What makes something immoral?

[Ninja Turtles]

I want to ask the question, is it the action or the thought behind the action that makes something immoral? And how and when does this apply?

 

[levi501]

motivation and circumstances around said action determine morality.
All actions are neutral until put into context.

Harm or intent to harm is the number 1 factor I use in determining morality.
For others, however misguided, it's an old book... despite any appeals to logic.

 

[Zaac]

I want to ask the question, is it the action or the thought behind the action that makes something immoral? And how and when does this apply?

Both.

But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5:28

If you think it, you might as well have done it for they are both sinful.

The measure of immorality is Jesus Christ.

 

[Marek]

I want to ask the question, is it the action or the thought behind the action that makes something immoral? And how and when does this apply?

It is both the thought and lack of thought behind an action that makes it immoral. If one's intention is to do harm, then that act is immoral. If one has the capability to understand how to act, yet is ignorant of their actions, they still must be held responsible for their immoral acts. This always applies.

 

[Ninja Turtles]

So what makes adultery immoral? If one person is in the dark about the other, is only one person acting immorally, or are both? Because for one it is thought and action, whereas the other it is just action.

 

[Corran]

I want to ask the question, is it the action or the thought behind the action that makes something immoral? And how and when does this apply?

No act is immoral by itself. Things become immoral when perceived that way.
And even then it is only immoral when viewed from a certain point of view.

 

[Zaac]

So what makes adultery immoral? If one person is in the dark about the other, is only one person acting immorally, or are both? Because for one it is thought and action, whereas the other it is just action.

If you're not married, you're not committing adultery. You're fornicating. And if the other person isn't married to you but to someone else and you still don't know it, you're STILL knowingly committing fornication so you're still BOTH acting sinfully and immorally.

 

[Ninja Turtles]

If you're not married, you're not committing adultery. You're fornicating. And if the other person isn't married to you but to someone else and you still don't know it, you're STILL knowingly committing fornication so you're still BOTH acting sinfully and immorally.

Not if you've married that person. Jumping the gun a bit, make no assumptions.

 

[Zaac]

Not if you've married that person. Jumping the gun a bit, make no assumptions.

There were no assumptions made. If you're committing adultery, then it's with someone to whom you are not married.

 

[Ninja Turtles]

There were no assumptions made. If you're committing adultery, then it's with someone to whom you are not married.

Bigamy is a form of adultery. Or perhaps the term I'm looking for is infidelity.

Another thought that occured to me, does adultery require knowledge of the other person's marital status?

 

[Zaac]

Bigamy is a form of adultery. Or perhaps the term I'm looking for is infidelity.

Yes bigamy is adultery because you're having sexual relations with someone who is not your spouse. Marrying them does not make them your spouse. God marries you, and for you to marry , by man's law, someone else while in His marriage, you are indeed committing adultery.

Another thought that occured to me, does adultery require knowledge of the other person's marital status?

Your committing adultery is based upon YOUR marital status, not the other person's status.

If that person is married and you do not know it, and you're not married, that person is committing adultery and you are fornicating. And if YOU are married and don't know anything about the other person's status, you are STILL committing adultery.

 

[Ninja Turtles]

Yes bigamy is adultery because you're having sexual relations with someone who is not your spouse. Marrying them does not make them your spouse. God marries you, and for you to marry , by man's law, someone else while in His marriage, you are indeed committing adultery.

Your committing adultery is based upon YOUR marital status, not the other person's status.

If that person is married and you do not know it, and you're not married, that person is committing adultery and you are fornicating. And if YOU are married and don't know anything about the other person's status, you are STILL committing adultery.

I think we're on the same page here. The action translates to committing adultery, but is it immoral. And we're not talking about oher charges of immorality, but that of the specified action.

Does a person that plans to take the life another person committing an immoral act by their actions or their thoughts?

 

[an7222]

I want to ask the question, is it the action or the thought behind the action that makes something immoral? And how and when does this apply?

If the outcome of an action favors the existence of happy and fulfilling consious life, it can be considered moral because happy and fulfilling consious life is the biggest of all moral values.

 

[Zaac]

I think we're on the same page here. The action translates to committing adultery, but is it immoral. And we're not talking about oher charges of immorality, but that of the specified action.

Does a person that plans to take the life another person committing an immoral act by their actions or their thoughts?

Both. By God's law, if you think it in your heart, it's the same as committing the act. That's why lust is sin.

 

[Ninja Turtles]

Both. By God's law, if you think it in your heart, it's the same as committing the act. That's why lust is sin.

Then the lust is the sin, not the adultery.

But I'm not asking that question, I'm asking if you have are committing some action is it immoral based on your actions or thoughts.

 

[hernyaccent]

If I don't like it then it's immoral and I will find some sort of old writing to support it.

 

[Zaac]

Then the lust is the sin, not the adultery.

They are both sin. If you lust before you get to the actual sin, the lust is no less sinful than the actual performing of the act.

But I'm not asking that question, I'm asking if you have are committing some action is it immoral based on your actions or thoughts.

That's what I was answering. It's both. If you think it in your heart, you might as well have done it because the sin has been committed.

And if you come behind the thought and perform the action, the action is equally sinful as is the thought.

 

[flicka]

By God's law, if you think it in your heart, it's the same as committing the act.

I hate the idea of the Christian god being the thought police. We think with our brains not our hearts (I don't like 'christian-speak', sorry). We cannot control our every thought and in trying to do so people often end up psychotic! I guess thats the start of the sin/repent cycle Christians get into and can't get out of.

I am familiar with the 'lust in your heart' verse but I don't buy that thinking about having sex with someone other than your spouse is the same as actually doing if. If so then whats stopping everyone from doing it? I know everyone has sinful thoughts (those that say they don't are lying, which is a sin in itself) so what's stopping people? Christians love to say one sin is as bad as the next to got but I never got that from reading the bible. I suppose someone somewhere along the line made that interpretive leap and now it's so ingrained in peoples beliefs its impossible to think otherwise but still...common sense and using the brain god gave you tells you that doesn't sound right.

Apparently everything you do and think that isn't directed to wards bringing glory to god can be interpreted by someone as being immoral somehow.

 

[Ninja Turtles]

They are both sin. If you lust before you get to the actual sin, the lust is no less sinful than the actual performing of the act.

That's what I was answering. It's both. If you think it in your heart, you might as well have done it because the sin has been committed.

And if you come behind the thought and perform the action, the action is equally sinful as is the thought.

I'm not asking if something is a sin, I'm asking about action and thought.

If I am being tortured, then I'm put in a cell where I subsequently break free, I have to escape now. But the only way out is through my captors and that means killing some of them. Well I make my escape kill the people that must be killed to secure escape (really all of them). I have planned and executed people. Is that immoral based on actions and/or thoughts?

Then you have the other scenario, I don't like my neighbors and they blast their music loudly. I decide to silence them permanently so I get some weapons and execute all of them. Now this is definitely immoral, but would we point to the thought or action to say it's immoral?

You are talking about a person that thinks about doing something and not really acting on it. I'm talking about an action that has already taken place and whether it is immoral based on that action or the thought process.

 

[Thirst_For_Knowledge]

I want to ask the question, is it the action or the thought behind the action that makes something immoral? And how and when does this apply?

I do not feel that a thought can be immoral. To me, things that are immoral are those things that create harm for another. A thought can not create harm for another, so no, no immoral thoughts.