With civilization, societies in which people coexist continue to emerge, leading to diverse societies and cultures. In the name of societal cohesion, people share common ideologies and understandings of different phenomena within communities. Belief in a divine being forms part of the aforementioned common ideologies as people find a common factor despite their different backgrounds. Through religion, believers gain a common goal in achieving peace within their lives. For instance, the Christian Bible calls for people to love their neighbors as they love themselves (The Holy Bible: New King James Version). Such scriptural concepts are applicable in the lives of human beings, as indeed, they do have to live alongside other people to whom they are unrelated. By doing what is good, a person in considered moral. Thus, morality is not only applicable in the personal lives of individuals. Rather, morality is evident to families and communities at large as it calls for a peaceful coexistence. This research paper seeks to prove that religion does play a role in the understanding of morality, but the degree at which said religion is applied, depends on the personalities of people and their choices in life.
Religion is simply the worship of a heavenly being. It calls for faith and belief because God cannot be seen but is in possession of many powers that the human brain cannot fathom. Consequently, as people believe in a divine being, cultures dictate the need for said people to follow the teachings of the same. For instance, Christianity calls for people to help the poor. Thus, a Christian is expected to aid the less fortunate as an act of his or her faith (The Holy Bible: New King James Version). In addition, the personal understanding of the Al-Qaeda is that they act under the veil of Islam instead of the choices of its members. As a result, most nations discriminate Muslims while in most cases those discriminated against do not support the work of the group. Because they use religion in committing atrocities against non-Muslim states, they involve the rest of believers. The inclusion is because it is believed the teachings of the Islamic faith are universal. It is no wonder that polls in America suggested “admission of Muslims into the United States ought to be reduced to a minimum or eliminated altogether” (Elver 136). On the other hand, morality is the personal understanding of the difference between wrong and right. Unlike religion where masses are given lessons and required to act in one accord, morality is a personal decision. Therefore, the morals of one person cannot be used to judge his or her family as they are their personal behavior or choices. That is why a convicted murderer faces the charges alone and cannot involve his family in the punishment chosen by the court.
Regardless of a person’s religion, provided one believes in a superior being, he or she is accepted within the society. However, even those without a religion still have to be moral in the sense that they adhere to the traditional understanding of correct behavior. Paul concurs with the concept of religion playing a role in the understanding of morality (1). His perceptive is evident as he quotes Benjamin Franklin stating, “religion will be a powerful regulator of our actions” (Paul 2). Consequently, it is a belief that “a person who has no religion must have no values” (Zuckerman 953). It is therefore, acceptable that, “many people assume that atheists and non-religious people lack strong values or ethical beliefs” (Zuckerman 255). Atheists believe that there is no God and as a result, they do not have any religious conviction. About their morality, atheists are believed to give little regard to what cultures perceive to be right and wrong. On that note, it is safe to assume that religion forms part of traditions because people integrate religious teachings in cultural norms. For instance, the world’s most prominent religions are Christianity and Islam. In both beliefs, it is a sin to steal because it causes losses to the victim and promotes evil in the proprietor. In this case, there is evidence to the aforementioned presence of religion in cultural norms as stealing is against the law. State laws are fundamental to all people regardless of their religion or their lack of belief in God. Hence, even atheists follow religious beliefs in the form of laws. In this case, religion plays an indirect role in the perception of morals by forcing people to abide by societal understandings of right and wrong.
People understand religious information differently and due to said differences, the actions of one religious person cannot be compared to that of another person. For instance, in a given church a pastor can preach from a specific passage in the Bible. A good example is in the book of Exodus, where the Bible gives a record of the Egyptians enslaving the Israelites (The Holy Bible: New King James Version). By the end of their enslavement, the Egyptians had incurred massive losses including the death of their firstborns and failure of their livestock and crops in the fields (The Holy Bible: New King James Version). In the same passage, God is portrayed as a savior and a ruthless avenger for the Israelites. When such a passage is taught to a congregation, the ability to understand the moral of the story depends solely on a person’s background. A person who has been hurt will probably see the story as a promise that God will avenge him or her. It is even possible that said person will see violence as an answer to his problems and might choose to exert a punishment on his tormentors. On the other hand, a person from a good and stable background will see the merciful side of God as he puts an end to the suffering of the Israelites. Thus, it is evident that a religion can be presented in the actions of believers, though in different ways that some might perceive to be wrong. Again, in the case of the Al-Qaeda murder is against the Islamic faith (Ali), however, the terrorists believe that when they kill they defend their religion.
Conclusively, States use laws to gauge morals by ensuring people adhere to set rules and regulations for a peaceful coexistence. In turn, many of the said laws find basis in religious teachings that aid its believers in following a righteous path. Thus, is safe to argue that religion plays an important role in morality as it provides understanding on what is right or what can be recognized as wrong. In addition, those brought up within a religious setting will probably find it easier to adhere to the law because they are familiar with the same. On the other hand, the personal perception of religion dictates an individual’s choice in whether to follow provided teachings or decline all the information gained from their faith. Personal perception explains the existence of a peaceful Muslim community and one that exhibits violence. At the same time, religious teachings are present within societies in the form of culture and as stated before, state laws. As a result, people adhere to religious beliefs indirectly as they are forced to obey the law. It is the main reason atheists can also be moral. Finally, yet importantly, the actions of one person cannot be used to judge those of another person or their religion. Even in the courts of law, evidence has to be presented for a person to be charged with a particular crime. If one can prove that, every person from a particular religion shares the same notions then the aforementioned judgment will be justified. However, as there are no means of gaining information on all Christians or Muslims, it is best if people refrain from committing the previously mentioned form of immorality. Religion can coincide with morality through direct and indirect means.
Works Cited
Ali, Abdullah Yusuf. The Holy Qur'an. Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Editions Ltd, 2001. Web.
Elver, Hilal. "Racializing Islam Before and After 9/11: From Melting Pot to Islamophobia." Transitional Law & Contemporary Problems Vol.21:119 (2012): 119-174. Print.
Paul, Gregory S. "Cross-National Correlations of Quantifiable Societal Health with Popular Religiosity and Secularism in the Prosperous Democracies." Journal of Religion & Society Volume 7 (2005): 1-17. Print.
The Holy Bible: New King James Version (NKJV). Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, 2005. Web.
Zuckerman, Phil. "Atheism, Secularity, and Well-Being: How the Findings of Social Science Counter Negative Stereotypes and Assumptions." Sociology Compass Vol. 3, No. 6 (2009): 949–971. Print.
