Board index ‹ Morality

[Hippo]

I hear from a lot of Christians that it is impossible to have morality without having some religious text as a basis for that morality. However, our world is a lot different than when the texts were written. How do you use these texts to accommodate for modern issues?

Let's take the Constitution of the United States. A lot of the laws established at the genesis of the United States are great, but as new controversial issues arise (like vaccinations and abortions), we're able to reason and debate these issues and even discuss the ethical principles behind these issues. Why is it then impossible to reason other moral issues without texts like the Bible?

My response time may be slow today, but I am looking forward to the enlightenment you all will provide.

[jimwalton]

I'm a Christian, and I think it's very possible to have morality without religion. There are lots of good people who are good because they want to be or choose to be, apart from any religious belief.

I also agree that some expressions of morality change from era to era or culture to culture. I'm fine with that. But I also believe that there are some things that are always (and universally considered wrong). Killing children for the fun of it is universally wrong. There is no society anywhere, no sane individual, no government in all of history that claims killing children for the fun of it is right. Some kill children as religious cultic sacrifices, some in genocide, some in warfare, some for convenience (abortion), and who knows what all else. Sometimes killing is justified and justifiable. But no one thinks that killing children for fun is right. Another one: no one thinks that torturing babies for the fun of it is right. No person, no society in history, no culture on the globe.

> Why is it then impossible to reason other moral issues without texts like the Bible?

It's not impossible, but the moral teachings of the Bible have been recognized by philosophers, ethicists, theologians, politicians, and commoners alike for millennia.