women’s fashion, we see a drastic shift towards
unapologetic displays of the female figure
among all social classes - something which only
became acceptable in our recent past.
The standard of morality religions render
to their followers very much depends on the
regions where religions were established.
Islamic moral values are relevant to seventh
century Arabia while Christian morality is more
in sync with Jerusalem’s society over 2000
years ago.
While moral values are constantly evolving
in secular culture, in religious culture, moral
values are frozen; they have become stagnant.
If you have strictly adopted the moral codes of
ancient religions, you are unable to adapt.
Children of first generation immigrants in
Western countries experience the clash of
cultures first-hand. Immigrants from countries
like Pakistan and India bring their traditions
with them when they immigrate to Western
countries. Their children, however, are brought
up in the West; they are fully integrated into the
secular society. At school and college, they see
their friends practising Western culture; when
they go home, their parents place restrictions
on them and tell them, ‘This is not allowed.’ This
confuses them and causes a mental imbalance.
For example, girls who come as students to
the United Kingdom from Pakistan transition
from a religious society to a secular society. In
the UK, they are free to do things that they could
never dream of doing in their home country,
such as drinking alcohol and wearing revealing
clothing. Since they were never allowed to do
these things at home, they might be inclined to
take it to the extreme when they come to study
abroad.
On the other hand, children of immigrants
who come from religious households may be
influenced towards religious culture while living
in a secular society. When they c ome to the
West, rather than integrating into the secular
society, more religiosity is hammered into their
minds than ever could have been done in their
home country.
Religions catered for people of a specific
area and era; the temperament and culture
of the nation a religion was made for heavily
influenced its moral values. Secular ethics
reflect the ever-changing standards of modern,
Western society. Neither are fully acceptable on
a global scale; for this, universal morality is the
answer.
MESSIAH HERALD / ISSUE 05 / JUN 2017
HH Younus AlGohar adds,
‘When we talk about morality,
our morality is not universal.
Our morality is more regional
than global.’
The Solution: Universal Morality
According to religions, there are two
types of sins: those that are confined
to you and those that also affect people
around you. Punishments awarded
for sins, which only affect your own
spiritual health are less severe than
they are for sins that affect your fellow
men. As a religious person, you should
never impose your beliefs on others; let
everyone live the way they want.
The policy of ‘live and let live’ is a
fundamental principle of universal
morality. Universal morality has to do
with tolerance. What you like to do, you
should be allowed to do. You shouldn’t be
bothered about what others like to do.
In every era, those who learnt
spiritual knowledge managed to elevate
their emotional intelligence beyond that
of the common public. They didn’t pick up
their moral values from a religion, but
rather spirituality.
The standard of moral values in
spirituality is vast, as such, those who
adopt spirituality embrace and forgive
others.
For a spiritual person, whether or not
someone does something society frowns
upon is irrelevant; they accept that
people can do what they wish to do as
long as they do not harm others.
There is a voice within everybody
that guides them and tells them not to
do wrong, no matter what religion they
practise. Some acts are against basic
human instincts, such as incestuous
relationships or cannibalism and it is our
conscience that distinguishes right from
wrong. If we let our moral values derive
from basic principles of humanity, peace
is attainable.
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