Does Religion Matter Morally?: The Critical Reappraisal of the Thesis of Morality's Independence from ReligionIn the dominant view, morality is more rational and universal than, and therefore independent from, (christian) religion. Believers do not have exclusive moral knowledge. Moral principles can be known by anyone. Morality, not religion, is the supreme judge of human actions in the world. Some contributors to this volume defend this view on theological and philosophical grounds. The advantages of such a view for thinking about a common global morality are clear. However, according to many authors, the conception of morality underlying this view is at the least, impoverished, if not wrong: this view cannot explain the importance and the persistence of moral taboos. Furthermore, every morality is influenced by metaphysical and anthropological assumptions - whether or not religious: the so-called modern, rational, secular morality. The central moral question in the alternative narrative concept of morality is 'Who am I / who do I want to be ?' and not 'What is the right action ?' In this approach, not universal principles, but tradition-dependant stories constitute the core of a morality. Are these concepts more adequate for understanding the relation of religion to morality ? Do they have room for the project of a universal morality of human rights ? |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
God Morality and the Transformation of Human Beings 331 | 31 |
Sexual Morality Worldview and Social Change | 59 |
Moral Taboos and the Narrow Conception of Morality | 95 |
Radical Transcendence and the Unity of Morality | 115 |
The Meaning of Sanctification | 141 |
Narrative Theology and Narrative Ethics | 173 |
Contributors | 211 |
Common terms and phrases
accept according actions Alston altruistic concern argument beliefs Burms Burrell & Hauerwas choice Christian convictions Christian ethics Church claim conception of morality concrete connection context criticism culture decision dependent on religion determined divine existence fiat model fundamental God's harm harm principle Heidegger hermeneutical homosexuality human rights idea ideal identity referring reasons immanence implies interpretation justification Levinas liberal political morality liberal sexual ethics libertine live logical independence Manenschijn marriage means Merks moral convictions moral experience moral rationality moral reason moral taboos Musschenga narrative ethics narrative explanation narrative theology narrativist narrow conception natural law normative notion one's particular personal identity philosophy point of view possible principles question Rawls reality relation relationship religious sanctification sense sexual intercourse sexual morality social society someone Stanley Hauerwas story theory thesis Thomistic tion Tongeren tradition transformation truth understand unity universal morality universality of morality version of narrative worldview