Morality:
the principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behaviorReligion:
a particular system of faith and worship
“The greatest want of the world is the want of men [women]—men who will not be bought or sold, men who in their inmost souls are true and honest, men who do not fear to call sin by its right name, men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole, men who will stand for the right though the heavens fall.” Education, 57
Interestingly, the world has very little interest in understanding or even attempting to obtain the knowledge that there is a direct correlation between spiritual morality and actions. A popular belief has sprung up in the last decade or so, after the publication of such books as the DaVinci Code, that claims “every faith in the world is based on fabrication” used to maintain control over the peoples of the world; a fabrication that states the Bible is just a book, maybe even a good book.
I have often said that even if everything we know and understand about religion, as suggested above, is a lie, wouldn’t it be true that if every man, woman, and child on this earth followed the ten commandments, if everyone in the world “esteemed others better than themselves,” if they loved God and loved their neighbor, if we were less greedy and more giving, served rather than expected to be served, were more loving and less hate-filled, even if the end of all life was simply death with no God or heaven or eternity, the world would be a much better place. The Biblical principles espoused by most religions, when brought into the life, will result in doing and being good, making us all better people.
However, I do believe in God and heaven and eternity, and that it is only through the power and grace of God that man can live a moral life. The worldly people—those who believe they know what is best for themselves and determinedly seek to separate themselves from any relationship with God so that they can “be free” to do as they choose—perpetuate the deception utilized by Satan in heaven. Speaking of the sinless, holy angels, he suggested, “angels, being more exalted, needed no such restraint, for their own wisdom was sufficient guide. … He claimed that the unfallen intelligences of holy heaven had no need of law, but were capable of governing themselves and of preserving unspotted integrity.” The Truth About Angels, 37, 38
We know how well that assertion ended. One-third of the angels were expelled from heaven along with Lucifer, and here, he continues to suggest to those who follow him that they do not need to obey God’s commandments. Instead, they can govern themselves and should be free to determine their own course. The only difference is that instead of remaining able to preserve an unspotted integrity, they no longer feel the need for an unspotted integrity, or they believe that it will all be taken care of for them in the future.
Many have little interest in religion, believing it to be more opinion, conjecture, or even hope rather than science. Sciences of every kind—particularly psychology and neuroscience—have tied themselves into so many knots trying to develop ways of improving the human condition and techniques that will help people face the challenges of this life by changing a person’s beliefs, feelings, and behaviors only to find that they echo the ideas and techniques many religions have been using for millennia.
Today, science and a belief in God seem to clash, yet Inspiration tells us that without God, there is no science.
“By those who make the Scriptures their constant study, true natural science is far better understood than it is by many so-called learned men. Science, as revealed in Holy Writ, flashes light upon many hidden things in God’s word. The science of the Bible is pure, undefiled religion; it is the science of true godliness. And obedience to God, in all schemes of human benevolence—practical activity—is the science of salvation. The gospel is ‘the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.’ ” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 19, 251
“A knowledge of science of all kinds is power, and it is in the purpose of God that advanced science shall be taught in our schools as a preparation for the work that is to precede the closing scenes of earth’s history. The truth is to go to the remotest bounds of the earth, through agents trained for the work. But while the knowledge of science is a power, the knowledge which Jesus in person came to impart to the world was the knowledge of the gospel. The light of truth was to flash its bright rays into the uttermost parts of the earth, and the acceptance or rejection of the message of God involved the eternal destiny of souls.
“The plan of salvation had its place in the counsels of the Infinite from all eternity. The gospel is the revelation of God’s love to men, and means everything that is essential to the happiness and well-being of humanity. The work of God in the earth is of immeasurable importance, and it is Satan’s special object to crowd it out of sight and mind, that he may make his specious devices effectual in the destruction of those for whom Christ died. It is his purpose to cause the discoveries of men to be exalted above the wisdom of God. When the mind is engrossed with the conceptions and theories of men to the exclusion of the wisdom of God, it is stamped with idolatry. Science, falsely so called, has been exalted above God, nature above its Maker, and how can God look upon such wisdom?” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 186
“The science of redemption is the science of all sciences; the science that is the study of the angels and of all the intelligences of the unfallen worlds; the science that engages the attention of our Lord and Saviour; the science that enters into the purpose brooded in the mind of the Infinite …; the science that will be the study of God’s redeemed throughout endless ages.” The Truth About Angels, 298
Morality is best associated with religion as an outcome of it. True morality—like true religion—must be based upon Biblical principles. These principles, when practiced in life, will bring about change in the human mind and heart, which will result in moral thought and action.
“The sum and substance of true religion is to own and continually acknowledge by words, by dress, by deportment, our relationship to God.” Healthful Living, 119
“Morality cannot be separated from religion. Conservative tradition received from educated men and from the writings of great men of the past are not all a safe guide for us in these last days; for the great struggle before us is such as the world has never seen. …
“We are not one of us safe, even with past experience in the work, and certainly are not safe … unless we live as seeing Him who is invisible. Daily, hourly, we must be actuated by the principles of Bible truth—righteousness, mercy, and the love of God. He who would have moral and intellectual power must draw from the divine Source. At every point and decision inquire, Is this the way of the Lord?” Medical Ministry, 99
Sources: psychologicalscience.org/news/psychologists-are-learning-what-religion-has-known-for-years; goodreads.com/quotes/148789-every-faith-in-the-world-is-based-on-fabrication-that