One of the main themes in Chapter Fourteen is that of morality. Cari Barney defined morality as “conformity to the rules of right conduct” (lecture). Man is “a moral being” obligated “to act according to moral principles” (McDonald, 2007, p. 165). Deep down within man’s conscience, there is the sense of knowing right from wrong and knowing God’s requirements (Romans 2:14-15). This awareness should cause all humans to strive to adhere to what God requires of us. The moral consciousness of man is within the heart (Proverbs 4:23). McDonald (2007) stated, “So man is in himself a moral being with moral obligations and responsibilities (p. 165). Man’s lifestyle should resemble biblical principles that have been instructed by God. McDonald (2007) mentioned, “good” deeds done by men should not be labeled “virtuous sins” (p. 166). Although man’s acts are viewed as “the acts of a sinner, not all his acts are sinful acts” (McDonald, 2007, p. 166). For example, a woman who decided to give to those in need, regardless of the pressure to do otherwise, must not be labeled sinful. This is just an...
morals are acquired, and conformity to a standard of right is attained. In the novel The
History is flush with examples of men who not only avoided evil, but did good; there are no famous examples of men who simply avoided the evil. The latter men will not try to do evil things, or great things, they won’t kill or save, they won’t try to please the Devil or give glory to God. Often this type inaction will be a worse sin that acting with sinful intent. “Idle hands are the Devil’s workshop.” Being virtuous requires striving for moral excellence and a desire to be Christ-like, as Christ is the most virtuous man to ever live. Thus the definition for virtue is two-fold, requiring an avoidance of doing evil, and a dedication to doing good. The Character Ransom in “Out of the Silent Planet” has the first quality, but struggles with
Spirit), the nature of man and the need for salvation, and sin and the means of atonement.
In Western society and culture, religion and morality have often intertwined and they have reflected their values onto each other. Today it is sometimes impossible to make a distinction between the two, since their influence has transcended generations. In modern Western culture, religion and society preach conformity. In order to be a “good” person, one must conform to the values imposed by the church1 and state.
However, what about when one commits a good act, only to have the act result in something evil? If one commits a good act that has an evil result is that act evil? For example, there were a multitude of charity schemes, namely phishing scams, which occurred after hurricane Katrina. If one were to have donated money to one of these scams, thinking they were helping the hurricane victims, they would have been committing a good act. However, in reality they were being cheated out of their money, which would have likely then been put to an evil use. This example illustrates that a good act that results in evil is in itself not evil. The individual still committed a good act since it was inspired by their love for
The Apostle Paul rights about the conviction of the heart (Romans 2:15), when as Christians our perception of right and wrong is only justified by a common morality of other Christian believers. How instead we should live is in our justification of our savior, giving to him our body, sprite and mind and all he asks of it. By using the meaning of our life and our talents to influence those with the naturalistic and pantheism beliefs, shows our God is the creator and alive (Hebrews 11:32-40).
The second reason to act morally is because there is religion. Sometimes moral codes are obtained by theologians who clarify holy books, like the Bible in Christianity, the Torah in Judaism, and the Qur 'an in Islam. Their conclusions are often accepted as absolute by their believers. Those who believe in God view him as the supreme law giver; a God to whom we owe obedience and allegiance. In other words, they think that being a good person is one who obey god by following his commandments. Religion helps people to judge whether a certain act is good or bad, which can be considered as the definition of morality. Most religions promote the same values which are: fairness, loyalty, honesty, trust, etc.... Similarly, McGinn lists the same qualities
To begin, “On Morality'; is an essay of a woman who travels to Death Valley on an assignment arranged by The American Scholar. “I have been trying to think, because The American Scholar asked me to, in some abstract way about ‘morality,’ a word I distrust more every day….'; Her task is to generate a piece of work on morality, with which she succeeds notably. She is placed in an area where morality and stories run rampant. Several reports are about; each carried by a beer toting chitchat. More importantly, the region that she is in gains her mind; it allows her to see issues of morality as a certain mindset. The idea she provides says, as human beings, we cannot distinguish “what is ‘good’ and what is ‘evil’';. Morality has been so distorted by television and press that the definition within the human conscience is lost. This being the case, the only way to distinguish between good or bad is: all actions are sound as long as they do not hurt another person or persons. This is similar to a widely known essay called “Utilitarianism'; [Morality and the Good Life] by J.S. Mills with which he quotes “… actions are right in the proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness.';
A majority of people would describe themselves as good and virtuous if asked to describe their personal character. Many would go on and describe the numerous occasions when they donated money to a charity, committed a random act of kindness to a stranger without being told to do so or chose not to lie. However, it is possible that people do not naturally act in such honorable ways, but are pushed to behave morally. With the fear of receiving negative consequences for wrongdoing, it is debatable whether people willing or naturally behave justly.
to man himself, delving into the moral and mental nature of man and dealing with
This passage is great for us today. It preaches us that though the world may be going one way, we are commanded by God to go the right way. Though there may be people who are cheating on their spouse, we should not be living in this sort of environment ourselves. We, as Christians, are ordained to be a lighthouse of morality from God. People look to us as an example and sometimes wait and hope for us to slip. Slipping is easier if we live of the world and not in accordance of God’s will. We know God’s will by reading and applying the Old Law into our lives.
There is an incredibly thin line between what makes a person good and what makes a person right. A person being right is something that’s controversial; you can choose what you want because it’s your opinion. A person being good is something that no one gets a say in; all people are good. It’s hard to see that because people skewer the image of other people when they think that person did something wrong. We are judged more by our actions than by our intentions. In reality, our intentions are all that matter.
Class notes. Man’s Desperate Need of Righteousness and God’s Glorious Provision of Righteousness. Faith Christian University. Orlando, Florida. August 2011.
Morality isn't an obtuse philosophical concept but rather about the totality of everyday existence. If one desires to be better at their interpersonal skills, one must understand the concept of morality with all its sense and contradictions. Clarity of morality leads to less doubt and skepticism in one’s actions of life.
When considering morality, worthy to note first is that similar to Christian ethics, morality also embodies a specifically Christian distinction. Studying a master theologian such as St. Thomas Aquinas and gathering modern perspectives from James Keenan, S. J. and David Cloutier serve to build a foundation of the high goal of Christian morality. Morality is a primary goal of the faith community, because it is the vehicle for reaching human fulfillment and happiness. Therefore, great value can be placed on foundations of Christian morality such as the breakdown of law from Aquinas, the cultivation of virtues, the role of conscience in achieving morality, and the subject of sin described by Keenan.