Why We Can Be Moral Without Religion - 947 Words

Morality is the root of all that is good, and the beginning of all that is evil. It can be found in the mightiest of rulers, and the smallest of children. It is what separates man from animals. It is what makes humans, human. Religion, as a whole is not needed to make a man moral, but it does have a huge part in the world. Before we discover why we can be moral without religion, we must first understand what morality is, and where it begins. There is absolutely no doubt that morality is something we are born with. From childhood, we know the difference of what humans perceive as right and wrong. Humans are born with three distinct features programmed into us. The first is our instinct. It is the one trait we are born with that we share†¦show more content†¦Without it, we would have no black and white. We would have no conviction or guilt. Our sentiency would be useless, and we would be little more than animals. Without morality, we lose a large deal of our humanity. But, is all morality the same? Does every man have the same morals as his neighbor? And what are morals? Morals are what each human decides to be right and wrong. For instance, one man may find it morally wrong to steal, whereas a second man may have no convictions of stealing. That being said, it is very rare, if not impossible, for two men to have the exact same morals. In fact, if no man has the exact same morality, then there will never be a true peace on earth. Morality is nearly never the same for two people. If this is the case, then how does one decide his own morals? Typically, the morals of a human being are heavily influenced by the environment around them when they are young. The most common influence is the family around them. From birth our parents or guardians raise us as they see fit. And because of this, they will shape our ideals and thoughts, and, in effect, our morals. As time goes on, however, we start to become our own person. We start to think for ourselves. Our morality is thus, what we make of it. It can still be influenced by the outside world, but our control of our morality is much stronger the older and wiser we are. Before we can figure out what morality without