What is the Relationship of Morality to Your Religion/Faith?

[Aynfean]

It seems to me that morality is intimately connected to some religions but is less apparent with others. I know this is a very broad question, but how is morality related to your faith? Are your moral beliefs guided and sustained by your religion? Or did you pick a deity based on pre-existing moral beliefs? Some combination? Neither? The omnipresent other?

Funny, I've been pondering this one myself a fair bit lately. I have yet to really be able to properly put my thoughts on it into words. However there are a few things I've come up with.

I think my personal sense of morality is partly what led me to this spiritual path. My background with religion is pretty effed up. (uber strict Christian). Over the years I've evolved and grown, analysing why I believed certain things were immoral. If I couldn't really come up with a reason they got put into the grey area. Other things moved into the totally acceptable area.

For myself I'm much more of a situational ethics person. I look at the world in more varying shades of grey than a strict line between black and white. This makes it tough to pin down anything concrete.

I got in a discussion with a friend recently who held to the Wiccan "Harm None", which is cool if that's what you want. Personally I find the alternate version more in line with my logic pathways:

"Do what you will, know what you do."

If I had to boil down my morality to a single point, that would be it. Personal responsibility for your actions and a reasonable amount of thought put into anything you do.

[Celtag]

This matches how morality fits into my religion as well. In addition, for me morality is a fluid thing; what is "moral" in one situation may not be in another. It is that ability to adapt when required that truly shapes my moral life.

My relationship with my gods, well, let's just say I've yet to be asked to do anything that is immoral.

I go off of what my gut tells me is right or wrong. I listen to myself in morality situations. My religion doesn't help or hinder the aspect of morality in my life.

[Rhyshadow]

It seems to me that morality is intimately connected to some religions but is less apparent with others. I know this is a very broad question, but how is morality related to your faith?

Are your moral beliefs guided and sustained by your religion? Or did you pick a deity based on pre-existing moral beliefs? Some combination? Neither? The omnipresent other?

Since I didn't go searching for my Patrons I'd have to say that I didn't pick them based on my Ethical position, more that they enable me to constantly question my own judgements.

My personal viewpoint is that Ethics are internal, while Morals are outside influenced - so I don't have a "Moral" position, just an Ethical one

Now I have changed my viewpoint on certain things over the years - went from working in the framework of "Harm None" as a Wiccan to "Threaten me or mine and I WILL hurt you", reason I'm not Wiccan anymore, but on a Celtic inspired path; but certain things haven't changed - like my innate desire to protect people; ANY person; from what I perceive to be wrongness. Probably why Thor tapped me on the shoulder all those years ago when I still WAS Wiccan.

And my later years, doing what I could as a Priest and Minister to heal people of hurts of the heart and soul is probably what brought Brigid into my sphere.

I'm still growing....still evolving as I get older, but my base Ethics haven't changed - and they follow the six Celtic values pretty closely

So the short answer is

My Ethical principles are guided by my internal compass of Right and Wrong; my Patrons are supportive of my position, so they sustain me and let me know that what I'm doing is right. We work as partners in this.

[Annie Roonie]

It seems to me that morality is intimately connected to some religions but is less apparent with others. I know this is a very broad question, but how is morality related to your faith? Are your moral beliefs guided and sustained by your religion? Or did you pick a deity based on pre-existing moral beliefs? Some combination? Neither? The omnipresent other?

I think morality is the mother of religions among other things. The Haidt Ted Talk and his yourmorals.org quizzes prodded me to get a little meta with the concept of morality. It's another area where faith and religion are clearly separate as one can have faith in a moral structure without having any in a religion and likewise in reverse. But it seems clear that morality is what binds them like blood kin. Makes me ponder how closely morality is related to genetic imperatives (random tangent ).

I haven't chosen a god or goddess or path; however, I do find certain qualities of deities more admirable than others. And even while doing it I realize I am using a personal bias based in my own morality. So, I re-evaluate. I try to step further away from my own judgements to gain a clearer insight. Not always, but sometimes when I am able to step away from morality a little, it's like the world opens up. Not for good or ill, but for itself. Like a bridegroom.

But then back to here and now and the myriad decisions that must be made. I still often rely on all the rules I can muster, but I've gotten more patient about taking action based upon my own morality. I guess I have faith in that open world more than anything else even morality. Which is weird to realize.

[Owl]

It seems to me that morality is intimately connected to some religions but is less apparent with others. I know this is a very broad question, but how is morality related to your faith? Are your moral beliefs guided and sustained by your religion? Or did you pick a deity based on pre-existing moral beliefs? Some combination? Neither? The omnipresent other?

My moral beliefs were shaped by my upbringing, by my reading, and by what seems right to me. One of the reasons the SO and I get along so well is that we have essentially the same moral beliefs - even though we came at them from different directions and different upbringings.

When approached by a deity, moral beliefs did not come up - I would guess that she liked what she saw already in place there, because I have not been asked to change that. And not having a fully structured religion already in place prevents 2 sets of morals running afoul of each other.

[Darkhawk]

I know this is a very broad question, but how is morality related to your faith? Are your moral beliefs guided and sustained by your religion? Or did you pick a deity based on pre-existing moral beliefs? Some combination? Neither? The omnipresent other?

(Wow, that was full of weird font and size tags. )

How about this one: among the signs that I was finally on the right religious track was finding that there was vocabulary and sustained theological analysis for moral beliefs that I had long held and not been able to efficiently articulate.

Having found that vocabulary and analysis available to me has refined my thoughts on this subject further.

[earth_dragon]

It seems to me that morality is intimately connected to some religions but is less apparent with others. I know this is a very broad question, but how is morality related to your faith? Are your moral beliefs guided and sustained by your religion? Or did you pick a deity based on pre-existing moral beliefs? Some combination? Neither? The omnipresent other?

My sense of morality and of right and wrong is very innate, and so I'm drawn to spiritual paths that fall in step with my personal sense of morality. I don't really work with deities, so that part of the question doesn't apply to me. But I could never follow a religion or spiritual path that was in contrast to my innate moral sense.

[dragonfaerie]

Are your moral beliefs guided and sustained by your religion? Or did you pick a deity based on pre-existing moral beliefs? Some combination? Neither? The omnipresent other?

Honestly, I think I picked Wicca because it fit my personal ethics. Ditto with the Druidry I'm currently exploring. Where those personal ethics came from, well, some of it's from how I was raised. And some is just stuff I inherently believe (I'm the first card-carrying animal rights activist in the family)... who knows where that came from?

Karen

[dragonfaerie]

Personally I find the alternate version more in line with my logic pathways:

"Do what you will, know what you do."

Which is really more what the Rede says in the first place. It doesn't say "Harm None", and I'm about ready to start buying billboards and paying skywriters to get that notion eradicated from 21st century Paganism. If I could, like, afford that.

Karen