The Relationship Between Religion and Morality

The Relationship between Religion and Morality

Morality: how we define what is right and what is wrong. Morals play a part in every day life; they influence our actions and judgments. We need a sense of right and wrong to live together peacefully and establish a just government. But where do our morals come from? Some would say moral behavior stems from our societal environment and the enforcement of rules. Others might say mankind is naturally instilled with "moral fiber" and that the desire to live cooperatively is inherent in us. However, one cannot deny the historical and continual impact religion has on our perception of "right" and "wrong."

Until recently, it was always thought that civilization began when hunter/gatherers became farmers and that religion came later. Though some religious practices date back to the Stone Age, it is believed that when humans began to civilize, religion became a way to unify the societies through a common idea of a "celestial order."(Mann 6) However, there is new evidence that led Klaus Schmidt, a researcher at the German Archaeological Institute, to suggest the opposite or that religion and civilization came together. Southern Turkey is the home of the world's oldest temple, Göbekli Tepe, which dates back 11,600 years ago. New archaeological findings at this site suggest that a foraging population created the temple for religious purposes and worship. This contradicts the former belief that the development of agriculture gave rise to civilization. Schmidt's idea is that foragers came together to build this temple, and their settling down resulted in civilization and that agriculture came later. (Mann 6) Either belief promotes the strong historical presence of religion and that our ability to form a functioning society was dependent on it.

I believe it to be no coincidence that since the formation of civilization, religion was established to order society. (Mann 6) It presents the idea of a strong correlation between morality and religion. With a functioning society must come the necessity of morals. Some system of morals had to have developed within civilization to promote cooperation and peace. I believe if religion was needed to bring order to society, than morality must have come with it or at least been influenced by it.

Government has always played a role in the enforcement of some important moral codes. Laws prohibiting stealing, murder, and in some forms, lying (cheating on taxes, committing fraud, etc.) are common throughout history and in today's world. Committing adultery can even have some legal consequences. How is it that these fall so closely in line with the moral standards the majority of religions command? For instance, in Christianity, one is told to follow the Ten Commandments found in the Bible. These Commandments include:

You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not bear false testimony against your neighbor. (221)

The answer furthermore illustrates the connection between morality and religion. I see religion as the foundation for morality. We need religion to provide us with moral codes. Out of these religiously established moral codes came law.

In the past, it was common that a government had an established mandated religion for its people. This would mean that religiously influenced moral standards were imposed upon society and if laws of the past affect those of the present, religious involvement in society would still be withstanding. Today, society may retain a moral code that can be followed without any religious affiliation, but its religious derivations still remain. Therefore, those who consider themselves "non-religious" yet moral, are simply denying the religious backgrounds of their morals.

Secular morality is an idea that morals can exist free of any religious influence or background. This idea claims that morality is social. That we, as individuals, have responsibilities to our communities and people that lead us to live morally. Respecting these responsibilities