The Relationship Between Religion and Ethics

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would have them do unto you." This rule is one of the precepts most commonly associated with religion; some form of this concept applies to most religions. This concept is so broad, so wide-reaching, that everyone on earth can appreciate it in one way or another. It is the basic building block of faith the world over. It is because of the Golden Rule that religion and ethics are so closely associated; the Golden Rule is a universal standard for good behavior. If this were the only standard for moral conduct that most religions espoused, then associating religion and ethics would not be a problem. However, the fact is that most religions are based upon more that just this one standard. Some standards and beliefs of religions can get fairly complex and are applied to every conceivable aspect of a person's life. However, society as a whole has ethical standards, too, and these standards often fall outside the scope of religion. Religious and societal ethics can usually ...

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it is sinful in their specific religions to use them. Thus religion and ethics come into conflict.
Other conflicts between ethics and religion are not so simple. Jehovah's Witnesses consider it sinful to accept blood transfusions, even if it is their own stored blood (Jehovah's Witnesses and Blood Transfusions). They base this belief on an obscure passage in the Book of Acts in the Bible (Jehovah's Witnesses and Blood Transfusions). What happens, though, when one of their children needs a blood transfusion to survive? Most Jehovah's Witness parents would not permit the transfusion. Again, the ethics of society, which state that all means available should be used to save ...

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