Essay/Term paper: Political morality

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Humanities

In Webster's dictionary, morality is defined as "principles



of right and wrong in conduct; ethics." The principles of



morality have countless times evolved over the ages. In earlier



times, death was an easy penalty for many crimes. These crimes



today are considered minor and are penalized with a slap on the



hand. Is this considered wrong? Who is the correct authority to



consult on what is right or wrong? In today's society, two major



factors concern how the way members of society act and behave.



The first is our national government.



Members of our government in positions of authority decide



everything in our lives in the form of laws which determine our



behavior. One of the most important documents written by our



government is the Declaration of Independence. The monarchy was



taking away power from the colonists and putting more demands on.



In return, the colonists declared their freedom from their



tyrant. In this document, it states, "All men are created equal;



that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable



rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of



happiness." The great men who wrote this down had a strong sense



of morals. They believed that men were given rights by God that



no one could take away. This is essential to the issue of



morality because it determines the rights- that are agreed upon



all- are wrong.





This brings us to religion. Religion is a major contributor



to how we think and act because it mirrors our beliefs in what we



hold as right or wrong. An example of this is the native tribes



of africa and South America where a number of tribes practice



cannibalism. While this is considered a sin in most christian



religions, the tribes have evolved into cannibalism as a way to



survive in life and have no objections to their eating habits.



The problem arises when the line between government and religion



is crossed. While religion does not have to power to punish one



physically, but rather soulfully of one has sinned. The



government has the power to sentence punishment, yet should have



no power concerning God.



Many different religions have evolved all over the world and



in the process, have people have been prosecuted in their faith.



The first settlers in the new world came here to avoid



prosecution from the powerful church/government of that time.



Specifically, the Church of England headed by the king. Puritan



leaders led their followers to a place where they could express



their religion with no fear of other faiths. One such leader was



John Winthrop.



John Winthrop was a powerful Puritan governor in the colony



of Massachusetts Bay. He believed that this was a calling from



God for him to lead the new religious experiment-a covenant with



God to built a model for mankind. "We shall be a city upon the



hill." declared Winthrop. As governor Winthrop held considerable



power. He distrusted the commoners and thought democracy was the



"meanest and worst" forms of government. Anyone who brought



trouble or had indifferent thought were severely punished to



"save their soul." As one of his extensions of his powers he



banished Roger Williams, a popular Salem minister with radical



ideas and an unrestrained tongue, and Mistress Anne Hutchinson, A



strong willed women who challenged the authority of the clergy by



stating the truly saved need not bother to obey the laws of God



or man.



Several problems arise throughout this banishment. I am



for a democratic society in which one can express his or her



thoughts without the fear of prosecution. They did not have the



luxury of this. The need for the expressment of ideas is



essential for a growing environment. If no growth is made, then



expansion of the community is halted to a standstill. The limit



of new idea's must have a point, though. In recent news, the



Unabomber has issued a ultimanium with his manuscript. In the



past, such a request would have been rediculous. In his



manuscript he expresses his view on the evils of technology.



While a citizen is entitled to free speech and press, threatening



murder is not such an option. There must be limits set. In



colonial times these limitations were set by John Winthrop. Total



obedience was required and disobedience was not tolerated;



therefore, Williams and Hutchinson were banished. I understand



the reasoning behind his motives, but his limits were set too



low. There was no room for free speech and thinking.



Morals today have been declining and declining. As



independant thoughts have now been tolerated, so have thoughts



against basic humane rights. More today than any other period



murders and rapists are being convicted and released from jail.



Attendance at churches pail considerably from the height of it's



popularity. The people have better things to do and church is



just not the thing to do these days. The government is a mess of



bureaucracy and misuse of power. In two words-Bob Packwood. The



national deficit is at trillions and shows no signs of



improvement. Money is spent in needless ways with lobbyists



bribing officials for personal causes that have no implications



with the common people. The cause of representing the common



people is practically non-existent. These are just some of the



examples of how the morals in today's society have declined in



the cause of "personal rights."