Have Worldly Philosophies Influenced Religion and Societies for Better or Worse?

Have Worldly Philosophies

Influenced Religion and Societies

for Better or Worse?

PART 3

by R.E. Slater & ChatGPT

In Part 1, we asked whether Christianity made the world more moral or not? Our conclusion was:

Morality is as old as humanity itself. Ethics is the reflection on how best to live together. What Christianity did was to tie these deeply and explicitly to worship of a God who cares about how people treat one another — including outsiders. Whether this made the world more moral is debatable — but it certainly reshaped how moral behavior was taught, justified, and spread.

Then, in Part 2, we then asked whether Christianity had failed it's own morality tests? We decided there that:

Where Christianity stayed close to the radical moral teachings of Jesus founded on love, it has inspired profound good. But where Christianity marries itself to power, it often contradicts its own moral heart.

Now here, in Part 3, let's ask whether there are worldly philosophies which have influenced religious and societal morality and ethics for better or worse?

Let's begin...

ChatGPT's Reply

🌍 Worldly Philosophies That Shaped Religious and Social Morality

Short answer: Yes — many non-religious or semi-religious philosophies have profoundly shaped how societies (including religious societies) define good and bad, justice and injustice, rights and duties. They’ve influenced morality for better and worse.

Below is a brief map of some major philosophical traditions and their impact.

---

1️⃣ Greek Philosophy (Classical)

• Who: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Stoics.

• Core Ideas: Virtue ethics (what kind of person should I become?), reason as guide to the good life, moral duty to the polis (community).

• Impact: Deeply influenced Christian ethics (e.g., Aquinas merged Aristotle’s virtue ethics with Christian teaching). Stoicism inspired later Christian ideas of self-control, endurance, and moral integrity.

---

2️⃣ Roman Civic Philosophy

• Who: Cicero, Seneca.

• Core Ideas: Natural law — the idea that there’s a universal moral order knowable by reason. Duty to society and the common good.

• Impact: Shaped medieval and modern concepts of universal human rights, which the church adopted into canon law. Influenced Enlightenment thinkers.

---

3️⃣ Confucianism

• Who: Confucius, Mencius.

• Core Ideas: Right relationships, filial piety, respect for hierarchy, moral cultivation through ritual and tradition.

• Impact: Has shaped East Asian societies for millennia — family-centered ethics, community harmony. Sometimes limited by rigid hierarchies, but its influence on communal responsibility remains profound.

---

4️⃣ Enlightenment Rationalism & Secular Humanism

• Who: Locke, Voltaire, Rousseau, Kant.

• Core Ideas: Individual rights, freedom of conscience, moral autonomy, reason over tradition.

• Impact: Challenged church authority, helped birth modern democracies, abolitionism, universal education. Also fueled secularization — sometimes clashing with religious moral authority.

---

5️⃣ Marxism

• Who: Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels.

• Core Ideas: Economic justice, critique of class exploitation, call for equality.

• Impact: Inspired liberation theology in Latin America — merging Christian concern for the poor with radical social critique. Also justified oppressive regimes when misapplied dogmatically.

---

6️⃣ Utilitarianism

• Who: Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill.

• Core Ideas: The greatest good for the greatest number — morality judged by outcomes, not rules.

• Impact: Influenced modern law, economics, healthcare ethics. Sometimes clashes with religious absolute principles.

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7️⃣ Existentialism

• Who: Kierkegaard (Christian existentialist), Nietzsche, Sartre.

• Core Ideas: Individual responsibility to define one’s own meaning. Authenticity over conformity.

• Impact: Kierkegaard deepened Christian interior ethics. Nietzsche’s “God is dead” critique provoked churches to rethink stale moralism. Existentialist freedom influenced postmodern pluralism ( = equality for all races, genders, sexes, and religions vs majority control of nationalized supremacists).

---

8️⃣ Postmodern Critical Theories

• Who: Foucault, Derrida.

• Core Ideas: Questioning all grand narratives, including moral absolutes. Power shapes “truth”.

• Impact: Helped uncover injustices hidden by traditional moral authorities (colonialism, patriarchy). Also fuels moral relativism that some see as eroding shared values.

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✅ Better or Worse?

Better:

• Expanded rights (abolition, women’s suffrage, civil rights).

• Secular checks on religious abuses of power.

• New moral frameworks for pluralistic societies.

Worse:

• When severed from a moral compass, some philosophies justified cruelty (totalitarian communism, radical relativism).

• Some eroded community bonds when hyper-individualism displaced shared duties.

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🧭 Big takeaway

Religious morality and worldly philosophy have never been separate islands — they continually reshape each other, sometimes in creative tension, sometimes in conflict. The healthiest moral cultures often draw on both — the spiritual why and the philosophical how.

---

Myself

Please expand on the last takeaway: "Religious morality and worldly philosophy have never been separate islands — they continually reshape each other, sometimes in creative tension, sometimes in conflict. The healthiest moral cultures often draw on both — the spiritual why and the philosophical how."

ChatGPT

Absolutely — let’s deepen that takeaway into a more thoughtful short essay or reflection...

---

🧭 How Religious Morality and Worldly Philosophy Interact

Religious morality and worldly philosophy are often presented as opposites — but history shows they are more like braided rivers than separate streams.

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⚡ They feed each other

• Religious moral traditions bring deep motivations: awe, wonder, a sense of divine accountability, and belonging to something larger than oneself.

• Worldly philosophies bring disciplined reasoning, practical methods for testing ideas, and a willingness to challenge outdated customs.

When religion ignores philosophy, it can become rigid dogma, unable to adapt.

When philosophy ignores the spiritual dimension, it can become cold calculation, unable to inspire sacrifice or hope.

---

🧩 Creative tension

The best moments in moral history happen when these two forces push and pull each other:

• Greco-Roman philosophy sharpened early Christian thinkers — Augustine borrowed Plato, Aquinas built a Christian Aristotelian system.

• Medieval natural law thinkers used Roman civic philosophy to argue for universal human dignity — planting seeds for modern rights.

• The Protestant Reformation was partly philosophical critique (human conscience, individual reason) pushing back against corrupt religious power (Kant, Kirkegaard).

• The Enlightenment challenged religious institutions to live up to their own moral claims — and vice versa, some churches challenged Enlightenment elitism with radical visions of equality for the poor.

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🌍 Pluralistic modernity

In a pluralistic age, people need frameworks that speak both to the heart and the mind:

• Spiritual traditions remind us that moral life is not just rules but love, mercy, and compassion for the vulnerable.

• Philosophical traditions help us ask: Is this just? Does it work? Who benefits? Who suffers?

When these dimensions drift apart, societies risk:

• Fundamentalism — clinging to sacred stories but blocking reasoned reform.

• Or cynical relativism — endless arguments with no shared moral anchor.

---

🕊️ Drawing from both: The spiritual why and the philosophical how

Healthy moral cultures do both:

• They hold to the spiritual why: Why care for the stranger? Why sacrifice for justice? Why forgive?

• And they engage the philosophical how: How do we design fair laws? How do we balance rights and responsibilities? How do we reform unjust systems?

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✨ A living moral process

In this light, the moral life is not a fixed fortress but a living dialogue:

• Faith brings vision and purpose.

• Philosophy tests and refines that vision in real-world situations.

Together they remind us that the point is not just to hold ideals but to work them out — again and again — in our relationships, institutions, and communities.

---

✨ In the end...

Morality is strongest when it breathes with both lungs: the deep soul of religion, and the clear reason of philosophy.

Where Spirit Meets Mind

by R.E. Slater & ChatGPT

Morality is strongest when

it breathes with both lungs:

   the deep soul of religion, and

   the clear reason of philosophy.

I believe...

in rivers that braid and flow,
entangling faith and reason's
restless questions
and unspoken prayers.

I believe...
in the fierce hush of wonder,
in sacred words that tremble,
tested by thought -
in thoughts that blossom
when watered by mercy's streams.

I believe...
the heart alone grows rigid,
the mind alone grows cold -
but together they remember
truth is a dialogue
and goodness a dance.

I believe...
the holy is never caged in stone,
nor the law carved for fleshly hearts -
but love writes its commandments
again and again
in the dusts of our history.

I believe...
in the why that stirs sacrifice,
and the how that mends injustice -

I believe that mercy

without courage faints,

and courage without mercy devours.

I believe...
we are here to build living bridges
between wonder and wisdom,
the seen and the hoped-for,
the ancient promise,

and the yet-to-come.

And I believe...
that when we do -
when spirit breathes into mind
and mind listens to spirit -
we are nearest
the goodness
we were made to seek.

R.E. Slater
July 2, 2025

@copyright R.E. Slater Publications

all rights reserved

Has Christianity Failed It's Own Morality Tests?

Has Christianity Failed

It's Own Morality Tests?

PART 2

by R.E. Slater & ChatGPT

From the last article, "Did Christianity Make the World More Moral?" I ended by asking "How Christianity has done over the past decade?" And whether "Christianity has been conflicted politically over the eons?"

Let me ask these questions of you... how would you respond to each query?

Myself, I suspect Christianity has failed a lot more than it has succeeded... but is this speculation overly cynical or more historically correct?

Again, what do you think?

Now, let's go to the Internet and find out....

I.

Determining whether Christianity, or any religion, has made the world "more moral" is a complex and highly debated question with arguments on both sides. 

Arguments for a positive impact on morality:

• Emphasis on Love and Compassion: Christian teachings, particularly those of Jesus, stress the importance of love for God and neighbor, forgiveness, and compassion, which proponents argue have shaped Western attitudes toward charity, disaster response, and social responsibility.
• Influence on Human Rights: The concept of humans being created in the image of God (Imago Dei), central to Christian belief, promotes inherent human dignity and worth, which some argue influenced the development of human rights and movements like abolitionism.
• Social Justice Advocacy: Throughout history and in recent times, Christian groups have been involved in advocating for social justice, supporting marginalized communities, and promoting human rights.
• Moral Education: Christian teachings have played a role in shaping moral and ethical education, emphasizing values like love, forgiveness, and compassion, and contributing to the development of many modern educational systems. 

Arguments for a negative or complex impact on morality:

• Historical Actions: Critics point to historical events like religious wars, crusades, witch hunts, and oppression within religious institutions as evidence of harm caused in the name of Christianity.
• Use of Authority and Control: Some argue that Christianity has been used as a tool for social control and power, rather than solely promoting morality, citing historical examples of the Church resisting ideas like human rights and equality.
• Harsh Punishments: Historically, the Christianization of the Roman Empire, for example, saw judicial penalties become harsher and the use of torture more common. 

Regarding the last decade:

• Sources indicate a continued focus within Christian ethics on social justice and engagement with contemporary issues, while also grappling with maintaining traditional moral frameworks in a more secularized world.
• Some reports suggest a decline in the public embrace of "absolute moral truth" that has been historically associated with a biblical worldview. 

Regarding Christianity's political involvement:

• Christianity has been involved in politics throughout its history, from early Christians navigating a hostile Roman Empire to later influencing the laws and policies of nations.
• Different interpretations of Christian ethics have led to varying stances on political issues, with viewpoints ranging from pacifism to just war theory, and differing perspectives on the role of the Church in relation to the state.
• Christian ethics has been invoked to support both traditional and progressive political positions, highlighting the diversity of perspectives within Christianity. 

In summary:

Christianity has undoubtedly played a significant role in shaping moral and ethical frameworks throughout history, contributing to concepts like human dignity and social justice. However, its history also includes instances of actions carried out in its name that are viewed as contrary to its core teachings, making the question of its overall moral impact a complex and contested one. In the last decade, Christian ethics continues to navigate societal changes while addressing contemporary issues, and its engagement with the political sphere remains multifaceted and varied.

MY ASSESSMENT:

AI punted. It gave a calibrated answer to assuage the emotional feelings of many readers. Let's try again, this time asking ChatGPT....

II.

📜 1️⃣ Has Christianity made the world more moral in practice?

At its best, Christianity introduced (and globalized) moral ideas that reshaped cultures:

• The radical idea that love of neighbor is inseparable from love of God (Jesus’ Great Commandment).

• The call to forgive enemies, bless the poor, care for widows, orphans, the sick — charity as worship.

• The moral worth of all persons as bearers of the divine image, which inspired abolitionist movements, universal education, hospitals, and human rights arguments in later centuries.

Yet these ideals have always existed in tension with the realities of power:

• Medieval crusades and inquisitions did not reflect Christ’s nonviolence.

• Colonial expansions were justified under a Christian banner while exploiting and erasing indigenous moral systems.

• Churches often defended slavery, segregation, and patriarchy long after secular movements began to challenge them.

• Sexual abuse scandals have exposed deep hypocrisies where institutions protected themselves over victims.

So historically, Christianity has made moral ideas more universal — but not always more practiced.

Its ideals often clashed with its political or institutional self-interest.

---

🇺🇸 2️⃣ Christianity in modern America — this past decade

In the last decade, the public perception of Christianity in the U.S. has shifted dramatically:

• Many Christians still live out radical generosity, justice work, refugee aid, prison ministries, and peacemaking.

• However, “Christianity” in the public square is now often associated with culture wars, partisan politics, and nationalist rhetoric — sometimes at odds with core teachings of Jesus.

• Evangelical movements in particular have become heavily identified with political tribalism rather than sacrificial love or care for the marginalized.

• Younger generations increasingly see “Christian” as a brand associated with judgment rather than mercy — ironically reversing the radical moral witness of Jesus who befriended outcasts.

So while millions of ordinary Christians live out deep moral faithfulness, the institutional or public face of American Christianity has often aligned itself with divisive politics, sometimes sacrificing moral credibility in the process.

---

⚔️ 3️⃣ How politically conflicted has Christianity been over the eons?

Always. From Constantine onward, Christianity has lived a double life:

• As a radical minority faith challenging power (martyrs, monks, reformers, prophets).

• And as a religion deeply entangled with political power (emperors, kings, state churches).

Key tensions:

• Medieval popes crowned kings yet saints called out corruption.

• Reformation movements fought each other — often violently — over doctrinal and political control.

• Christianity has backed monarchies, colonial empires, revolutions, and republics. It has blessed kings and dethroned them.

• Liberation theologians stand alongside the poor while national churches often stand alongside strongmen.

In modern America, the tension is visible again: some churches speak truth to power, some fuse faith with nationalism, some withdraw to rebuild local communities of justice and mercy.

---

⚖️ So — did Christianity make the world more moral?

• In principle: It gave the world a God who cares about how we treat others — including the stranger and the enemy. That vision deeply shaped the moral imagination of the West and beyond.

• In practice: Christians have often failed to live by that vision, especially when aligned too closely with political power.

• Today: Christianity’s moral credibility in America is strained by its entanglement with divisive politics — yet it still inspires millions to do quiet, radical good that rarely makes headlines.

---

🕰️ A Timeline: Christianity, Morality & Political Conflict

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🌱 1–4th centuries: Radical Minority

• c. 30–33 CE: Jesus of Nazareth teaches radical love, forgiveness, mercy for enemies, and care for the poor. Crucified by the Roman state.

• 1st–3rd centuries: Early Christians form underground communities; known for charity (care for widows, orphans, the sick) and refusing emperor worship.

• Christians are persecuted for not sacrificing to Roman gods — they refuse to blend faith and imperial power.

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⚔️ 4th century: Marriage with Empire

• 313 CE: Constantine’s Edict of Milan legalizes Christianity. Christianity gains imperial favor.

• 380 CE: Theodosius makes Christianity the Roman Empire’s official religion. Pagan temples close.

• Christianity shifts from persecuted sect to state religion — moral ideals merge with imperial politics.

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🏰 5th–10th centuries: Christendom & Empire

• The church becomes a major landholder and power broker in Europe.

• Missionaries convert tribes by baptizing whole kingdoms — sometimes peaceful, sometimes enforced.

• Monastic movements (Benedictines, Irish monks) preserve learning, feed the poor, care for the sick — small moral communities amid violent feudal power.

---

⚔️ 11th–13th centuries: Crusades & Inquisition

• 1095–1291: Crusades launched to reclaim Jerusalem — mixed motives: religious zeal, economic gain, political expansion.

• Church-sanctioned violence contradicts Jesus’ nonviolence.

• Medieval Inquisitions root out heresy — often brutal — showing the danger of moral certainty wielded by institutional power.

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✝️ 14th–16th centuries: Reform & Splinter

• Late Middle Ages: Critics like Wycliffe, Hus, Erasmus call out church corruption.

• 1517: Martin Luther’s Reformation ignites religious wars but also returns focus to conscience, personal faith, and moral renewal.

• Protestant sects split endlessly — many motivated by differing visions of moral society and governance.

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🌍 16th–19th centuries: Missions & Empire

• European empires expand land grabs globally — missionaries spread Christianity alongside colonizers.

• Some missions defend indigenous rights (e.g., Bartolomé de las Casas in the Americas).

• Others justify conquest and cultural erasure.

• Christian moral vision inspires early human rights ideas but often compromised by complicity with empire.

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✊ 18th–19th centuries: Abolition & Social Reform

• Early Evangelicals and Quakers lead anti-slavery movements (e.g., William Wilberforce in Britain).

• Many churches defend slavery in the U.S. — the Bible is used on both sides.

• Christian women’s movements push education, hospitals, child labor laws, and prison reform.

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⚖️ 20th century: Conflicting Witness

• Civil Rights Movement: Black churches drive nonviolent resistance (MLK’s vision deeply Christian).

• Holocaust: Raises hard questions about European churches’ failures to oppose fascism — many Christians resisted heroically, many did not.

• Vatican II reforms Catholicism’s approach to modern ethics and politics.

• Rise of Christian fundamentalism: morality shifts to culture wars (abortion, school prayer, sexuality).

---

🇺🇸 21st century: Fragment & Struggle

• Global Christianity explodes in the Global South — moral focus often on poverty, justice, and reconciliation.

• In the U.S., Christianity splits further:

  • Some align closely with nationalist, partisan politics.

  • Others double down on social justice, climate, refugee care.

• Sexual abuse scandals in churches (Catholic and Protestant) erode moral trust.

• Younger generations increasingly distrust “organized Christianity” — but many still follow Jesus’ moral teachings in new forms.

---

✅ Big Pattern

Where Christianity stays close to the radical moral teachings of Jesus, it has inspired profound good. Where it marries power, it often contradicts its own moral heart.

 

Illustration by R.E. Slater & ChatGPT

 

Illustration by R.E. Slater & ChatGPT

Did Christianity Make the World More Moral?

Did Christianity Make

the World More Moral?

PART 1

by R.E. Slater & ChatGPT

Christians believe themselves to be morally superior to other kinds of faiths, beliefs, philosophies, codes, creeds, and societal constructions like the American Constitution. But is there justification for this belief or simply a delusion held by many Christians who more often than not act as worldly as they accuse the "pagan"  world does?

Let's explore...

Did Christianity Make the World More Moral?

Define morality and ethics:

Generally, morality relates to personal and societal behaviours whereas ethics relates to how we think about morality. Hence, ethics is more of an academic approach to societal behaviour.

Says the Internet

Morality and ethics, while related, refer to different aspects of right and wrong conduct:

• Morality generally refers to an individual's or society's personal attitudes and behaviours about what is right or wrong. As applied to society, it refers to codes, customs, and behaviours as well. Largely, it is the everyday practice of living according to shared ideas of good and bad.

• Ethics, on the other hand, are often seen as a more formal, codified set of rules or principles, often established by a specific religious group or profession, that guide behavior. It tends to be more reflective, systematic, and academic in the orientation and application of moral codes. Essentially, how we reason about morality, debate it, and redefine or refine it.

Essentially, morality is about personal beliefs, while ethics are about external guidelines.

Detailed breakdown

Morality

• Is Personal and Subjective - Morality is rooted in an individual's own values, beliefs, and upbringing.
• Influenced by culture and society - Societal norms and cultural values heavily influence what individuals consider moral.
• Focuses on internal principles - Morality dictates how individuals judge their own actions and those of others based on their internal sense of right and wrong.
• Can be flexible - What is considered moral can vary between individuals and cultures.

Ethics 

• Formal and codified - Ethics are often written down as rules, principles, or codes of conduct for specific groups, professions, or organizations.
• Objective and externally imposed - Ethical codes are designed to guide behavior in a specific context, aiming for consistency and fairness.
• Focuses on external behavior - Ethics dictates how individuals should behave in a given situation, regardless of personal beliefs.
• Can be applied universally within a context - Ethical codes aim for consistency and are often expected to be applied fairly to everyone within their domain.

In essence - Morality is about your personal compass of right and wrong. Ethics are the rules and guidelines that a group or society establishes to define acceptable behavior.

Life of Pi Official Trailer #1 (2012) Ang Lee Movie HD

Was there Morality before Christianity?

It is assumed that before Christianity there was no concept of morality et al. This is untrue. Certainly! The human race had morality and ethical systems. We would not have survived without it!

It is sometimes assumed by Christian that their religion, Christianity, “invented” morality. This is also simply untrue. Humans could not have survived — as families, tribes, or early civilizations — without shared moral norms. Across all ancient cultures, people developed ways to cooperate, to care for children, and to help the vulnerable. A species that does not cooperate cannot survive.

Summary

Morality — in the sense of treating others well, helping those in need, and punishing those who cause harm — predates any specific religion we know today.

One last observation

Moral codes of conduct and custom were developed when groups of people realized that you have to have ways of living with one another otherwise life becomes per the adage "Every person for themselves" (known as Lifeboat Ethics: cf. the film, "The Life of PI"). 

All ancient cultures have had some form of moralities and ethics. Moreover, many of those cultures were every bit as moral and ethical as modern societies are today:

"People love their children. They try to bring them up well. The try to inculcate values and standards. They teach their children things they should do and shouldn't do." These are elements of every society.

Greek and Roman Societies

In the Greek and Roman worlds there were a lot of discussion about morality and treatises on ethics which go very far back.

Ancient moralities and ethical reflection

• By the time of ancient Greece and Rome, moral codes had become deeply discussed and debated. Greek philosophers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle wrote treatises on ethics that still shape philosophical study today. Roman thinkers like Cicero likewise explored virtue, duty, and justice.

Were these ethical ideas tied to religion?

• No, not really. In the Greek and Roman worlds, the gods were primarily concerned with being honored properly: sacrifices, rituals, and festivals ensured divine favor for the city or state. They did not care much about how one treated neighbors, family, or strangers.

• The moral codes of the Greeks and Romans were grounded in civic duty, custom, and philosophical reason — not divine commandments about loving one’s neighbor.

Were Morals and Ethics grounded in religious understanding?

Ethical codes were not related to the religions of the Greeks or Romans. They were rules related to worshipping the gods so that their societies would be protected and blessed. The gods by and large were uninterested how people lived with one another. If you were a nasty person to your family, neighbours or friends the gods really didn't care. The gods simply wanted to be worshipped. That's it.

In Christianity, as in Judaism, ethics and morality was tied into their religion... thus, the God that was worshipped was interested in a worshipper's behaviour and treatment of their neighbour. If he or she acted heinously, they would be judged. If merciful and helpful, than blessings would incur.

Usually, pagan ethics and morals are thought to be unlinked to a society's religion whereas in Judaism and Christianity they are linked to the customs and practices of their societies.

Example: the Ten Commandments

• Rules related to the worship of God: Commandments 1-4

• Rules related to the treatment of one another; or, how to live in community with one another: Commandments 6-10

📜 Commandments about worship of God (1–4)

1. You shall have no other gods before Me.

2. You shall not make for yourself an idol or graven image... you shall not bow down to them or serve them.

3. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.

4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

👥 Commandments about how to treat others (5–10)

5. Honor your father and your mother.

6. You shall not murder.

7. You shall not commit adultery.

8. You shall not steal.

9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

10. You shall not covet... anything that is your neighbor’s.

These are found in Exodus 20:1–17 and Deuteronomy 5:6–21, with slight wording variations

 

How Judaism and Christianity differed in their Religious Codes?

Broadly, a more pervasive ethic would involve helping people in need... but many societies have qualified this attitude to be applied "biologically or socially" as related to one's own society or fellowship of acquaintances. Outsiders, or aliens, are not typically part of one's world and so, they could be befriended but are not of one's concern.

Whereas in Judaism and Christianity they have arighted this attitude and behavioural practice by stating that all men are obligated to treat one another well - even strangers and aliens. That we are to treat the stranger and outsider as we would treat yourself, family or friends:

In summary, Judaism developed ethical obligations beyond one’s immediate tribe or family. While ancient codes often prioritized one’s kin or tribe, Jewish law explicitly included provisions for treating “the stranger” with justice and mercy: “Love the stranger, for you were strangers in Egypt.”

This ethical universalism was later emphasized even more in Christianity, which taught that love of neighbor extended beyond social or biological ties: the parable of the Good Samaritan illustrates this vividly.

Did Christianity make the world more moral?

In one sense, No: humans have always had moral instincts and codes. But in another sense, Yes: Christianity’s contribution was to connect moral obligations directly to devotion to God — and to expand them beyond tribal or civic boundaries.

Mercy, charity, and love for strangers became acts of faith, not merely social good. Over the centuries, this helped shape Western moral imagination in profound ways — even as societies often failed to live up to these ideals.

In summary

Morality is as old as humanity itself. Ethics is the reflection on how best to live together. What Christianity did was to tie these deeply and explicitly to worship of a God who cares about how people treat one another — including outsiders. Whether this made the world more moral is debated — but it certainly reshaped how moral behavior was taught, justified, and spread.

Next Up...

How has Christianity done over the past decade? And how has it been conflicted politically? Are there worldly philosophies which have influenced religious and societal morality and ethics for better or worse? Are there other questions which we haven't considered? I asked ChatGPT and this is what it said, and, I suppose, material for another article or two, especially, as related to process philosophy and process theology. Cheers.

R.E. Slater
July 2, 2025

Missed or Deeper Questions

🏛️ 1. How did moral systems work in non-Western ancient cultures?

• What were the moral codes in ancient Egypt, India, China, or Mesopotamia?

• Did those cultures also link morality to religion, or were their ethical codes more philosophical or civic?

---

📖 2. How did Judaism influence Christianity’s moral teachings?

• How did Jesus reinterpret or expand Jewish ethics?

• How did Jewish concepts like justice (tzedakah) and mercy (chesed) shape early Christian ethics?

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🤝 3. Did Christianity always improve moral behavior in practice?

• How did historical Christians justify violence, oppression, or intolerance despite high moral ideals?

• Did Christianity sometimes suppress local moral systems that were already humane or just?

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⛪ 4. How did the institutional church shape or distort Christian morality?

• How did church hierarchies and political power affect the lived moral values of Christian communities?

• Did the church’s moral teaching always align with Jesus’ teachings?

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⚖️ 5. How did Greek and Roman ethics survive or merge with Christian moral systems?

• Did classical philosophical ethics (like Stoicism) influence Christian moral thinkers like Augustine or Aquinas?

• Were pagan moral philosophies preserved and integrated or rejected outright?

---

🌍 6. What new moral concepts did Christianity not emphasize?

• Did Christianity neglect any moral or ethical questions that other traditions handled better?

• For example: environmental ethics, animal welfare, economic justice — how were these viewed?

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🧭 7. How did Christian morality evolve over time?

• How did medieval, Reformation, and modern Christianity reinterpret its moral teachings?

• What historical events (wars, colonialism, abolition) show the tension between Christian ideals and practice?

---

🏷️ 8. What role did secular humanism play later?

• Did Enlightenment humanism expand on Christian ethics or react against church moral failures?

• How much of today’s Western morality is truly “Christian,” and how much comes from post-Christian developments?

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💬 9. How do different Christian groups interpret morality today?

• How do liberal and conservative Christians differ in applying ancient moral principles to modern issues?

• How does global Christianity’s moral teaching vary across cultures?

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🕊️ 10. What does “more moral” actually mean?

• How should we measure whether one society is more moral than another?

• Does it mean fewer wars? More charity? Greater justice? More personal virtue?