by James Lynne

Created on: August 23, 2008   Last Updated: July 03, 2009

Morality, like color, does not exist in the absence of a defining mechanism. By themselves, these two terms are indefinite. In the presence of light and culture they take on clarity. The colors of the spectrum are only visible to the human eye in the presence of light. Morality, likewise, only has meaning within a defined value system. To answer the question, "What does morality mean?" requires that we ask, within whose value system?

Those who speak of a moral society often refer to Christian morality, a set of values loosely defined by historical Christianity. I say "loosely defined" because even within Christianity there is no set value system that clearly defines what is and is not moral. What is moral and what is immoral within the Christian culture is about as clear as the difference between Catholicism and Protestantism. There are foundational similarities; yet the guiding practices are quite different.

Present day Catholicism differs greatly from Protestantism regarding what is and is not moral behavior. If we are obligated to be moral, by whose standard will we define moral? The implication that "morality" has a religious value set also excludes a large segment of the population, further complicating how to define morality. If morality is tied to following what is believed to be God's laws, how does it apply to those who do not accept the God construct? It begs the question to determine if this God construct is the Christian God, the Hebrew God, the Muslim God, etc. Morality takes on a different definition in each of these religious venues.

The Catholic view of moral and the Protestant view of moral differ greatly. In fact that difference is precisely why Protestantism exists. Although other Sixteenth Century church leaders had already begun a separation from Catholicism, Martin Luther's nailing of his 95 Theses to the church door in 1517, accusing the Roman led church of heresy is considered to be the defining point of separation. Luther viewed the selling of indulgences, among other things, to be immoral. Luther's innate sense of morality led him to oppose Catholicism and its practices, launching a holy war and a cultural revolution that still echoes into the Twentyfirst Century with Protestant - Catholic conflict.

Henry VIII, King of England during the early days of the Protestant Reformation in England and Ireland fueled the fires of controversy by declaring the English monarchy head of the newly formed Church of England. Interestingly enough

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