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Morality in Religious Reformations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 June 2009

Sheldon Shapiro
Affiliation:
Indiana University, South Bend

Extract

Religious reformations are normal historical occurrences. Some stress salvation by faith or through love of the deity. Others have stressed morality either as the primary obligation of the believer or as one of the primary obligations. An examination of a number of such reformations should further our understanding of the historic pattern of religions. A complete survey of the subject is not possible here, but a preliminary investigation is a necessary first step and does produce significant conclusions. The concern here is not with the mere presence in religions of morality, which all the historic religions exhibit. Rather the interest is in those movements that have laid a particular stress on morality and the absolute necessity of moral behavior.

Type
Sources of Religious Renewal
Copyright
Copyright © Society for the Comparative Study of Society and History 1976

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