RELIGIOUS TEACHINGS ON MORALITY

Morality is the basis of things .morality is the foundation of spiritual life .it is the basis of yoga .truth or Brahman is the substance of all morality. Practice of morality leads to purity of heart, and attainment of self-realization. Without mortality you will become a spiritual bankrupt. The course of morality is very subtle indeed. Even the great sages fail to understand it always. What a strong man says in this world is mortality and is considered as such by others, though It may not be really so, while what a weak man says is immortality And is regarded as such even if it be the highest mortality. Follow the path trodden by great souls .this will be your guide. In order to help a man come to realize the true power of God’s morality, we must first examine how this spurious belief about preservation of the species has embedded itself in man’s moral skin. To do... A morality play is one in which the actors are personifications of vices and virtues. For example there would be a character for Greed and another one for Purity. The relation of conformity or nonconformity to the moral standard or rule; quality of an intention, a character, an action, a principle, or a sentiment, when tried by the standard of right. The quality of an action which renders it good; the conformity of an act to the accepted standard of right. The doctrines or rules of moral duties, or the duties of men in their social character; ethics. The practice of the moral duties; rectitude of life; conformity to the standard of right; virtue; as, we often admire the politeness of men whose morality we question. A kind of allegorical play, so termed because it consisted of discourses in praise of morality between actors representing such characters as Charity, Faith, Death, Vice, etc. Such plays were occasionally exhibited as late as the reign of Henry VIII. Morality (from the Latin moralitas "manner, character, proper behavior") is a sense of behavioral conduct that differentiates intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are good (or right) and bad (or wrong). A moral code is a system of morality (for example, according to a particular philosophy, religion, culture, etc.) and a moral is any one practice or teaching within a moral code. Immorality is the active opposition to morality, while amorality is variously defined as an unawareness of, indifference toward, or disbelief in any set of moral standards or principles. In its "descriptive" sense, morality refers to personal or cultural values, codes of conduct or social mores that distinguish between right and wrong in the human society. Describing morality in this way is not making a claim about what is objectively right or wrong, but only referring to what is considered right or wrong by an individual or some group of people (such as a religion). This sense of the term is addressed by descriptive ethics. In its "normative" sense, morality refers directly to what is right and wrong, regardless of what specific individuals think. It could be defined as the conduct of the ideal "moral" person in a certain situation. This usage of the term is characterized by "definitive" statements such as "That person is morally responsible" rather than descriptive statements like "Many people believe that person is morally responsible." These ideas are explored in normative ethics. The normative sense of morality is often challenged by moral nihilism (which rejects the existence of any moral truths)[5] and supported by moral realism (which supports the existence of moral truths). The meaning of morality then, is the achievement of what is best for the life of each of us as individuals. But this needs to be clarified. As a system of guidance for life, the concept of morality could be, and has been, expanded to include the obtaining of whatever we happen to value most. This, however, destroys the concept, and results in what I would call "moralities of death." Certainly religious suicide bombers who kill themselves and innocent people have gone far astray from this original premise of life as the basis of morality. They value some beliefs higher than their own or other's lives. Does using the idea of good and evil even make any sense when we get too far from the goal of preserving and protecting life? No. It makes more sense to leave "life" at the center of our moral systems. However, what we can so is work on expanding our conception of "life," and what "my life" means. What is life? Whose lives (beside our own) should our moralities protect, and in what ways? Should one's life be protected at any cost, or should a certain kind or quality of life be the ultimate goal and value? Exploring these questions might lead to a more useful morality. What about love for others? What about generosity, productiveness, joy and peace of mind? How do these fit into morality? How do we balance these lesser - but very important values - when they come into conflict in our moral choices? What about when different individuals have conflicts in their various choices and moral beliefs. How do we resolve these? A look at the moral development of a baby shows us how the most basic animal selfishness becomes an enlightened self interest. A baby is born, and begins to cry. He identifies only with the raw feelings and desires he's having, like the desire to eat. He doesn't care in the least that his crying causes his parents to lose hundreds of hours of sleep the first year. He just wants his food, drink, diapers, and to be held. His is a selfishness or self interest that is very narrow. In fact, it's so limited by ignorance, that if possible, a newborn baby would drink the last drop of his mothers milk even at the cost of her life, just to satisfy a temporary hunger. He cannot understand what his mother needs nor care if she is hurt. However, when he is a little bit older he starts to value others, and starts to show the first real signs of concern for them. Partly this is a matter of the direct rewards he receives, like the smile and hug he gets when he brings daddy a blanket. This is the beginning of his moral development. He also has begun to identify with people. He sees his mothers tears, for example, relates this to his own experience of pain at some level, and so he wants to comfort her. This is his first experience of empathy, an important next step in moral development. (Self interest - the basis of morality - requires that we learn to associate with and understand others.) Previously, he was concerned about little beyond his mouth and anus. But now his concept of self is growing beyond his body. He is a body and mind, and in a certain sense, the people around him are also a part of who he is. With this larger sense of identity, he develops the desire to satisfy not just his own hunger, but the needs of others as well. This is still a very primitive state compared to later maturity, still very limited by a lack of knowledge and experience. But it is an indicator of things to come.