The Moral Instinct

From the Daily Transcript

The greatest myth within religious communities is that religion is the basis of all morality.

This idea that religion is not the only means to moral behavior is not new. And it shouldn't be a new idea in religious circles, yet some seem to never hear of other ways to moral behavior such as philosophy and genetics. Some religious people dismiss the idea without reflection. There's a new book out by Marc Hauser has a book, which I haven't yet read, called "Moral Minds: How Nature Designed Our Universal Sense of Right and Wrong" that is giving more foundation to the idea that morals are not from religion only, but from other factors.

Really religious people ought to get over the idea that religion is the only source for moral codes or ethical behavior. Philosophers that are non-religious have discussed, pondered and probed ethical and moral behaviors with no reference to religion for years. And then the idea that people will fall short of moral behavior if they're not religious is equally ridiculous. One of the tenets of the Greek and Hebrew Testaments is that we will all fall short and go astray.

And in many ways the most important aspect of religion has nothing to do with morality or ethics. Religion is about worshipping, serving, knowing God. Morality and ethics comes after that. The primary calling of a Christian, to paraphrase the Westminster Catechism, is to serve and enjoy God. (1) To make religion about morality is to miss the awesome relationship with God. If the relationship is just about doing the right thing then we will miss the moments of joy in service or in glorifying God.

I'm not a very good painter, but when I paint I make a mess. I enjoy myself thoroughly and alse feel like I am glorifying God. When I sing I don't make a mess and I'm a better vocalist than painter. Yet I still glorify and enjoy God. Yes, for both, doing it well takes practice and patience and work and more work. The same is true with living a moral and ethical life. But morality and ethics are in the same relationship to serving and enjoying and glorifying God as is painting and singing and working where I'm employed and many other things in life.

If morality and ethics are the sum or the purpose of religion, then there's something missing in the religion. Religion is about God, it is about the relationship between God and human, it is about worship and adoration but reduced to ethics and morality (something that may come from religion but is not limited to religion) is but a poor reflection of what religion can be. Morality and ethics are certainly a part of religious life, but they come in after worshipping, enjoying, glorifying, and serving God.

(1) from the Westminster Larger Catechism "Man's chief and highest end is to glorify God,1 and fully to enjoy him forever"/blockquote>

and from the Shorter Catechism "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever."