To what degree does reason (WOK) and religion (AOK) shape society’s moral belief?

Influence of Religion and Reason on Moral Belief
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Influence of Religion and Reason on Moral Belief
The reason is regarded as the way in which people try to figure out what the world is and what it expects from them through the use of rationality, comparison, logic, experience and judgment. In short, reason is a way of knowing. On the other hand, religion is the belief in and the subsequent worship of a supernatural being or power. Religion provides people with an opportunity to learn about how different people react to different things as well as their different ways of thinking. Religion is, therefore, an area of knowledge. There has been great debate on the extent to which religion and reason affect an individual’s as well as societal moral belief. Some people have argued that the two are complementary in moral belief and that the two if properly employed result to the society’s morally accepted behavior. Others have argued that the two can have contentious propositions that lead to negative moral beliefs and behavior. Some recent philosophers who are logical positivists have argued that there is no domain of human existence or thought that is controlled by religion and that all important ideas and propositions are made through rational examination. This situation has left religious thinkers with a challenge to explain how religion affects moral belief. However, research has shown that religion and reason are complementary in the laying out of societal moral beliefs.

This paper looks at to what extent each of the two affects the society’s moral belief. It starts by outlining how religion shapes the opinion then later explores how reason, on the other hand, contributes in moral beliefs.
Some philosophers have argued that morality lays the ground for the perpetuation of various religious beliefs while religion strengthens morality with the supernatural sanctions that it imposes. Most of the moral aspects, they have supernatural origin and salvation is interpreted regarding one’s relation to the moral ideas. Moral values that are acquired by people over time are usually incorporated into a religion which subsequently redefines them and returns them back to the people (Mason, 2010). Most of the moralists, therefore, the belief that morality and religion go together and that morality cannot exist without religion. Reference is made to the time in the Bible when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. The commandments were to define the relationship between man and God as well as between a man and fellow man. They set behavior that was acceptable to God. For example, one was not expected to commit adultery, kill, covet their neighbor’s property or wife, and bear false witness against another person. These Commandments redefined the society’s moral expectations in the community as per that time. They were later incorporated into the Christian beliefs and practices and still define how one is supposed to conduct himself (Gewirth, 1978). It is known that contrary actions against these rules would result in condemnation to eternal fire in hell. Christians, therefore, know that they have to remain righteous by not killing others, being liars and all other things outlined in religious teachings. Religion, therefore, controls the society’s morals.
Moral beliefs are different for each community as morality refers to what is regarded as acceptable within a community. A community’s code of behavior might seem odd and even horrific to another community. For example, a community might view the eating of human flesh as utterly cruel and unacceptable while to the community that eats the flesh; this is a good practice as it strengthens their community. Coming back to religion, Muslims who are strict observant of Sharia law may see nothing wrong in the beheading, slaughter, and killing of those who do not follow their religion or those who break certain laid out codes of conduct. While women are expected to cover themselves even in mosques as per Islam entirely, Christian women should not wear headgears in the church in respect for the holy place. Sikh men are also expected always to rub their head in a turban. The violation of these codes of conduct leads to reprimand and in some case banishment from the community. Religion, therefore, instills a certain fear of the consequences of various to observe certain expectations from people and therefore influences their societal beliefs.
A society without moral codes would be hard to live in. It would also be too ungovernable. Women right would be a dream that seems far away, fairness and justice would not be present, human rights would be unheard of, and one would not criticize another for their behavior. There are those who believe that without religion, this would still be the case. They believe that religion is necessary so that they can act accordingly. Religion creates the need to do what is right as there are rewards for those who comply with religious beliefs (Gewirth, 1978). Those who do as per God’s wishes are assured of blessings while on earth and a place in heaven when they die. Those who do not observe the rules are told that they will be punished.
Though Religion is based on morality before God and man, critics have argued that it is possible that one present himself as holy and religious but fail to be moral. A church goer might do all that is observable before the church; give tithes, offerings, worship and sing loudly, pray but on leaving the church to engage in criminal activities at night or other vices. Religion is therefore regarded as a means of covering one’s dirty acts and secrets. Sometimes faith also inspires actions that are detrimental to social beliefs and interests. Sharia law might call for the killing of all nonbelievers though this is not morally acceptable in the community. Human sacrifices are carried out in some religion; this conflicts with the society’s idea of morality. This situation has lead to the consideration of reason as a more viable explanation of moral belief.
The reason, many psychologists argue, has the greatest influence on moral beliefs and behavior. This is due to the shortcomings presented by religion. The reason is used when one makes any decision. Sometimes the decision occurs instantaneously due to similar previous experiences one had encountered. When one thinks about the decision they are making, he can easily have control over them. Intellectual enlightenment occurs when one is consciously aware of the choice they are making. The more effective this is, the more rational one is (Damon & Colby, n.d.). People use logic in their daily life as they are faced with various dilemmas e.g. whether to lie or not. They then evaluate what is best for them and the society and decide the right thing to do. In case a pedestrian is crossing the road when the driver is over speeding, there is a high probability of hitting him. However, the driver can choose to hit him but save many people who are in the car. This is a decision based on reasoning. Reasoning, therefore, controls a significant part of moral beliefs in the society.
Moral belief can be considered as controlled by four components of moral behavior. The first is moral sensitivity which is defined as the ability to see and solve an ethical dilemma by analyzing how our actions would affect others. Moral activation is the personal commitment to doing what is good. Moral judgment, on the other hand, involves the ability to think and decide what should be done in a particular situation (Gewirth, 1978). Lastly, moral character defines who one is and how he presents himself.
According to Kant, the power of reason is the key to humanity and moral reasoning. Moral philosophy according to him should be grounded in principles that are only derived through reason (Kant, Wood, & Schneewind, 2002). A God society is usually just when moral principles are accepted by all. A moral action is typically approved when it passes a universality test and is accepted as right for all to take action if no one makes himself an exception to the rule. The Universality test holds that actions are moral if they apply to all. This theory defines moral beliefs in the society. One should look at a behavior by analyzing its impact and whether it would be acceptable to all people in the community. If it would be acceptable to all, one is free to do that action. There are at times consequences for a choice taken which are imposed and reinforced by the ethical codes governing them.
In conclusion, both reason and religion contribute to a great extent in the construction and propagation of moral belief in the society. However, the degree of control varies between the two. Religion controls many people and therefore offers a good opportunity of managing the relationship between people. However, it is also used as a way of hiding one’s evil tendencies and behavior. The reason, therefore, exerts the greater influence in society’s moral beliefs.
References
Gewirth, A. (1978). Reason and morality (1st ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Kant, I., Wood, A., & Schneewind, J. (2002). Groundwork for the metaphysics of morals (1st ed.). New Haven: Yale University Press.
Damon, W. & Colby, A. The power of ideals (1st ed.).
Mason, K. (2010). Debunking Argument and Genealogy of Religion. Philosophy Compass, 5(9), 770-778. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-9991.2010.00320.x