Essay Morality: Religion and Morality

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John Mattessich
2/5/15

Paper #1

Are we moral because we believe in a religion, or do we have to believe in a religion to have morality? Louis Paul Pojman was a pronounced American philosopher and professor who believed that if there is no God to believe in, then there is no morality or purpose to life. Pojman believes that it is religion that gives every individual’s life a meaning to it.
Pojman wrote a very interesting essay called “Religion Gives Meaning to Life.” In this essay Pojman discusses and debates the question “is it more important to be free and autonomous or to have a purpose and meaning to life?” Pojman pointed out very key factors about how religion supports morality and gives people a purpose to life. These key points support the theory that religion reinforces morality and teaches people the meaning of good and evil. Religion gives a satisfying explanation of the origins and sustenance of the universe; this gives people a purpose to why they were created and what their purpose on the earth is. Religion also teaches us that good will win over evil, giving people a sense of hope in their life to always keep pushing and doing the better thing. God will always love and care for us; his love guarantees justice. This gives people a sense a sense worth knowing that they are loved and cared for and also realize that everything they do has a consequence to it; you will be rewarded for the good things you do and punished for the bad things you do. Religion promises to us that there is life after death. This give people’s life so much meaning on earth because now there is a purpose for them; it motivates them to make a difference in the world and be great people so they can go to heaven after death or if they don’t do those things an do evil they’ll end up in hell. All these explain why religion is a good source for morality and why our lives have a purpose; if you live autonomous and freely your life cannot have any morality or purpose to it. Religion certainly plays a major role in how people reason with morality. It is Religion that supports the majority of human society today and it is very difficult to imagine how we could even articulate our questions about ethics outside of our beliefs and religious standards. The relationship of religion and morality verify and illustrate that we need to understand religion if we want to understand ourselves, including our moral behavior. Religions are instructors of morality and they instruct people in ways to be moral. Admittedly, there are no humans that are perfect in this world and religion is a moral compass that helps to lead people in the right course. Most times, people do not have a good sense to decide between what is right and wrong or good and evil; it is religion can help people make these decisions. Religion is a man made word to describe how a group of people believe and worship a God or a superhuman. Therefore religion by itself cannot give us morality but having a religion and believing in a God reinforces what morality is. Religion teaches us that we are made in the image of God and that God did not give us certain religions but instead he made a covenant with his people and whoever chooses to follow him. This covenant that he made with us gives us instructions on how to live a moral and ethical life.
Having a religion or a selection of people who believe in a higher being act as a support, keeping us accountable for our morality. Christianity teaches us that a belief in God can give you hope; without hope you would die, your life would have no meaning or purpose to it. God gave us himself and with that he gave us the ability to love, have hope, and have faith. Hope encourages people to press on to enhance their life and be more like God. Love, hope and
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