Morality

Morality is the quality of being in accord with standards of right or good conduct or a system of
ideas that fall into those same categories.

We often hear words about religious morality or the phrase Christian morality in society. Items
that fall into the morally sound category are qualities like good, goodness, rightness, virtue, and
righteousness.

When talking about a moral quality involving a course of action, we think of ethics. To define
morality, a person will use the rules or habits with regard to right and wrong that he or she
follows.

It is a complex system of general principles and particular judgments based on cultural, religious,
and philosophical concepts and beliefs. Cultures and or groups regulate and generalize these
concepts, thus regulating behavior. When someone conforms to the codification, you consider
this person to be moral.

And yet, the notion of how we ought to behave and the reality of how we do behave are varied
and real morality behaves in accordance with one's perception of morality. Often, doctrines or
moral duties that support the quality of an action which renders it good, is moral.

And so a system of standards used to produce honest, decent, and ethical results are considered
moral.

Morality Defined

Morality speaks of a system of behavior in regards to standards of right or wrong behavior. The
word carries the concepts of: (1) moral standards, with regard to behavior; (2) moral
responsibility, referring to our conscience; and (3) a moral identity, or one who is capable of right
or wrong action. Common synonyms include ethics, principles, virtue, and goodness. Morality
has become a complicated issue in the multi-cultural world we live in today. Let's explore what
morality is, how it affects our behavior, our conscience, our society, and our ultimate destiny.

Morality and Our Behavior

Morality describes the principles that govern our behavior. Without these principles in place,
societies cannot survive for long. In today's world, morality is frequently thought of as belonging
to a particular religious point of view, but by definition, we see that this is not the case. Everyone
adheres to a moral doctrine of some kind.

Morality as it relates to our behavior is important on three levels. Renowned thinker, scholar and
author C.S. Lewis defines them as: (1) to ensure fair play and harmony between individuals; (2)
to help make us good people in order to have a good society; and (3) to keep us in a good
relationship with the power that created us. Based on this definition, it's clear that our beliefs are
critical to our moral behavior.

On Point 1, Professor Lewis says most reasonable people agree. By Point 2, however, we begin
to see problems occurring. Consider the popular philosophy "I'm not hurting anyone but myself,"
frequently used to excuse bad personal choices. How can we be the good people we need to be if
we persist in making these choices, and how will that result not affect the rest of our society?
Bad personal choices do hurt others. Point 3 is where most disagreement surfaces. While the
majority of the world's population believes in God, or at least in a god, the question of Creation,
as a theory of origins, is definitely hotly debated in today's society.

A recent report in Psychology Today concluded: "The most significant predictor of a person's
moral behavior may be religious commitment. People who consider themselves very religious
were least likely to report deceiving their friends, having extramarital affairs, cheating on their
expenses accounts, or even parking illegally." Based on this finding, what we believe about
Creation has a decided effect on our moral thinking and our behavior. Without belief in a Creator,
the only option that seems to be left is to adhere to moral standards we make up for ourselves.
Unless we live in a dictatorial society, we are free to choose our own personal moral code. But
where does that freedom come from? The view of many who do not adhere to Creation is that
morality is a creation of humanity, designed to meet the need of stable societies. All kinds of life
are in a process of deciding between life and death, choosing what to do with power and/or
authority. This ultimately leads to a system of virtues and values. The question is: what happens
when our choices conflict with each other? What if something I believe I need in order for my
life to continue results in death for you? If we do not have an absolute standard of truth, chaos
and conflict will result as we are all left to our own devices and desires.

Morality and Our Conscience

Morality impacts our everyday decisions, and those choices are directed by our conscience.
Again, we must decide for ourselves where the conscience originates. Many people hold to the
idea that the conscience is a matter of our hearts, that concepts of right, wrong, and fairness are
"programmed" in each of us. This is in keeping with the writings of Paul the Apostle, who points
out that even those who do not believe in God frequently obey God's laws as given in the Ten
Commandments: "for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law,
these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law
written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their
thoughts accusing or else excusing them". Again, those who do not believe in God are left with
the only possible conclusion they can come to - that our decisions are based solely on our need to
survive. What we call our conscience, then, would be based on learned behavior, rather than part
of a Divine design.

How important are ethics and morality in our world?

Ethics and morality are vitally important in our world. The differences, according to cultures and
countries, are evident in wars, disputes, laws, and newspapers.

Controversies over stem cell research have recently made headlines. Some countries embrace the
use of embryo stem cells to help with incurable diseases. Others have cried out over the sanctity
of life in the womb being invaded. Other countries have sought to use adult stem cells to
scientifically find cures for certain diseases.

Laws, also differing in regards to same-sex marriage, have been enacted. In Europe and Canada,
governments are endorsing these unions, while in the United States, the people have voted
against the uniting of people of the same sex as a legal institution. AIDS is a sexually transmitted
disease, prevalent amongst gays and lesbians. This is a consequence as a result of the breach of
natural law. A same-sex marriage does not allow for a natural procreation of generations to take
place.

Ethnic cleansing is a method used by governments and factions to remove certain cultures from
within their country. No matter what term people use to describe killing other people, it is still
called murder, which is a lack of ethics or morality. This abhorrent killing has led to wars in Iraq,
Bosnia, and other places when those who disagree with this action resort to military force to
correct or stem the tide of ethnic cleansing.

Abortion has moral and ethical implications for each pregnant mother, doctor, and nation. It’s the
devaluing of life that makes it easy for abortionists to perform their work. Life is most precious.
How many aborted fetuses may have been brilliant scholars, doctors, inventors, and scientists
who may have had the answers for which we are searching.

Morality and ethics certainly have different meanings for different cultures, but basically the
same standard of life should be used. The test of time will prove if the decisions made today are
the right ones. There is a consequence to each one, whether good or bad.
What are moral values?

Moral values are the standards of good and evil, which govern an individual’s behavior and
choices. Individual’s morals may derive from society and government, religion, or self. When
moral values derive from society and government they, of necessity, may change as the laws and
morals of the society change. An example of the impact of changing laws on moral values may
be seen in the case of marriage vs. “living together.”

In past generations, it was rare to see couples who lived together without the benefit of a legal
matrimonial ceremony. In recent years, couples that set up household without marriage are
nearly as plentiful as traditional married couples. But, not only are such couples more plentiful,
they are also more accepted by other individuals in our society. In earlier society, the laws and
morals simply came from the Roman system of law, which was largely based on the Ten
Commandments. As society moved into the modern era, that earlier system of laws became more
and more eroded.

Moral values also derive from within one’s own self. This is clearly demonstrated in the behavior
of older infants and young toddlers. If a child has been forbidden to touch or take a certain object
early on, they know enough to slowly look over their shoulder to see if they are being observed
before touching said object. There is no need for this behavior to be taught; it is instinctive.
Once, however, any form of discipline is applied to modify the child’s behavior, the child now
gains the capacity within himself to distinguish his right behavior from his wrong behavior. Now,
the child can make correct choices based on his own knowledge. The choices that are made by an
individual from childhood to adulthood are between forbidden and acceptable, kind or cruel,
generous or selfish. A person may, under any given set of circumstances, decide to do what is
forbidden. If this individual possesses moral values, going against them usually produces guilt.

Religion is another source of moral values. Most religions have built-in lists of do’s and don’ts, a
set of codes by which its adherents should live. Individuals who are followers of a particular
religion will generally make a show of following that religion’s behavioral code. It is interesting
to note that these codes may widely vary; a person whose religion provides for polygamy will
experience no guilt at having more than one spouse while adherents to other religions feel they
must remain monogamous.