Relationship between Religion & Ethics

Note: Truth is emphasized in all philosophies & is the essence of governance.

Therefore, all religions have their own philosophical principles for which they are known. These philosophical values are also universal principles of ethics like truth, forgiveness, compassion, equality, dutifulness & selflessness although religions can have other values & practices may not necessarily be universal. They can be more known as the social morality of that religion. Religion is also about a disciplined way of life. It also has rightness & wrongness elements which can be categorized as moral & ethical. Largely they are essence values, universal in nature like Hinduism is about peace, harmony & inclusiveness which are also universal values.

Causes of conflict between Ethics & Religion:

• • Since religion is based on faith, people get emotionally hurt if anything negative is said about that faith.
  • Society has a sense of advancement based on rationality which results in conflicts between rationality & moral elements of religion (Constitutional morality s Social morality).
  • Ego superiority related to one’s religion & culture, imposition of one’s religion on others.
  • A sense of feeling of insecurity about one’s religion including vested interests.

Such conflicts can be addressed with an infusion of rationality in the society as it treats all humans as equal and humans can have differences but humans should rise above those differences and should have compassion and forgiveness.

• • Moral codes of ethics have frequently been based on religious absolves – Plato

Religion has its influence on a society. It ensures that the members follow the religious precepts. All religions originated in their times to guide us to the virtuous path for the well being of humanity. They form the base of all values. The decline of religion in modern societies has led to erosion of values.

• • From the USA to the UK, Indonesia and Malaysia to the Philippines, serious attention is being devoted to religion to revive human values. Even the USA has realized the absurdity of the assumption that education can be carried out without a moral framework. American corporate management has begun to have managers learn various mind-centering exercises to cope with stress and have a clear mind. They have clearly recognised that a manager with a calmer mind and free from tension can handle problems with considerably greater lucidity and competence.