Final Unit Overview

Introduction

• Focus on various topics in religion today.
• Topics include:
  • Religion and ethics
  • Religious fundamentalism
  • Major trends in contemporary religion
  • Unique aspects of religious life in the Ozarks
  • New religious movements

Religion and Ethics

• Connection between religion and ethics:
  • Every enduring religion has an ethical code.
  • Ethical codes vary in stringency and elaboration.

Definition of Religion

• Religion as human transformation in response to perceived ultimacy.
• Human transformation involves:
  • Change resulting from choices made.
  • Changes in decisions, priorities, and treatment of others.

Ethics Defined

1. Ethos: Refers to one's disposition or character.

   • Character is shaped by choices made over time.
   • Example: "Stupid is as stupid does" (Forrest Gump).

2. Definitions of Ethics:

   • Explicit reflection of moral beliefs and practices.
   • Study of standards of conduct and moral judgment.
   • Ethics encompasses both internal (beliefs, motivations) and external (actions, conduct) components.

Paul Layman's Definition

• Ethics as a disciplined account of what it takes to make and keep human life human.
  • Emphasizes responsibility and humane treatment.
  • Ethical decisions should maintain the humanity of those involved.

Approaches to Ethical Decision-Making

1. Determinism:

   • Individuals are not fully responsible for their choices.
   • Choices are influenced by factors such as heredity, environment, and conditioning.
   • Examples of deterministic thinkers:
     • Darwin: Survival as a motivator for behavior.
     • Pavlov: Conditioned responses.
     • Freud: Oedipal complex influencing choices.

2. Free Will:

   • Individuals are free agents responsible for their choices.
   • Choices are made independently of determinism.
   • Notable thinkers:
     • Robert Kane: Free will is foundational to personal responsibility.
     • Carl Jung: Emphasizes alternatives available in decision-making.
     • George Ferrell: Life consists of unavoidable decisions; even in not choosing, a choice is made.

Summary of Free Will vs. Determinism

• Free Will:
  • Choices define life; individuals are responsible.
  • Emphasis on moral accountability.
• Determinism:
  • Emphasizes external influences on behavior.
  • Can often lead to reduced personal accountability in legal and ethical contexts.

Next Steps

• The next lecture will explore motivations behind ethical decisions.