The Concept of Morality as a Social Construct - Carter Jobe

Morality can be defined as the standard to which one complies with what it means to be good. For most people, this idea can be sort of second nature. Most people dont want to hurt others or cause problems, and so we must respect the tradition of morality. 

When reflecting on what it means to be moral, one will realize that the majority of this code is really something else, to not be immoral. Some parts of immorality are self explanatory and very reasonable to be a part of any moral code. Things like lying, stealing, rape, or murder make sense because they can greatly hurt others. 

On the other side of this, some popular elements of immorality are not always so crystal clear. For example, what makes being homosexual immoral, or worthy of guilt? Some would struggle to come with an answer, others would point to the bible. 

In this way we can see that the bible is a code of ethics, a construct of morality. It has become deeply rooted in the values of many traditional individuals that things like sex before marriage, homosexuality, getting tattoed, or many other actions that are unable to hurt others, are deeply wrong at the highest level.

However, these same people have outgrown some ancient practices that used to be considered wrong in the world of the Old Testament. It used to be regarded as immoral to wear a cloth comprised of multiple materials. That's right, according to the bible, anyone who is wearing a t-shirt made from a cotton and polyester blend is sinning. Of course, statements like these are disregarded in modern times. It's an example of how morals evolve over time. For example, in the Old Testament it is commanded to sacrifice farm animals to the lord to redeem one's sin. However, this is contradicted in the New Testament as Jesus' teachings suggest a move away from the practice of animal sacrifice. 

That's right, even in religious text morals evolve with that of social evolution, and of course thousands of years have passed since both of these texts.

Aside from the bible there are hundreds of codes of ethics coming from all sorts of religious texts or even through the words of the people before us. I am not to say that it is wrong or right to believe in any sorts of these, but it is fascinating the effects that these codes have impacted the general minds of the people. As society progresses forward, today's boundaries are pushed against more than ever, as liberal agendas challenge the conservative ones. 

My takeaway from this all is that even if you are religious it is right to follow what you truly and with reason believe in, and not to blindly follow a religious text or a societal code / agenda.

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