Religion and Ethics

[Yerda]

Hey, you should become Catholic, we definately don't have those guidelines.

When I was a boy, my parish Priest was inebriated during mass fairly often. I suppose delving into alcoholism eases the pain of missing the lady folks.

 

[rheff78]

Ahem! Borrowed, I'd say. Interesting. I thought y'all only let the priest drink the wine. Do the laity drink wine at the Eucharist now?

Not all churches do. It is offered at some. I see no point in taking the wine as I am already consuming the body and blood with the eucharist.

 

[Ashley-Yin]

What do you think about religions dictating how people should live their lives?

Most, if not all, religions, large and small include some form of ethical rules or guidelines.
A common one is the prohibition or guideline against its members drinking alcohol. Is this really the best thing a religion should be doing though?
If a person never touches alcohol, they'll never feel any of the negative effects, which while on the surface may seem like a good thing, it also means the person will never actually understand why, perhaps, they shouldn't drink. They never have the experience that would allow them to form their own judgement and create their own sense of what is good and bad for them.
The same goes for vegetarianism, if someone is encouraged (or even forced) into vegetarianism from a young age they'll probably never face the moral dilemma that comes with eating meat, which means their beliefs on that matter don't arise from within themselves, but come from others.

Obviously there are hundreds of ways in which the various world religions guide or form their followers sense of ethics, but do they do this at the expense of personal understanding and growth?

Would the sign of a truly great religion be that it's teachings instill a sense of ethics into its followers without the need to actually control their behaviour with rules and prohibitions?

and now we add killing people to the equation. how many people on earth grow up being taught not to kill other people and how many people arent taught this, how many have had the experience of killinkg a human.
even the most evil people and gods know that killing is wrong, the thing with them is and allways will be 'power' (in this case over the life of a human) and that they are ultimately unhappy in their lives.

 

[idea]

What do you think about religions dictating how people should live their lives?

Most, if not all, religions, large and small include some form of ethical rules or guidelines.
A common one is the prohibition or guideline against its members drinking alcohol. Is this really the best thing a religion should be doing though?

I give my kids rules, not to cage them, but to keep them free. Would you rather be an alcoholic or abstain? I have never tasted cyanide – a strict rule not to go near the stuff – does this rule imprison me? The point is to keep you from imprisoning yourself...