Question

Spiritual development may be viewed in terms of both moral reasoning / decision making and moral emotions. Religious groups also often hold varied perspectives of emotional influence on moral decision making and religious practice ranging from a high emphasis on emotions and intuition to a de-emphasize or even rejection of emotions as valid. Discuss how various cognitive and physiological processes may affect morality as well as the role emotions play in morality and religious practice. Consider concepts of both positive and negative moral reasoning in your answer, and base your answer on the psychological concepts of emotions and morality presented in the textbook or other sources. Include an analysis of Acts 17:27-28 in your discussion.

Answer 1

Morality has always been an issue in the philosophical world because there is no universal definition for ethics or morality. It differs from country to country, religion to religion and culture to culture. Morality is not a universal phenomenon as people have different outlook about the world. Some people stressed on the act in fulfilling one’s duty, some people stressed on the outcome of the act while others suggested happiness without harming anyone.

One of the important element that affect the morality of people is their relationship with the other person. For example people behave differently with different people based on their personal touch. For example friends will tolerate even the wrong doings of each other but if the same is done by someone else, they would react otherwise. If someone does something wrong, we immediately check our emotional connection with that person. If we know them and love them we don’t mind and if we don’t know them, even if it is not wrong or worth a thing to make it as an issue, we will make it big.

‘God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring’ - According to Acts 17:27-28. It clearly states that God is within each one of us and we should treat each one just as we treat God himself. So stressing on God’s image in men evokes the emotions of people and make them treat others well.