Verified Document

Morality In Sacred Texts: A Study In Term Paper

Morality in Sacred Texts: A study in similarities

Although many site the concepts of faith and belief to be of paramount importance in the study of any major religion, especially with regard to study originating within any particular religion, there remains a striking aspect of similarity between most major religions when the concept of morality is introduced. Indeed, although the theological basis of the four major world religions -- Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are often cited as divisive (again, especially in the collective imaginations of the members of each faith), the similarities of the moral precepts contained within the defining texts of each religion seem to underscore a fundamental unity.

The concept of "morality" is generally defined as that which constitutes virtuous conduct, or right behavior. Of course, given the vast cultural, economic, and societal differences between the majority populations practicing the aforementioned religious traditions, one might expect the moral precepts of each faith to be strikingly different. Interesting this is not the case. In fact, one can clearly observe that in the areas of human behavior and responsibility toward others, (again, as opposed to injunctions concerning belief), including violence, truthfulness, sexual purity, the avoidance of greed, and the importance of devotion and worship, the main religious texts of all four faiths are almost identical.

To begin a brief examination of the holy scriptures of Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam with regard to personal morality, one can begin with the Bhagavad-Gita, most commonly referred to as simply "The Gita." Known to Hindus as a "song of God,"( Isherwood, Prabhavananda, 1987), it is a text detailing a discussion between Krishna and Arjuna concerning both the nature of humankind, as well as life itself. As such, The Gita is rich in moral teaching. Consider, for example, the following lines from the text, enjoining the importance of the avoidance of selfishness, and the pure merit of divine devotion and worship:

One who does all work as an offering to God abandoning selfish attachment to the results remains untouched by Karmic reaction or sin as a lotus leaf never gets wet by water (5.10) ....I am easily attainable, O Arjuna, by that ever steadfast devotee who always thinks of Me and whose mind does not go elsewhere (8.14) ....I personally take care of both spiritual and material welfare of those ever-steadfast devotees who always remember and adore Me with single-minded contemplation. (9.22) ....Engage your mind in always thinking of Me, be devoted to Me, worship Me, and bow down to Me. Thus uniting yourself with Me by setting Me as the supreme goal and the sole refuge, you shall certainly come to Me. (9.34) (BBT, 1998)

Clearly, within these excerpts, one can see the immense moral responsibility charged to the reader to abandon selfish striving in favor of devotion and worship. Of course, not only does this illustrate the theological importance of religious devotion within the Hindu faith, but it also underlies the tremendous emphasis on the moral virtue of the abandonment of selfish "worldly" desires and concerns -- a theme one can see in all four religions.

In addition to the merit of selfless striving toward the divine as a moral attribute of the faithful, so too, the Gita emphasizes the importance of the avoidance of "sinful" behaviors. Chief among these are lust, anger (especially violent anger) and greed. The text reads:

The one who sees the same eternal Supreme Lord dwelling as Spirit equally within all mortal beings truly sees (13.27) ....Lust, anger, and greed are the three gates of hell leading to the downfall (or bondage) of the individual. Therefore, one must learn to give up these three. (16.21)

Here, the reader is presented with the idea that every living being is imbibed with the essence of the "Supreme Lord." Of...

worthy of the same treatment one wishes for oneself). Further, one can clearly see that the states of anger and lust (sexual impurity) are to be avoided as essential steps toward achieving the divine life. Finally, the reader sees that the concepts of truth and kindness are also of paramount importance with the following, "Speech that is non-offensive, truthful, pleasant, beneficial, and is used for the regular study of scriptures is called the austerity of word. (17.15)
If the moral concepts of faith in the Gita include the merits of non-violence, truthfulness, sexual purity, the avoidance of greed, and the importance of devotion and worship, so too are these themes just as clear in the books of Genesis and Exodus in the Hebrew Bible. Consider for example, that there are numerous references in Genesis as well as Exodus to the importance of worship (Gen 22:5, 24:26, 24:48, 47:31) to name a few. Further, perhaps one of the most famous is contained in Exodus, 7: 16, " ... Let my people go, so that they may worship me ... "(NIV, 2002).

Additionally, it is also in Exodus that one finds references to the avoidance of violence, sexual excess, greed and dishonesty -- particularly in the following "Commandments" -- enjoining that the Jewish people not commit murder, adultery, theft or false testimony (i.e. lying) (20:13), further, in 20:14, the faithful are enjoined to avoid envy in all things (indicating the merit of avoiding greed).

When one moves on to explore the Christian faith, one can note the importance of the very same values as those discussed above in the Gita and the Hebrew Bible within the lines of the Gospel According to Matthew. Again, within this text one notes the merit of the worship of the divine, "And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search out exactly concerning the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word, that I also may come and worship him ... (KJV, 1988: 2:8)." Further, the text also echoes the above two in its prohibition against sexual misconduct, "Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt not commit adultery: (5:27) ... But I say unto you, that every one that looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart ... (5:28)," non-violence, "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called sons of God ... (5:9)," truthfulness, "Again, ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths (5:33) ... But I say unto you, swear not at all; neither by the heaven, for it is the throne of God; (5:34)," and finally, greed, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal ... (6:19)."

Finally, with reference to the Islamic holy text, the Koran, there are also several references to all of the above moral principles. Consider, for example, some of the numerous references to the importance of worship:

It is Allah Who is my Lord and your Lord; then worship Him. This is a Way that is straight (3:51) .... 3:43 "O Mary! worship Thy Lord devoutly: Prostrate thyself, and bow down (in prayer) with those who bow down (3:43) .... Christ disdaineth nor to serve and worship Allah, nor do the angels, those nearest (to Allah.: those who disdain His worship and are arrogant,-He will gather them all together unto Himself to (answer)( 4:172) ... (Yusef Ali, 2002)

So, too -- like the other three holy texts, the Koran also cautions against greed, "In the bounty of Allah. And in His Mercy,- in that let them rejoice": that is better than the (wealth) they hoard (10:58)," sexual misconduct and lying, "The believers must eventually win ... who avoid vain talk ....who abstain from [unlawful] sex (23:1-5), as well as theft:

O…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

BBT A.C.Bhaktivedan Swami Prabhupada, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prahupada. Bhagavad-Gita as It Is. Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, Los Angeles. 1998.

KJV. World Bible Publishers (staff). The Holy Bible. King James Version. World Publishing, New York. 1988

NIV. Zondervan Publishing House (staff). The Bible: New International Version. Zondervan, New York. 2002.

Swami Prabhavananda, Christopher Isherwood. Bhagavad-Gita: The Song of God. Signet Classics, New York. 2002. p. 3.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Ethical or Moral Arguments
Words: 1134 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

jihad with reference to the practices and believes of the Muslims regarding the word "jihad." Further the paper will develop ethical/moral arguments regarding the stoppage of violence by both Ireland and Syria. Although one can name many countries with reference to jihad and practices of Muslims against the violence attacks, but this paper will limit the discussion to the violent attacks of Syria and Ireland. It is an Arabic word

Non Canonical Books Introduction Study
Words: 2692 Length: 7 Document Type: Essay

Christianity was in its infancy when the New Testament was created, and it would have been important to the leaders of the Christian community to inspire some level - even a lot - of fear of retribution for failing the community and their faith. This is supported by Joseph Gaer (1952), whose book the Lore of the New Testament, provides the insight into the stories of the New Testament, and

East Asian History
Words: 2722 Length: 9 Document Type: Term Paper

Neo-Confucianism: Reframing the tenants of Confucianism for a new era Neo-Confucianism arose as a synthesis of Buddhism and Taoism in China. Although there is often a tendency to elide the ideological orientations of all the so-called 'Eastern' religions together in Western thinking, the fact that such a fusion occurred is quite surprising in retrospect. Buddhism initially faced a campaign of official persecution and only gradually became an accepted part of the Chinese

Ethics and Philosophy
Words: 580 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

ethical theory hinges on the concept of right and wrong. Philosophers since Aristotle have debated the meaning of morality for thousands of years. The idea that everyone has an individual opinion of right vs. wrong equates to moral relativism. Are morals relative or absolute? Are actions inherently good or bad, regardless of their consequences? Or are consequences the summon bonum? And is an action good or right because of

Religion Qualifications of the Divine and the
Words: 2413 Length: 8 Document Type: Essay

Religion Qualifications of the divine and the nature of supreme reality are core concepts of any religious tradition. Hinduism and Buddhism conceptualize the divine and the nature of reality in complementary yet distinct ways. Buddhism emerged from Hinduism, in a manner not wholly unlike the way Christianity emerged from Judaism. Therefore, there are several core similarities in the cosmologies and the conceptualizations of divine reality between these two faiths. Moreover, the

Predestination and Free Will As
Words: 4309 Length: 12 Document Type: Essay

Therefore, they are compelled to choose what they do in order to instantiate God's foreordainment of history. It wouldn't seem to make sense, therefore, for the person to attempt to change their circumstances or to fight against fate. Affliction, tragedy and evil would be just what God wishes to throw at an individual, who could scarcely escape its occurrence. This seems to suggest a response of futility toward life

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now