What are ethical religious principles? The requirements for human behavior are determined only by the dogmas of faith, or are there other conditions that need to be observed? Do ethical standards related to religion relate to secular life? Who should adhere to these ideas? Does morality enter into the concept of ethics?
Religious ethics and culture is a concept that raises many questions. If in ancient times people grew up within the framework of cultural and moral representations of their religion, then in the modern world this happens very rarely, usually the church does not participate in the upbringing and education of children. For this reason, most do not realize what exactly is ethics associated with religiosity.
What is meant by the term "ethics"? Definition
Ethics, in the minds of most people, is a code of conduct and morality. In other words, statements, deeds, even the appearance of a person can be characterized by the word "ethical" or described as inappropriate to him.
But this concept has other meanings. Ethics is a term used in many sciences that study society as a whole and people in particular, culture, development, thinking, and other similar topics. In philosophy, ethics is a discipline of a scientific field that studies the issues of morality and morality.
What ethics do religious-related norms relate to?
This direction of philosophy includes several peculiar sections, including one that is called applied ethics.
This is a disciplinary field engaged in research in the field of particular problems, questions of the practical application of moral and ethical principles. Religious ethics also belongs to this scientific direction.
In addition to moral problems and issues that are interrelated with religion, this scientific section deals with professional, medical, social, legal, business ethics and other similar areas.
What is religious ethics? Definition
Like the scientific philosophical discipline as a whole, its individual practical directions have definitions that explain the essence of a particular concept. Each section has them, and the one that considers ethical norms and rules in conjunction with religious beliefs is no exception.
Religious ethics is a section dealing with the study of moral and ethical principles, the characteristics of human behavior and communication, considering them in accordance with religious dogmas, commandments, sacred texts, traditions, and cultural norms.
What are the features of this type of ethics?
In fact, this type of ethics is a kind of theology of morality. The religious basis of ethics of this kind is the moral direction of philosophy, known as theology.
The main difference between ethics associated with religiosity and other areas of this philosophical discipline is that it considers not only issues related to relationships and human behavior. Religious ethics also regulates the attitude of people towards God and, of course, dictates certain norms for its expression.
In addition, this philosophical discipline interprets ethical rules, norms, requirements, and traditions as attitudes of a divine nature or origin. In other words, according to this area of ethics, these norms are given from above and have an absolute, non-negotiable value for every believer.
What is moral religious consciousness?
The religious basis of ethics is, without a doubt, the dogma of religion. But this is not the fundamental basis of this philosophical discipline. An important component for understanding is such a factor as moral religious consciousness.
What is such a consciousness? How is it formed? What is the difference from ordinary secular consciousness involved in the perception and projection of moral and other ethical standards? Of course, in the fact that in this concept religion, religion and the cultural and other traditions associated with it play a formative role.
Religious consciousness is nothing but the result of an ethization process leading from ancient archaic cultures and their inherent beliefs to modern world religions.
How did this ethics come about?
The foundations of religious cultures and ethics, respectively, were laid in ancient times. The very first deities, idols, did not make any claims regarding the moral level of people, their behavior or moral principles.
For example, it is difficult to imagine that phenomena such as a thunderstorm, rainfall, storm, earthquake, or sunrise, impose ethical restrictions on humanity. But it was natural phenomena that were the first deities. People worshiped them, and this was a type of religion.
Along with the development of mankind, not only the relationship between people, but also their religious cults became more complex. The names of the ancient deified phenomena appeared, they began to be embodied in concrete images. For example, the land of the ancient Greeks became Gaia. But even at this stage, there was no talk of ethical standards, only a certain worship took place, ritualism arose.
Humanity developed, the number of gods increased. Rituals, rituals, and other religious actions were also complicated. Deities began to demand sacrifices and reward them. The next stage was the emergence of certain requirements and conditions that dictate to people what their behavior should be. At a time when the ancient gods, and in fact their priests, began to dictate how to live, what can be considered good or, conversely, bad, religious ethics arose.
Is such an ethic common to all religions?
In the world there is not a single religion that would not be specific to certain ethical requirements. However, although religion forms the basis of religious and secular ethics, it is not their only source.
Ethics - both religious and secular - are influenced by historical and climatic features, current circumstances, for example, wars or natural disasters.
But the main factor underlying ethical traditions, moral standards and morality are religious beliefs. Religions differ and present not quite the same ethical requirements for the behavior, actions and appearance of people.
Is there an ethical conflict between adherents of different religions?
Each of the world religions has its own list of what is acceptable in human behavior, appearance and actions, and what is not. Moreover, each of the faiths that exist within the same religion has its own idea of ethics. This is precisely the problem of religious ethics these days.
With the development of transport, communications, growth of well-being, the movement of people, their migration also grows. Seeking a better life, or for any other reason, people leave the places where they grew up. They take with them not only documents or belongings, but also their own culture, including ethical standards related to religious beliefs. This does not create any particular problems if migrants come to a country in which people live with similar views, traditions and spiritual values, differing in only a few details. For example, if Orthodox families migrate to a Catholic country, then no ethical problems arise, only some misunderstandings appear.
But if the ideas about everything that makes up ethical provisions are significantly different, a problematic situation arises. For example, Muslims and Buddhists who come to Western European countries, traditionally following Christian ideas about the norms of behavior, appearance and social role in society, look like "black sheep". Of course, they feel the same way. For this reason, instead of integrating into the culture of the host state, migrants unite in communities and occupy certain territories. They do not perceive the ethical standards of the country where they live, but, on the contrary, oppose them and instill their own culture. This leads to opposition. The result is a vicious circle, which is the confrontation of various cultures, traditions, ideas and norms of behavior, of which religious and secular ethics and many other social and spiritual features are a part.
Of course, not only this problem is relevant for ethics related to religion. But it is the main one, one that can be encountered in everyday life, and not in the offices of theoretical scientists.
What is the subject of research
The main problems of religious ethics, studied by philosophers, theologians, psychologists, specialists working in other fields, are eternal questions about the confrontation between good and evil and everything related to this topic.
In other words, this discipline is engaged in both the formation of a certain type of behavior of people corresponding to religious dogmas, and the study of theoretical issues related to God's providence.
What are the main concepts of this ethics?
The main concepts that this ethical discipline appeals are:
- morality;
- moral;
- religious beliefs or God's covenants;
- Vera;
- true.
Of course, these are only generalized concepts. The subject of ethics is human morality, respectively, and all the concepts associated with these qualities are inherent in this scientific discipline.
What principles can be highlighted?
The main principles of religious cultures and secular ethics are directly dependent on the dogmas of a particular religion. In other words, what is normal, consistent with ethical rules, traditions, ideas within one religion, may be completely unacceptable for another religion.
The main theses and dogmas of religious teachings, embodied in the behavior, appearance, actions and even the way of thinking of people, are the main ethical principles in this discipline.
For example, in Christianity, one of the main principles is love for one's neighbor. It is a religion of redemption and compassion, mercy and sacrifice, humility and forgiveness. Accordingly, in the ethical discipline the same principle is applied.
In practice, this means that for a Christian it is ethical:
- forgive offenders, ill-wishers, enemies;
- Do not avenge the evil done;
- entrust your life and destiny into the hands of the Lord;
- to be grateful for the trials sent over and not to complain.
Of course, keeping the commandments of God is also a principle of religious ethics. The Christian worldview, and, consequently, ethics, has another important principle - the separation of the areas of spirituality and law.
In a simplified form, this principle can be represented by the following example:
- a person commits a serious felony or petty crime;
- comes to the temple and confesses, repents of their deeds;
- the clergyman forgives sin;
- the offender is clean before the Lord, but not before the law;
- the priest does not go to the police and does not help in any other way in the administration of justice.
Thus, ethics associated with religion come into conflict with social norms and secular laws.
In Islam, there is no principle of separation of law and faith. The religious ethics associated with this religion is characterized by the fusion of secular and spiritual laws. This means that if a person commits a crime and reports this to the imam, then for the clergy it will be ethical to detain the offender and bring him to justice.