The impact of religion on morality

The following article was submitted by the Public Theology Forum, an ecumenical group of Christian ministers and theologians.

It is important that it be understood at the very outset that religion and morality are very closely related, but by no means one and the same thing.

Both are very difficult to define and the one interacts with and challenges the other in all societies. In other words, the mores or sources of a people's moral values are rooted in the prevailing or traditional religious beliefs.

By the same token as we see in the prophets of the Jewish tradition, the morals of the community derive their legitimacy from the ethics of the prevailing religion, and as changes become necessary in the society, pressure is brought to bear upon the defenders of the religious traditions to effect changes in the religious outlook or theological structure that will make the religious practices and the prevailing social norms compatible with each other. The sociologists refer to this as socio-cultural compatibility.

We will return to this, but for now, we need to have some common understanding of the terms religion and morality.

Religion

For our purpose here, religion is understood to be a system of beliefs and practices by which a group of people interpret and respond to what it regards as sacred and unusually supernatural, as well as inscrutable or mysterious at the present time.

Religious beliefs and practices tend to differ from culture to culture. A people's religious core tends to be the major source of their sense of identity. The more conservative see them as something that deserve to be guarded jealously, sometimes to the extent of becoming exclusivist in relation to groups deemed to be outgroups.

Group prejudices are usually reinforced by religious beliefs, and discrimination against outgroups is justified on theological grounds.

The Jewish attitude to the Arabs is justified and perpetuated on the grounds that this is what Yahweh requires. So too is much of the exclusivism and discrimination associated with the practice of Christianity in different parts of the world.

Religious beliefs also tend to be conservative, or support the tendency to be concerned with preserving social conventions and relational patterns just because they are old and deemed to have divine origin.

Many religious leaders resist change, out of the fear of angering God, and thereby incurring God's wrath.

Many who are the victims of unjust practices endure their sufferings and deprivations passively, because they are convinced that this is what God wants at the present time. Needless to say, the beneficiaries of injustices enjoy this and support the perpetuation of it because it is in their interest to do so.

This is why prophets who emphasise the need for justice or the righteousness of God are always in danger of being martyred. What happened to Jesus illustrates this. So does what has happened to persons like Martin Luther King.

2. Morality

Morality has to do with the setting of boundaries in respect of the behaviour of members of the community, at all levels. Boundaries are set to ensure that members of society do not encroach on the space of others.

Morals are particularly relevant for weaker or less powerful members of society. They are supposed to serve the purpose of restraining the behaviour of those who are more powerful, in order that they do not enjoy unfair advantages over those who do not have the resources to defend themselves and their rights effectively.

Unfortunately, in all societies moral values are determined, not democratically or with the collaboration of all members of the community, but by the preferences of those who are most influential.

This is done usually with the connivance of the religious leaders, who tend to betray society's victims in exchange for patronage.

3. Compatibility between the religious establishment and the powers that be

Reference was made earlier to the tendency for religious beliefs, practices and sanctions to become compatible with the prevailing social norms.

Students of history and religion have established that religions become less capable of upholding morality that promotes and undergirds justice as it becomes acceptable to the custodians and beneficiaries of the status quo.

This is one of the reasons the poor, and those who defend them, do not usually get the support of the established churches, and all churches become established when their membership consists of persons with wealth and social power and status. Even if the spokespersons of the Church speak out against immoral practices in society, very little change comes as a consequence. Prophetic utterances are not usually followed by consistent protest. They are forgotten after the proverbial dramatic events.

Significant members of society who are themselves involved in immoral behaviour will either co-opt the prophetic voice in the Church, ridicule them or get beneficiaries of their immorality to intimidate those who dare to speak out against practices that lead to moral decay and social and economic degradation.

Religion will not have influence on the preservation or promotion of disinterested or unbiased moral values, until, in a society like ours, religious persons come to appreciate the significance of the teachings of Jesus, and morality rooted in the ethical teachings of Jesus and the writings of the early church. Among the pillars of Judeo Christian morality are the following theological and ethical notions.

(i) The practice of disinterested love (for example, love based on the principle that human beings are created in the image of God, and all human beings have legitimate claims on the earth, regardless of personal characteristics such as gender, race, social status, unethical condition;

(ii) The sovereignty of God: one implication of which is that for all persons, the ultimate arbiter is God, who is the source of all pro- human and pro-freedom values;

(iii) The obligation of all human beings to promote and defend the common good or the interest of the entire community.

For religion to be optimally helpful in the promotion of values that enhance life and human good, the following have to be understood, accepted and pursued by persons of all religious persuasions.

1. One of the goals of the religious community or religious leadership must be the overcoming of excessive individualism, and pre-occupation with the security and supremacy of one's community of origin and orientation.

Religion cannot contribute to the promotion of the common good as long as its primary purpose is to preserve the interests of only its adherents and leaders.

2. Healthy religion promotes openness of its adherents to change towards the erosion of barriers between people, that contribute to the perpetuation of inter-group, inter-class or international suspicion and the conflicts that result from lack of trust.

3. There is in all religion a combination of this-worldly and present-time concerns, and other-worldly and futuristic concerns.

At the present time, there is prevalence of the tendency in religious communities to be too pessimistic about the possibility for change in our present situation, especially in the interest of those who are victims of the current state of things.

4. In the best interest of human freedom and development in all societies, those who speak for religious institutions must be willing to work with those in other institutions, to secure the best for the community, even if this means abandoning some cherished notions and traditions.

Conservatism vs idolatry

There is a very close relationship between conservatism and idolatry when we become so attached even to good things that we begin to see as divine and eternal, and want to preserve even when they are harmful to our own and the common good.

Religious institutions must, therefore, work with institutions and organisations and agencies to correct injustices and remove barriers that separate people and obscure the common good.

This needs to take place in order that the best interest of the individual and the community can be identified, pursued and defended. Of course, those who do this must be prepared to meet obstructions and even resistance. But this is how the best values are discovered and promoted in the real world. This is why the word 'martyr' has come to be part of our vocabulary. If you want the best, you must be prepared to suffer in order to see it achieved.

The best things in life are obtained and preserved only by the continual struggle, relentless vigilance and perseverance on the part of those who are aware of them and deem them desirable.

In the final analysis, this is the essence of healthy religion and moral excellence. For Christians, this is about what the life of Jesus the Christ was all about, and what his followers must continually strive to achieve for all of humankind and if this is the will of God for the world, it is always both desirable and possible.

Members of the Public Theology Forum are Ernle Gordon, Roderick Hewitt, Stotrell Lowe, Marjorie Lewis, Richmond Nelson, Garnet Roper, Anna Perkins, Ashley Smith, Burchell Taylor, Karl Johnson, Wayneford McFarlane and Byron Chambers, co-ordinator.