Abstract
Inarguably one of the most debated and controversial philosophies in the world is religion and the very existence of God. People have died and been killed in the name of and for religion since the very beginning of time.
Theists normally argue that leading a virtuous and ethically enriched life is not possible without guidance provided by God through religion and the framework of values that determine right from wrong. This framework is interpreted and propagated through various godly sources like the holy books and religious apostles and leaders. Whereas, religion and morality are almost always equated synonymously, atheists maintain that morality does not necessarily depend upon religion and a person can lead an exemplary life …show more content…
Ethics are, however, a set of objective beliefs or guidance on how one ‘ought’ to act or behave in the same situation. Using this as a basis, we can try to bring home the idea that to lead an ethically enriched and virtuous life, a person needs a specific framework of objective values that will define and develop our lives and behaviors.
OBJECTIVE ETHICS & MORAL VALUES – THEISM
Theism, or belief in God and religion come with a set of ‘objective’ values that are not based on individuals. They do not circumstantially change and are not dependent upon the followers’ experiences, situations, preferences or reasoning etc. The concept behind this is that God does not change and neither does his rules. What is right stays right in all situations and wrong is never allowed and that God is watching everything and will hold you accountable for your deeds. This is followed by the concept of divine rewards and divine punishments in the …show more content…
Humans, by natural default are evil and are instinctively more prone to take the path that would be consistent to their survival and salvation, regardless of the ethical measure. We are born with an in built desire to do bad things and disobey rules, break regulations and overstep boundaries. It takes a lot of strength and commitment to deviate from this innate nature which can only come from the divine intervention of religion.
When God is removed from the equation of life, what is left is intellectual bankruptcy as the very standard of establishing objective morality is removed. Without the fear of accountability, hell fire and damnation, what other obligation will an atheist have to go against the basic human nature? What will stop them from stepping on someone else, for their survival or gain, if they cannot see beyond the worldly life and consider themselves waived from any culpability?
It is in these situations that religion steps in as the diving line between what you would do and what you ought to do and he, who disregards this boundary will be living in a moral vacuum which can only be filled with divinity and
Inarguably one of the most debated and controversial philosophies in the world is religion and the very existence of God. People have died and been killed in the name of and for religion since the very beginning of time.
Theists normally argue that leading a virtuous and ethically enriched life is not possible without guidance provided by God through religion and the framework of values that determine right from wrong. This framework is interpreted and propagated through various godly sources like the holy books and religious apostles and leaders. Whereas, religion and morality are almost always equated synonymously, atheists maintain that morality does not necessarily depend upon religion and a person can lead an exemplary life …show more content…
Ethics are, however, a set of objective beliefs or guidance on how one ‘ought’ to act or behave in the same situation. Using this as a basis, we can try to bring home the idea that to lead an ethically enriched and virtuous life, a person needs a specific framework of objective values that will define and develop our lives and behaviors.
OBJECTIVE ETHICS & MORAL VALUES – THEISM
Theism, or belief in God and religion come with a set of ‘objective’ values that are not based on individuals. They do not circumstantially change and are not dependent upon the followers’ experiences, situations, preferences or reasoning etc. The concept behind this is that God does not change and neither does his rules. What is right stays right in all situations and wrong is never allowed and that God is watching everything and will hold you accountable for your deeds. This is followed by the concept of divine rewards and divine punishments in the …show more content…
Humans, by natural default are evil and are instinctively more prone to take the path that would be consistent to their survival and salvation, regardless of the ethical measure. We are born with an in built desire to do bad things and disobey rules, break regulations and overstep boundaries. It takes a lot of strength and commitment to deviate from this innate nature which can only come from the divine intervention of religion.
When God is removed from the equation of life, what is left is intellectual bankruptcy as the very standard of establishing objective morality is removed. Without the fear of accountability, hell fire and damnation, what other obligation will an atheist have to go against the basic human nature? What will stop them from stepping on someone else, for their survival or gain, if they cannot see beyond the worldly life and consider themselves waived from any culpability?
It is in these situations that religion steps in as the diving line between what you would do and what you ought to do and he, who disregards this boundary will be living in a moral vacuum which can only be filled with divinity and