case God neither commands nor forbids it. • Moral rightness= willed by God.

11. Problems • How does merely commanding something make it rights- • Is this good because God commands it or does God command it because it is morally right? • Can we be in doubt about what God commands- commanded to kill?

12. Natural Law Theory • God created nature and the laws of nature are in accord with God’s plan. • Natural law is universal and the same for all human beings at all times. • These moral laws of nature can be discovered by human beings. • Thus, these are guides to human moral action.

13. Problems • Counterexamples to nature is good- self-interest, disease. • Confuses “is” and “ought”- what is the case and what ought to be the case- descriptive & prescriptive- cannibalism. • Conflicts with the notion of nature proposed by science- not moral, purposive, but cause and effect.

14. Confucian Virtue Ethics • “The only purpose a man can have and also the only worthwhile thing a man can do is to become as good a man as possible.” • Ren- acting kindly toward others.- kind-heatedness. This is something we can become by cultivating our social, aesthetic, cognitive and moral powers. It is full humanity at its best.

15. Confucian Virtue Ethics • Shu and zhong-not doing to other what you do not want done to you and doing what is best for others. Shu= seeing someone else as being like yourself.= reciprocity. • Xiao- familial love and respect- practice of kindness, honor, respect, and loyalty among all family members. Society= one large family.