[SPasse]

Hi All,

Let's play with a concept; Freedom from Religion vs. a moral code based on a set of religious based moral absolutes (Religion)

Will human society ever reach a state of social evolution where science will replace the need for a moral code based on a set of religious "traditions"

A "Religious" Perspective:

Human beings will never reach a point of knowledge where a set of "God Based" moral absolutes are unnecessary to provide a set of "reference points"

Another way of saying this is that humans are inevitably tied to their "sin nature" and that "religion" provides a set of uniformly consistent and unchanging standards.

An "Enlightened Scientific Perspective":

The progression of scientific advancement inevitably marches towards uncovering more and more of the "creation mysteries", so there is no need for a religious based perspective. Religion is a relic of a time when primitive people "manufactured" gods to "explain the unexplainable" (do to their lack of scientific knowledge)

I personally, can (and have) advocated both of these perspectives.

Maybe it is time for a new world religion. One that truly is just a set of moral guideposts, and doesn't instantly become just another excuse/prop for a perpetual power structure. That has been an extremely elusive goal though…

Regards,

Scott

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by SPasse

...a moral code based on a set of religious based moral absolutes (Religion)

The assumption being that these so-called "religious-based moral absolutes" are truly moral to begin with. That's a pretty big stretch.

[Ninong]

In this country, we don't have a "moral code." We have a civil code -- the Constitution and the laws that flow from it. It seems to work reasonably well most of the time.

Once you get beyond the basic "do unto others as you would have them do unto you," you are going to run into disagreements over what is moral and what is not, especially if these morals are based on an irrational belief in something that cannot be proven.

It's sort of like what that judge said about pornography: "I may not be able to define it but I know it when I see it."

Religious morals shift with the times just as religious beliefs change with the times. They are no more absolute than any other set of values. In fact, they are notoriously unreliable as a gauge for appropriate human behavior as history attests all too well.