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A Question of Morality
- Thread starter rojse
- Start date
Of necessity? No.
I measure the 'betterness' of a moral system by its closeness to God's wishes for our morals. Thus, one could construct a moral system closer to God's wishes than one that is given to you but further from those wishes...
edit: That said, I am unsure that there is a person whose morals do not reflect themselves to at least some extent, nor one whose system does not have any external influences...
I measure the 'betterness' of a moral system by its closeness to God's wishes for our morals. Thus, one could construct a moral system closer to God's wishes than one that is given to you but further from those wishes...
edit: That said, I am unsure that there is a person whose morals do not reflect themselves to at least some extent, nor one whose system does not have any external influences...
Last edited:
rojse
RF Addict
So, in short, your morals have to be based on the ten commandments and the Bible, or is there something more complex, Mr. Emu?
Seven
six plus one
Obviously it depends on what you mean by better. If you measure the morality of a choice or action by the the amount of suffering it causes then the better moral code is the one that minimizes suffering. In this sense morality can exist independent of peoples opinions.
So I guess it doesn't matter where you get your moral code from, what matters is how applying it affects yourself and others.
So I guess it doesn't matter where you get your moral code from, what matters is how applying it affects yourself and others.
More complex... but it does include...
rojse
RF Addict
Well, don't keep me in suspense.
Trey of Diamonds
Well-Known Member
They would have to be judged on a case by case basis.
My apologies, but I must... I don't have to time to elaborate beyond mere simplicity...
My moral system includes the Ten Commandments, as well as the teachings of Jesus, the teachings of the writers of the New Testament, and the Church, all filtered through my brain...
Generally yes, because one is fully behind it and therefore more prepared to either adapt or reject it when need be.
MindHunter
Member
The Lake Wobegon effect (Lake Wobegon effect - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia), self-serving bias and other biases would imply that your internal system is better than the external one.
However, that answer is beating-around-the-bush. A more detailed answer needs a detailed answer from you: how would you define it as being better, as in, what needs to happen to make it better?
Simply though, it'd depend on whether you find it easier to adhere to the moral systems, either internal or external based.
Caladan
Agnostic Pantheist
I think that many people in our age are capable of running a healthy life without an external morality system, but there are still masses that are kept in place with an external one, and masses of people that simply cannot construct a moral system for themselves.
furthermore, countless people have been indoctrinated with systems that claim absolute morality, but in reality these moral systems do not even begin to face the social challenges of the 21st century.
furthermore, countless people have been indoctrinated with systems that claim absolute morality, but in reality these moral systems do not even begin to face the social challenges of the 21st century.
jrbogie
Member
i firmly think that a moral and ethical set of standards you create yourself is supperior to being indoctrinated. time and time again i see the faithful come accross a situation that is not covered in scripture or religious teachings. confusion results as they first wonder what god would want and then reconciling that with what they think is morally correct. and of course we often here things like "he's not a good christian" or "she is not following the koran" or whatever. even having it written down confuses if everybody interprets scripture to suit their own morals.
having the experience for thinking about my morals and ethics for decades, refining them as i make mistakes, i have nobody to blame but myself on the few occasions where i'm confused with what s the right thing to do. but because i created my standard in the first place, i think i adapt more readily. you'll never here me excusing my actions with "it's god's will".
to be fair though, i'll look at it from this perspective. perhaps no moral standard is any better or worse than another. but certainly religious morals are no higher than mine and being condemned to buring for eternity because i don't believe precisely as they do or else is just sick in my view. that one concept of hell does not measure up to my standard of equality.
The sad state of the world today is the result of people deciding for themselves what is good and bad. Those who reject God's rulership make the same mistake our first parents made, assuming for themselves the perogative of deciding morality. The Bible clearly shows the folly of doing that. (Jeremiah 10:23, Proverbs 14:12)
The apostle Paul, before becoming a Christian, shared in killing and persecuting Christ's followers, doing so believing he was right and justified. His background in the precepts of Judaism colored his thinking and caused him to do things he later deeply regretted.
We cannot prevent ourselves from being influenced by outside forces. The Bible says Satan is 'misleading the entire inhabited earth'. (Revelation 12:9). We will either be influenced by him and the world he controls, or by God and his holy spirit and Word.
Sadly, most people make the same wrong choice as our first parents.
The apostle Paul, before becoming a Christian, shared in killing and persecuting Christ's followers, doing so believing he was right and justified. His background in the precepts of Judaism colored his thinking and caused him to do things he later deeply regretted.
We cannot prevent ourselves from being influenced by outside forces. The Bible says Satan is 'misleading the entire inhabited earth'. (Revelation 12:9). We will either be influenced by him and the world he controls, or by God and his holy spirit and Word.
Sadly, most people make the same wrong choice as our first parents.
PureX
Veteran Member
First, we would need to establish the criteria for quality regarding morality. What defines "good" morality from "bad" morality? If good morality is defined by it's ability to help people live together in peace, harmony, prosperity, etc, then I suspect social morality would be more important, or "better" than individual morality. But if the quality of morality is defined by it's ability to help us transcend ourselves as individual human beings, then I suppose that a personal morality would be the more important, or "better" moral endeavor.
Magic Man
Reaper of Conversation
I don't think you necessarily have to create it yourself, but one that is based on your understanding of the world is better than one that you follow because you're told to. "Treat others as you'd want to be treated" is not a new morality. It's been around as long as religion has. However, it's something you can actually understand and personalize. Following commandments like "Thou shalt not..." because they come from God leaves no room for critical thinking.
Charity
Let's go racing boys !
I believe morality is based on one's own perception and convictions of right and wrong based on personal values and opinions. It is not something necessarily that is connected with religious doctrine. Some of the best and most moral people that I know have never been affiliated with any religious teaching......
I have also been associated with people who claim religion,and are some of the most immoral and perverted people who use their religion as a cover.....
I have also been associated with people who claim religion,and are some of the most immoral and perverted people who use their religion as a cover.....
jrbogie
Member
"the sad state of the world today"???? violent crime rates have been steadily declining for more than four decades. even with iraq and afganistan the world has not seen such peace and non violent confrontation in almost a half century. we live longer and more healthy lives than ever in all countries except for a few who still reside in the "old world" of your yesterday. world citizens on average have more wealth than ever and even with the economic troubles more own their own homes. and all of this with religion declining accross the world on a percentage basis. "the sad state of the world"?????? jeez.
Father Heathen
Veteran Member
That depends on which one happens to be more sensible and logical.
Father Heathen
Veteran Member
Yeah, the world was so much better during the dark ages when people blindly followed primitive superstitions.