Why Does Religion=Morality?

[InkBlott]

I'm curious why people seem to feel that religion is necessary for a basic sense of morality. That somehow, if there's no religion, there's no morality.

Why cant we have morality WITHOUT religion?

I ran across an article last night. Scientist at the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Strokes studied the brains of subjects via MRI while they were contemplating the nature of God. The exercise lit up the same areas in the anterior prefrontal cortex that are responsible for empathy and the perception of mind in others.

It strikes me that empathy and the perception of mind in others form a basis for some moral considerations. If those sorts of thoughts are physically snuggled up with the ability to contemplate our questions surrounding numinous and mysterious seeming phenomena, then it makes sense from a natural and organic point of view that spirituality and morals would snuggle up.

It's an exploitable situation. Gaining control of, or ownership of, morality supposedly on behalf of God is a damn good way to exert and maintance dominance. Thus morals become codified as a part of religion and a tool for the religious hierarchy (who often reserve moral privileges for themselves).

 

[InkBlott]

By the way, I meant to mention that the article was in this month's Discover magazine.

#99: Science Finds God (In the Brain, at Least) | Memory, Emotions, & Decisions | DISCOVER Magazine

Here's a link to a related article from NPR's All Things Considered.

wbur.org » News » To The Brain, God Is Just Another Guy

 

[Zebra1552]

So what you're saying is that killing is ALWAYS and FOREVER wrong, no matter what ("Thou shalt not kill" - Exodus 20:13)...except for when it's OK with God that you do?

"Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves" - Numbers 31:17-18

The Hebrew reads 'do not murder'. So, what was your point?

 

[CoderHead]

The Hebrew reads 'do not murder'. So, what was your point?

Killing all women and children regardless of whether or not they're militants doesn't strike you as "murder?" That's scary.

 

[Zebra1552]

Killing all women and children regardless of whether or not they're militants doesn't strike you as "murder?" That's scary.

No, it doesn't, given the reason behind it. Do you know what that was?

 

[Wedjat]

I can think of very few reasons where killing an innocent child would be justifiable.

 

[Zebra1552]

Who says they're innocent? They live in a culture ripe with sin and are headed to hell. If they had kids, they'd likely go there too. Kill a few, save a lot more. Sounding familiar?

 

[Lachrymose]

Who says they're innocent? They live in a culture ripe with sin and are headed to hell. If they had kids, they'd likely go there too. Kill a few, save a lot more. Sounding familiar?

Yeah, but they all go to heaven right?

 

[Mling]

I can think of very few reasons where killing an innocent child would be justifiable.

You could make a reasonable case for killing a child you somehow knew was doomed to a horrifying life.

whether I'd accept it would depend on circumstance, and the situation would have to get *really* extreme before I'd accept it, but it could be a reasonable argument, still.

 

[Zebra1552]

Yeah, but they all go to heaven right?

Unknown.

 

[Mling]

Who says they're innocent? They live in a culture ripe with sin and are headed to hell. If they had kids, they'd likely go there too. Kill a few, save a lot more. Sounding familiar?

Sounds like Christians' arguments for why it was right for the Israelites to "utterly destroy" entire cultures, why?

 

[a_nony_mous]

Who says they're innocent? They live in a culture ripe with sin and are headed to hell. If they had kids, they'd likely go there too. Kill a few, save a lot more. Sounding familiar?

Please tell me you don't honestly believe that children, who can't even comprehend what sin is, much less knowingly commit a sin, are destined to go to Hell. (Assuming, of course, that Hell exists, and that it isn't just a made-up place designed to scare people into following the Bible.)

 

[Lachrymose]

Unknown.

Really?

In all seriousness (and I apologize for my smug remark), I thought Christians as a whole generally believe that all babies and anyone without a mind to be held accountable (so to speak) go to Heaven.

And this is honestly one of the things that confuses me about the "Great Abortion Debate".

 

[Zebra1552]

Please tell me you don't honestly believe that children, who can't even comprehend what sin is, much less knowingly commit a sin, are destined to go to Hell. (Assuming, of course, that Hell exists, and that it isn't just a made-up place designed to scare people into following the Bible.)

...did you bother reading what I wrote?

 

[Zebra1552]

Sounds like Christians' arguments for why it was right for the Israelites to "utterly destroy" entire cultures, why?

Seen 'Wanted'?

 

[a_nony_mous]

...did you bother reading what I wrote?

Of course I did. I'm confused. Am I missing something? Were you being sarcastic or something?

 

[Zebra1552]

Really?

In all seriousness (and I apologize for my smug remark), I thought Christians as a whole generally believe that all babies and anyone without a mind to be held accountable (so to speak) go to Heaven.

And this is honestly one of the things that confuses me about the "Great Abortion Debate".

Then count me out of this 'Christian' thing. The Bible makes no statements about babies going to heaven or hell. It DOES say that 'all fall short'. 'All' would logically include the young.

 

[a_nony_mous]

Then count me out of this 'Christian' thing. The Bible makes no statements about babies going to heaven or hell. It DOES say that 'all fall short'. 'All' would logically include the young.

So how exactly do children "fall short" of going to Heaven, when, like I just said, children are incapable of comprehending the concept of sin, which means that they can't exactly sin at all?

 

[Zebra1552]

Of course I did. I'm confused. Am I missing something? Were you being sarcastic or something?

Quite serious. The kids have kids. Then they have kids. They're called descendants. They all follow the way of the ancestors in sinning. They all go to hell. Or God kills them and they don't. Kill a few, save a bunch more. That's why religion is moral.

 

[a_nony_mous]

Quite serious. The kids have kids. Then they have kids. They're called descendants. They all follow the way of the ancestors in sinning. They all go to hell. Or God kills them and they don't. Kill a few, save a bunch more. That's why religion is moral.

But how are children capable of sinning when they can't even comprehend the concept of what sins are in the first place?

And are you seriously trying to say that it's okay for God to kill people in large quantities? You must think that human life is valueless, then.