The Relationship between
Religion and Moral Values
Moral Autonomy
• Moral autonomy is all about using reason to
work out what is right and wrong and not
simply follow a set of rules.
• It means doing things your own way. In fact
autonomy literally means being a law unto
yourself.
• It means that your values are not linked to
any kinds of religious belief or founded on any
religious principles.
So how does moral autonomy work?
• Autonomy is based on reason.
• Basically this means thinking things
through and coming up with a decision.
• It can involve thinking about…
• General rules about
right and wrong that
can be applied to the
situation.
• How flexible our
ideas about right
and wrong should be.
• Moral absolutism /
moral relativism.
• Self-interest / the
interests of others.
• The best action to
take in this
situation, at this
time, for this
person.
• The best motivation.
• The best outcome.
• The best outcome
for the majority
even at the expense
of the minority.
Autonomy: pros and cons
• Using reason to make a
moral decision is seen by
many as the best way –
because you take
account of as many
things as possible and
make your decision based
on all the facts while
staying flexible about
the choice you make.
• Others think it is too
flexible and reduces
right and wrong to
whims, likes and
dislikes.
Discussion
• Does reason
seem to you like a
good way to make
moral decisions?
Autonomy put to the test
• Aim to use reason to
come up with a moral
choice which everyone
agrees with to the
Baboonian dilemma.
• Baboonia is a relatively
new country that lies on
the banks of the South
Pacific River, just off
Nepal.
The Baboonian dilemma
• The government of Baboonia has decided that
people are living too long. It can no longer
afford to look after its ageing population. So,
it come up with a solution. Everyone will have
their every need provided for by the
government up until the age of 30. Life will
be sweet in every respect. No one will be
cold, hungry or have to do without anything in
life.
The Baboonian dilemma (continued)
• The price which will have to
be paid for this is that when
you get to 30 you have to be
killed.
• Have the Baboonians got the
right idea?
Christianity on Autonomy
• Totally depends on what kind of
Christian you are.
• Some say that autonomy is a
problem and only God should be
the source of moral decisions.
• Others say that making decisions
ourselves is what God wants us to
do. Christians should use the
Bible, community and traditions
as well as reason to make
decisions.
Religious Morality
• Heteronomy
: Moral values are
grounded in
religious belief.
Moral Heteronomy
• Basing your moral decisions on a
range of different things and not
just acting as a law unto yourself.
• This might involve working with
others to arrive at a choices or
basing your decisions on many
sources of guidance or
information.
Moral Heteronomy (cont.)
• You still make the decisions for yourself
but you do so in the context of some
other sources of guidance from outside
yourself.
• You are more likely to appeal to an
outside set of beliefs and morals, such
as those found within religions.
Christianity on Heteronomy
• Christians are comfortable
with this. They would
argue that God directs
them towards doing the
right thing through
scriptures, prayer and
other traditions.
• Christians are also
supported by the Christian
community to help make
decisions. This means
Christians do not feel
isolated and can get
support.
Discussion
• How might
thinking ‘What
would Jesus do?’
be helpful
/unhelpful for a
Christian when
making a moral
decision?
Questions
1. What is Moral Autonomy?
2. Do you think of yourself
as morally autonomous?
3. What would a Christian
think of someone who was
a law unto themselves?
4. Explain the difference
between moral autonomy
and moral heteronomy?
You shall
Religious Morality
The interpretation of sacred
writings guided by faith,
tradition and/or reason.
Introduction
• There are many scriptures
that religious people believe
come from God(s).
• These scriptures also tell
followers what is right and
what is wrong.
• Many religious people
disagree with each other
because they feel that their
scripture is divine.
• As well as this there are
many different
interpretations of these
scriptures within a religion.
Inerrancy
• This means to what extent the
scriptures could be said to be
TRUE (or inerrant).
• Traditionalists/Literalists: the
scripture is completely true with
no errors.
• Conservatives: the scripture is
mostly true but there are some
factual errors.
• Liberalists: the scriptures are
not to be seen as fact books. The
lessons and meaning of the
stories are the important thing.
Christian Scripture
• Some Christians believe
that the scriptures (OT &
NT) were sent directly
from God to those who
wrote them down.
• Other Christians think
that they should be seen as
a general guide to how to
live and that some parts of
the Bible are more
important than others.
Christian Scripture 2
• Some Christians worry about
how scriptures are used: should
you take it all as a whole or pick
bits out?
• Other Christians say that the
Bible can be interpreted in many
ways and they are meant to be
understood in the context of the
time, place and situation in which
they were written.
Christian Scripture 3
• Christian Scripture were
written a long time ago (Bronze
Age) when many issues could not
have even been imagined.
• This means Christians try to
match up teachings to fit with
modern dilemmas.
• This will still leave you having to
work a few things out for
yourself.
Christian Scripture 4
• The Guide / Unchangeable Set
of Laws debate.
• Jesus stuck to the laws of the
Hebrew bible (OT), but also
‘bend’ the laws when he felt it
made sense to do so.
• Also, what’s in Christian
scriptures and what is not isn’t
agreed on by all Christians.
Christian Scripture 5
• To resolve this many
Christians use scripture
but also compare it with
their reason and check
with their religious
leaders or other
Christians.
Viewpoints Independent of Religious
Belief
• No sacred scriptures! No
god(s)!
• There are written texts which
act as a starting point to help
people make decisions about
right and wrong.
• For example, Utilitarians refer
to the works of Bentham and
Mill.
Viewpoints Independent of Religious
Belief 2
• Documents like the United
Nations Declaration of Human
Rights can give people a start in
moral decision-making.
• Remember though: there’s no
need to follow anything that’s
written and no writing can ever
take the place of personal
choice about morality.
How do Christians work out what the
right thing to do is in a moral
dilemma? 8KU