Can one be Moral and Not Believe in God
Can one be Moral and not Believe in God?
This paper will look at the issue of God and Morals and if one can be moral and not believe in God. I will show an argument for each side of this coin along with giving which side I agree with. As much as possible, I will address this issue from a philosophical point of view. I would like to note that in doing research for this paper I found that most believe that one does not have to believe in God to have moral and that there are no moral principles shared by all people who do believe in God. Let me first define the meaning of what Morals are. Morals are concepts of what is “good” and what is “bad” or “right” and “wrong”. Morals are how one should behave given this; they get formed and become a tradition in a certain society. The moral rules may be very different in different countries or even in the same country where different cultures live together such as in the United States. Morals are a subjective phenomenon, since most of their rules do not follow from the objective necessity and advisability. Morals are about what turns of speech are decent and what are not, what one should be ashamed of, what is “appropriate” to do and what is not and so forth (Unknown, 2007). First let me state that in the majority this paper the God I will be using is the Christian God, for He is the only God I know, therefore is the only view I can give, although different cultures may in fact believe in a different God and therefore have a different opinion of God and what is moral. According to Dick Tripp an Anglican Clergyman with experience in parish
ministry in the Diocese of Christchurch, New Zealand, and has an MA in Theology from Cambridge University. It is the God who created the universe and has made himself known through chosen people through history. Morality begins with the character of God. Therefore is no other foundation for it. God has created us as moral
This paper will look at the issue of God and Morals and if one can be moral and not believe in God. I will show an argument for each side of this coin along with giving which side I agree with. As much as possible, I will address this issue from a philosophical point of view. I would like to note that in doing research for this paper I found that most believe that one does not have to believe in God to have moral and that there are no moral principles shared by all people who do believe in God. Let me first define the meaning of what Morals are. Morals are concepts of what is “good” and what is “bad” or “right” and “wrong”. Morals are how one should behave given this; they get formed and become a tradition in a certain society. The moral rules may be very different in different countries or even in the same country where different cultures live together such as in the United States. Morals are a subjective phenomenon, since most of their rules do not follow from the objective necessity and advisability. Morals are about what turns of speech are decent and what are not, what one should be ashamed of, what is “appropriate” to do and what is not and so forth (Unknown, 2007). First let me state that in the majority this paper the God I will be using is the Christian God, for He is the only God I know, therefore is the only view I can give, although different cultures may in fact believe in a different God and therefore have a different opinion of God and what is moral. According to Dick Tripp an Anglican Clergyman with experience in parish
ministry in the Diocese of Christchurch, New Zealand, and has an MA in Theology from Cambridge University. It is the God who created the universe and has made himself known through chosen people through history. Morality begins with the character of God. Therefore is no other foundation for it. God has created us as moral
Links: DE WAAL, F. (2010). Morals Without God? Retrieved from http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/morals-without-god/?_r=0 Dye, L Geefay, F. (2013). Morality without Religion? Retrieved from http://rsocialconscience.wordpress.com/2013/09/12/morality-without-religion/ Iliescu, A Machan, T. R. (2008). WHY MORAL JUDGMENTS CAN BE OBJECTIVE*. Social Philosophy & Policy, 25(1), 100-125. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/205288635?accountid=32521 Morriston, W Mosser, K. (2010). A concise introduction to philosophy. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/books/ Tripp, D Unknown. (2007). Morals and Ethics. Retrieved form http://www.religiousbook.net/Books/Online_books/Jt/Jesus_Teaching_20.html