Post 1: I do definitely believe that there is a certain hand in hand between re

Post 1:
I do definitely believe that there is a certain hand in hand between religion and morality. Many of the actions and decisions that are made from people who are more involved in the church are derived out of the fear of god and his possible punishment. There is also the idea that without the fear of god, people would not have a reason to act morally. I think there is some truth to that statement, however it is not completely true. I believe that the ideas of gods commandments, which were set in place thousands and thousands years before any of us, were more or less the structure of the current idea of what is right or wrong and what is the morally correct thing to do. These commandments, for example “thou shall not steal”, “thou shall not commit adultery”, “thou shall not kill”, they are a structure we follow as a society and believe to be the morally correct, regardless of your religious following. It is my belief that while yes, many of these ideas and concepts we follow were derived from the 10 commandments and had come from having a fear of god, at this point in our society, religion/having a fear in god no longer has much of an affect on what we see as morally correct. While the morality is sourced mainly from gods commandments, you do not need to be religious to understand the rights and wrongs of society.
As humans, we normally look up to someone else in higher power to make our decisions, or structure our lives or environments for us. We have very little control over our decisions in life and it is very rarely that we are able to fight for our rights and take back that power. We usually leave it up to people who are in authority to put together structure and make our decisions. It is my belief that, without gods structure of the 10 commandments and having those ideas enforced and repeated everyday of our lives, humans would not understand the idea of what is morally right or wrong. I think chaos would ensue and we would have no concept or idea that certain things are not okay. However, I do believe that after a period of time, there would be some form of hierarchy formed and people would eventually structure their ideas and morals around whatever authority created. Humanity needs an authoritative figure to give us ideas and structure to keep this society turning.
Within the last few decades, there has been a constant change in the ideas of what is morally correct and not. Some blame a lack of religion in our daily lives, some blame social media and the media in general. People believe that there has been a moral decline within the recent decades. Others think we have made progress in our ideals. In all honesty, I do not believe there has been any decline nor progress in our moral standings. We are a society that takes 3 steps forward, and then 2 steps backwards right as progress is made. The thing is that our society is not the same one that people lived in, in the 1950s or the 1800s. We have evolved, and we live in a much different and less simple society at this moment. Which is a great thing, but also not so great. No longer living in the 1950s era of life means things will change, styles will be outdated, and morals will convert. Our ideas and ways of thinking change with time, not with how much you pray or believe in god or whatever religion you may follow. We are a community of trend followers and going against the grain to find the next best idea or style to follow. I believe that moral beliefs follow right into this pattern. With that concept in mind, as a society, we have made very little progress, negative or positive, because we are in a constant tug of war with people who are stuck in the ideas of the past and others who are willing to move into future ideals.
Post 2:
If it were the 1900s and I was asked that without the fear of God would people have no reason to act morally, I would have to agree. During a time when there were inhumane rights and lack of jurisdiction, I do believe that the belief of God is what limited people to act immorally. Of course, however, this did not stop everyone as we know, but I do feel as if the act of ‘sinning’ was heavier frowned upon during this time. Now that I am being asked this question during the 21st century, I have to disagree. There are so many ‘modern’ families in our society that are free willed and not tied down by religion that it is hard to agree that God is what is stopping them from acting out. Of course, there are still millions in our world who still strongly believe in God or other religions that affect the way they act, or in some extreme situations, control the way they act. Nevertheless, I still believe that it is common sense and kindness that keep a majority of people in check. Not everyone believes in god, so how could you say that the only reason people are acting moral is because of the fear of god?
As a child who grew up Roman Catholic but branched off as maturity took place, I have to argue that I am not the way I am simply because I grew up attending church. I believe I act morally because of the way our society is shaped today. I know what is right and what is wrong, and it is not from growing up religious. It is from developing my own opinions, watching the world around me, and most importantly, living and learning. I disagree that what is ‘right or wrong’ was not developed by the earlier strong beliefs of God, but rather from humans living their lives and learning from their mistakes. I believe that as the human population advanced, so did our knowledge on what is immoral and what is moral.
This is a very controversial opinion, but I have to argue that without religion and the belief of God, our society would have been better. I do believe that humans would be able to differentiate what is right and what is wrong if religion were not here. If anything, our society would be more just if religion were not forced or embedded into people’s decisions. Take for example the Supreme Court. Do we really think that they would have overturned Roe Vs Wade if the judges were not Catholic? Older parts of our society have become so infected by religion that they no longer act on what is right and what is wrong, yet what is religiously ‘right’ or ‘wrong.’ Just think about how free us women would be if we were not judged for partaking in sexual acts. If it were not implanted in human brains that saving ourselves for marriage was ‘morally correct,’ then maybe we would no longer be sexualized as much as we are! I strongly believe that society would be a much fairer and better place if religion was not the origin source for what is ‘right and wrong.’
I believe that some generations have made moral progress in the last 20 years, whereas other generations have experienced a moral decline. I believe that the diminishing role of religion is what has made my generation, and a couple others, more morally inclined. What the ‘younger’ people have perceived as right or wrong is no longer based on religion but common sense and what we truly believe. Some may say that the diminishing number of religious people in America is what is ruining us, but I believe that it is what is saving us. Us ‘younger’ people believe in equal rights, we know what is right and wrong from watching and learning about the generations before us. Do you really think that the younger generations would be fighting for BLM if we followed the religions of those who enslaved those who looked differently? The ‘older’ generations had too many religious beliefs injected into their minds that they are blindsided by what is morally right and wrong. I argue that too much religion blocks a human’s ability to truly decipher what is right and what is wrong.