Religion & Ethics PDF

Religion & E TH IC S #Throwback Thursday → wisdom → form → virtue  Can we be MORAL without RELIGION ? RELIGION & ETHICS ▪ both personal and communal. ▪ direct followers how to live their...

Religion & E TH IC S #Throwback Thursday → wisdom → form → virtue  Can we be MORAL without RELIGION ? RELIGION & ETHICS ▪ both personal and communal. ▪ direct followers how to live their own lives OR explain how to order society. Ethical culture refers to the shared values, beliefs, and practices within an organization or community that promote ethical behavior and decision-making. It encompasses the norms and expectations that guide how individuals act in various situations, emphasizing integrity, accountability, and respect. A strong ethical culture encourages open communication, supports ethical leadership, and promote an environment where ethical dilemmas can be discussed and resolved collaboratively. This culture is important for building trust and sustaining a positive reputation both internally and externally. Religion and ethics are closely intertwined, as many religious traditions provide moral frameworks that guide advocates in distinguishing right from wrong. 1. Moral Principles: Most religions offer core ethical principles, such as compassion, justice, and honesty, often derived from sacred texts and teachings. 2. Community and Identity: Religion often shapes community values and identity, influencing collective ethical standards and behaviors. 3. Guidance in Decision-Making: Religious teachings can serve as a guide for personal and societal ethical dilemmas, offering frameworks for resolving conflicts. 4. Variety of Perspectives: Different religions may have distinct ethical systems, leading to diverse interpretations of moral issues like justice, family, and human rights. 5. Secular Ethics: Some ethical frameworks are independent of religion, focusing instead on human reason and shared human experiences, but they can still be influenced by religious morals.  RELIGION & ETHICS ▪ Ethics compose the moral code of life—the way people should live with one another and with nature. ▪ By following an ethical or moral code any person can live a good, decent, compassionate, just, and loving life.  UNIVERSAL ETHICS ▪ The beliefs and rituals of the world’s religions are very different, but the ethics of the world’s religions are almost identical. ▪ The golden rule, “Do unto others what you would have them do unto you,” appears in almost the same words in many different and geographically separated faiths. ▪ For some reason, religions that don’t share a single common belief or ritual may share the same vision of human virtue. ETHIC S beliefs RITUAL S ▪ Ethical Culture → an ethical, educational, and religious movement found by Felix Adler in 1876. → because the ethics of the world’s religions are similar, this movement tried to just throw out all the different beliefs and rituals and stick with the ethical teachings. → with less than 10,000 followers. Felix Adler, in 1876, emphasized the concept of "ethical culture" as part of a movement he founded, known as Ethical Culture. His approach focused on promoting ethical behavior and moral development outside of traditional religious frameworks. Concept of Adler's ethical culture include: 1. Moral Development: Adler believed in nurturing individual moral growth through education and community engagement. 2. Universal Ethics: He advocated for a set of ethical principles that transcended specific religious beliefs, promoting values like compassion, justice, and social responsibility. 3. Community and Action: Ethical culture emphasized active participation in societal improvement, encouraging members to engage in social justice initiatives and community service. 4. Rational Ethics: Adler argued for a rational basis for ethics, focusing on human experience and reason rather than divine command. 5. Inclusivity: His movement aimed to create a welcoming environment for people of diverse backgrounds, emphasizing common ethical concerns over religious differences.  ETHICAL CULTURE ▪ One reason this approach probably wouldn’t work in the long run is that many religious ethics are part of religious rituals. ▪ Rituals that may seem to be nothing more than tribal rites end up containing tribal ethical wisdom when you look more closely. ❖ The Passover meal in Judaism is both a ritual and an ethical commentary on the importance of freedom. ❖ The Hindu practice of meditation is part of the ethical teaching of tranquility and patience. ❖ The tea ceremony in Zen Buddhism is both ritual and a way to teach the value of hospitality. ▪ Another reason that separating religious ethics from religious ritual and belief wouldn’t work is because ethics are taught through sacred texts and stories that are particular to a religion—even though the ethic itself is universal. ▪ Some of the Jataka tales teach compassion by linking this particular ethic to a related story in the Buddha’s life. ▪ parable – a short story that teaches a moral or spiritual lesson especially one of the stories told by Jesus Christ and recorded in the Bible. WHY PEOPLE FLOCK TO RE LIGION  WHY PEOPLE FLOCK TO RELIGION ▪ In a world of high-pressure sales and a prove-to-me-I-need-it mentality, it’s normal that some people expect religion to sell itself to them with promises of money, problem-free lives, and miracle cures. In a high-pressure sales environment, it's understandable that some individuals might approach religion with a transactional mindset, expecting promises of prosperity, problem-free living, or miraculous solutions. This perspective reflects broader cultural trends where success and fulfillment are often measured in material terms.  WHY PEOPLE FLOCK TO RELIGION ▪ for people of faith, religion offers something deeper. ▪ Example: one of the main beliefs of religions is hope » the hope that tomorrow will be better than today. » the hope that death is not the end of us. » the hope that good will win. ▪ In essence, religion offers people a way to navigate a broken world full of cruelty and disappointment.  DEALING WITH PROBLEMS , BIG & small ▪ Most religions maintain that one primary hurdle stops people from realizing their potential. By being able to overcome this hurdle, people can achieve whatever the ultimate reward in their religion is. ▪ The hurdle is different for different religions, as is the goal:  DEALING WITH PROBLEMS , BIG & small ▪ In Buddhism, the biggest problem is SUFFERING, and Buddhism solves that problem by offering a path to enlightenment, where suffering is no more.  DEALING WITH PROBLEMS , BIG & small ▪ For the Abrahamic faiths, SIN is the problem; and Judaism, Christianity, and Islam offer a path to salvation from sin. DEALING WITH PROBLEMS , BIG & small ▪ For Hinduism, the problem is being repeatedly reincarnated. ▪ Hinduism offers a solution to this problem by offering a way to release (moksha), from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. ▪ When a soul is free from desire, it will finally achieve moksha and live in a transcendent state for eternity. ▪ Religions don’t generally promise solutions to daily personal problems. Instead, they help people deal with the problems and accept the suffering the problems cause. ▪ Many people use religious faith as a way to maintain courage and patience as they work their way from sorrow or hardship into a time of joy and happiness. ▪ For many, living a life of faith is a way to deal with problems, not a way to magically sweep them away.  FINDING JOY ❖ Hindus call the ultimate happiness moksha, the term that refers to finally having attained perfection and being released from the constant cycle of birth-death-rebirth. ❖ Christians call this state ecstasy, the time when the believer, through faith, experiences an inner vision or union with God. ❖ Jews call it simcha, the joy they feel when they experience the Torah.  FINDING JOY ▪ Religious happiness points believers to lasting joy—to the joy of family and friends, the joy of rituals, and the joys of life’s passages—by challenging them to examine the happiness that comes from selfishness and replace it with selfless acts of kindness and generosity. ▪ Religious people believe that the greatest happiness comes from helping others, seeking wisdom, and doing God’s works. Thank you & God bless! Do you have any questions?