Morale and Religion

Morale and religion are defined. The negative of religion is cynicism, which develops no morale. Religious customs and rites of early society reveal the sense of importance of their scrupulous observance. The very life and welfare are felt to depend upon such observance. The same feeling persists in more developed religions, and in the aggressive world religions morale rises with success in expansion. The various groups within these missionary religions carry with them these same traits of importance. It is still a powerful tribal or clan consciousness, undisturbed at its depth by critical doubts. New critical inquiries into the nature and history of religion have weakened traditonal morale. With the passing of the old idea of revelation a radical transformation is taking place, and in the period of transition morale is lowered. It is being recovered to some noticeable and promising extent by new forms of religion which are more self-critical, scientifically reasonable, humanitarian, and in other ways confirmatory of the recognized values in modern culture. This new morale is vitally democratic in spite of changes in democracy itself, and is therefore deeply significant for the morale of the nation

Clan · Cynicism · Democracy · Environmental ethics · Feeling · Morality · Political science · Politics · Revelation · Sociology · Theology · Law · Philosophy · Psychology · Religion and Society Interactions · Religious Education and Schools · Social Psychology