Chris Weimer

Let's say you stumble upon a new religion, one that no one has ever heard of before. The only way to know what their practices and beliefs are, though, is through questions. You cannot observe them in action, nor you cannot read their scriptures, but mostly anything you ask them they will respond to you fairly freely. What questions would you ask?

This will be a mock scenario, if you will.

Astreja

"Are people basically good, basically evil, or neither?"

"What are the three most important moral principles that one should follow?"

"What is your definition of 'happiness'?"

"How do you view the physical world?"

Marquis_de_Sade

I would not trust any religion that I cannot read the scriptures of or talk to the members of or read on the internet about - even Jehovah's Witnesses can be read about extensively.

Chris Weimer

All of the above. People are just people. Some do good things, some do bad things, but most do good and bad things.

These are the three virtues, whence all the other virtues come from: honesty, equality, and frugality.

A warm gun. (no just kidding!) Happiness is an emotion.

How else can you see it? It's there, isn't it?

Thanks, please continue.

Chris Weimer

This is upon finding a religion, say a tribal religion somewhere. The scriptures haven't been translated, and there's no information on the internet. However, you are talking to the members, well, the only one who knows English.

Cornflake Girl

Are morals absolute or relative?

Chris Weimer

What do you mean?

perfectbite

Come come Chris, can a starving man be justified in stealing a loaf of bread to feed his family, taking the loaf of bread from those who have plenty mind you, not from someone who is also starving? Such a quandry is the basis of Jean Valjean's dilemma in Victor Hugo's Les Miserables or would it be more of a fixed case of death before dishonor kind of thing?

(Don't forget that moral pragmatism invariably leads to casuistry. I.e. 'Kill a commie for the prince of peace: Christ.)

Are there sins? Are they sins of ommission or sins of commission?

Could one wish someone else to suffer horribly yet not do anything physically to further that wish? Would that state of mind be acceptable as long as there were no action taken?

What about death? What happens to us not only when we die but after we die?

Chris Weimer

It is immoral to let someone starve to death, yet it is immoral to steal. We wouldn't ever allow a starving person to steal, because we would always feed them first.

What exactly is a sin again?

No. There's nothing that can be done to enforce the thinking, but harboring ill will towards neighbors does not help achieve anything either. Live and let die/don't let the sun go down while ill thoughts still live.

Do not worry about life after death, but rejoice in life until death.

Ahab

What will you do to me if I don't follow your religion?