24 June.2016.Moral Studies-Chapter 4 : Moral Values and Religion

Date:24 June 2016,Friday

Chapter 4 : Moral Values and Religion

Religion has profoundly affected human conscious life and moral behavior for over 2,000 years

For western civilization, morality has been identified with adherence to religion.


Religion and Morality

1. To act immorally has been seen as essentially disobeying God. 
2. Religion has dominated the moral landscape to appear to be indistinguishable from morality
3. most people identify morality with religion 

Islam 
the islamic moral system stems from its primary creed of belief in One God as the creator ans sustained of the universe. islam considers the human race to be a part of God creation and as his subjects. from an Islamic perspective, the purpose of human life is to worship God, by leading this worldly life in harmony with the divine will and there by achieve peasce in the word nd everlasting success in the life of the hereafter. Muslims look to the glorious quran and the traditions of the prophet as their moral guides

Confucianism
Now, we return to the concept of xi which is not an innate quality of "good" or "evil" in each person. However, xi symbolizes a mysterious power that manifests as the human capacity or potentiality for learning. Confucianism teaches that when a person is born, he is not predisposed toward being a hero or a villain. However the question of whether man in born good, neutral, or evil is an enigma that philosophers have been grappling with for thousands of years. Trying to understand whether man is born good, evil or neither calls for an assumptive theory that can become the foundation for an entire philosophy. Confucian philosophy rests on the idea that man is not born inherently good, and must learn how to behave ethically. Therefore, it is necessary to compare the thinking of Confucius with other great philosophers who have pondered over this question of whether man has any innate qualities. First we turn to Plato who agrees with Confucius Plato contends that man must learn how to  be good according to societal and cultural norms.

Named of philosopher (Confucian)

Buddhism
Essentially, according to Buddhist teachings, the ethical and moral principles are governed by examining whether a certain action, whether connected to body or speech is likely to be harmful to one's self or to others and thereby avoiding any actions which are likely to be harmful. In Buddhism, there is much talk of a skilled mind. A mind that is skillful avoids actions that are likely to cause suffering or remorse. Moral conduct for Buddhists differs according to whether it applies to the laity or to the Sang-ha or clergy. A lay Buddhist should cultivate good conduct by training in what are known as the 5 precepts. These are not like, say, the 10 commandments, which, if broken, entail punishment by God.  The 5 precepts are training rules, which, if one were to break any of them, one should be aware of the breech and examine how such a breech may be avoided in the future. The resultant of an action (often referred to as karma) depends on the intention more that the action itself. It entails less feelings of guilt than its Judeo - Christian counterpart. Buddhism places a great emphasis on "mind" and it is mental anguish such as remorse anxiety guilt etc which is to be avoided in order to cultivate a calm and peaceful mind

cycle of life:karma

You are borm what you are


Taoism

Harmony is the most moral precept in Taoism. Taoism teaches that the world is divine and human interference often destroys the natural order. Consequently, Taoist to seek to maintain natural harmony. Worldly forces such as darkness and light balance each other out and moral Taoists respect this balance without tipping it any one way through their actions. Taoism forbids actions that would violate this balance, such as murder, lying and promiscuity. Similarly, Taoist morality emphasize self control and followers should avoid letting their desires compel them toward action.

Hinduism
Hinduism teaches that humans are moral agents who have the imperative of applying their understanding of their religion to their daily lives, Hindus believe that the supreme reality, Brahman, exists in all thins, including the bodies of all individuals. Hindu morality preaches the importance of understanding and realizing this divine presence. Hindu morality preaches the importance of action in daily life and karma is the chief agent of this morality. If an individual acts morally by helping others, worshiping deities and acting selflessly, she accrues positive karma, but when individuals fail to live up to that standard and perform acts motivated by greed or hatred, they accrue negative karma, Hindus believe that when good things happen to them, its a result of positive karma, while bad outcomes are a result of negative karma. The Hindu belief in reincarnation means that karma also extends across lifetimes and a negative event may be the result of bad karma from a person's previous life.