Outline the reason why some argue that morality is linked to religion.

If there is no God or religion, why to we have consciences? Who is it, or what is it that tells us that we must rush into a burning building to safe a poor defenceless baby? People of a religious belief would tell us that your conscience is the voice of God in your head (making him omnipresent) and because "God made man in His own image" (Genesis 1 v 27); conscience was implanted by the Creator. Religious people tell us that because our conscience is telling what is wrong and right, there is a strong link between religion and morality.

St. Thomas Aquinas (1225 - 1274) argued that a religious faith prevented man from being seduced by "apparent goods" (apparent goods being things such as sex, drugs 'rock and roll', cigarettes, and alcohol.). He believed that humans were part of the natural world and as he looked to the natural world as a source of revelation, he thought that we all have a nature and that nature is similar to all of us. It became obvious to Aquinas that God had implanted us with a 'God-like' or good nature and he had done this because God loved man.

However, God had also placed man in front of temptation, which meant man had to overcome these temptations in order to develop not only morally but also intellectually. Apparent goods (temptations), give us an immediate high but in the end, we are spiritually killing ourselves, as apparent goods are self-destructive.

Aquinas believed that pursuing apparent goods is a contrast to man's true nature and our true nature is to preserve and grow into a likeness of God. He also believed that without God and religion, man could descend back to an animal-like state. In other words, man needs God as a 'father-figure' to prevent him from going astray and following these apparent goods.

Aquinas has modern day followers or contemporary theologians such as Swinburne. Swinburne argues that with God as the foundation of morality, man is inspired to rise above the apparent goods and he maintains that small acts can be important if they are good. ("But when you help a needy person, do it in such as way that not even your closest friend will know about it. Then it will be a private matter. And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you." (Matthew 6 v 3-4)) He believes that even doing things on a small scale is life enhancing!

It is even argued by atheists that many of modern-day societies moral codes have come from a religious background or foundation but then there is the problem of arguing what came first, religion or society.

Outline and comment on the reasons for arguing that morality should not be linked to religion. (10 Marks)

It has been argued since the 19th Century by sociologists and anthropologists that religion and God have been socially constructed by society and therefore so has morality.

Feuerbach (1804 - 1872) claimed this and argued that man invented God and religious systems. Feuerbach also says that we invent these religious systems to justify having 'absolute and unquestionable moral standards. The idea behind it is that God can motivate men because he is omniscient where as other men would fail because they are simply human.

Religion has been created to bind society together and to produce total and unquestionable obedience to certain codes of practice. He also believed that religion gave hope and 'support' to the downtrodden and weak in society at the time. Feuerbach continued to say that religion pacifies society and individuals.

Feuerbach's argument agreed with that of Carl Marx (1802 - 1883) who said, "Religion is the opium of the masses", and thought that when the masses are soothed it is easy to impress certain values or ideas upon them that are acceptable in society.

Feuerbach and Comte (1795 - 1857) said that religion was outdated and they believed that religion was part of man's 'schooling' and education from when man was in a 'childlike' and primitive state. Religion was there to take away the barbarism in man and to discipline him into a socially acceptable code of behaviour. Along with this, Feuerbach also claims that mankind has 'graduated', left school and gone out on his own. Religion has had its 'raison d'être'. He was also of the opinion that modern-day man could create his own codes in a pluralistic and diverse society, and society can function in a pluralistic manor because mankind is now civilised and religion does not need to bind society together any longer. (Feuerbach and Comte were from the 'Romantic' tradition and were naturally optimistic about mankind becoming perfect.)

Comte believed that morality could be explained scientifically and therefore no need for God or religion. He said that morality extends from the fact that man likes to feel like part of a pack like wolves. Comte says that we have morality to strengthen the 'pack' and in turn, it strengthens individual men. Co-operation also strengthen the pack as it is a case of 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours'. The Biologist Richard Dawkins (1941 - present) believes that morality is part of our genetic make-up and that we have a 'selfless' gene that are stronger in some people than others.

Nietzsche (1844 - 1900) claims that religion forces a herd-like mentality upon man and that religion teaches him values and ideas that 'deny him his very being'. He said that if we were to look at the values that Christianity preaches, it preaches meekness, gentleness, compassion, self-sacrifices and a rejection of all the earthly pursuits. By following what Christianity preaches we are producing a salve-like mentality. In other words, Nietzsche is saying 'live for the moment'.

Sartre (1904 - 1983) believed that an individual, if he can claim to call himself an individual, has to 'define himself in isolation from others' and they should not follow the moral codes of others or especially those of the church. If he was to follow the codes of the church, he is preventing himself from recognising his true self (People are following the practices of others and not choosing values of their own and are compromising their own identity). Sartre believes that "existence precedes essence". (You exist to begin with and then you chose what you want to be).

The 4th Century Philosopher Plato believed that moral principles are innate and that we are born with them. The main argument here is what is the need for God if we already have moral values present within us?

Plato believed that we are born with a knowledge of 'fundamental truths' and these truths were 'justice', 'the good' (morality), and 'beauty'. Plato called these three fundamental truths 'The Forms'. Plato says that we are born with these truths but as we develop through childhood, we lose contact with them but need to rediscover the truth through humanity. He said that most human beings are able to recognise the fundamental truths and therefore we need to work on this. For example, we know what goodness is in some senses but we do not know what 'the good' is overall or we know what beautiful things are but we do not know what 'beauty' is. (He called these aspects of the forms the particulars.)

Plato's assumption is that Philosophers such as himself should educate people about the forms so as we can recognise what 'the good' is or what 'beauty' is.

People's motivation for following religion and religious codes may come from total and utter fear. This fear is a fear of eternal damnation and a basic fear of death. It is also argued that those who follow religious codes are ultimately selfish without realising it because they are assuming eternal reward for their endeavours.

In my opinion, I think that there are some arguments for morality and religion being linked because of some of the reasons outlined in the first question.

The main reason why I think that morality and religion are linked is because of our consciences. Where do our consciences come from if there is no God? Is our conscience the way God is able to be with everyone and be everywhere? I think that that comment is true - it is how he is able to be with everyone and be everywhere at the same time.

The reasons why I do not think that morality and religion are linked are because I agree with Feuerbach in saying that religion and God were invented by society for the weak so as they had something to look up to and to gain hope from. I also agree with Nietzsche's comments about if you follow religion you are not being yourself but are in a 'heard like mentality' and cannot think or do for yourself.

I think that because we live in a widely diverse and mostly secular society, we will never be able to come to any complete conclusions on whether morality and religion are linked but that each "individual" will make up their own mind in time and maybe one day when we have fully developed and are near perfection we will.