• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Righteousness

Redemptionsong

Well-Known Member
What is 'righteousness', in your opinion?

How is (your idea of) righteousness achieved?

Does it matter if you fail to achieve (your idea of) righteousness?

Given that RFs reflect a spectrum of thought, l'm interested to hear a wide range of views on this issue.
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
I see righteousness as being able to justify your morality.

Its achieved by being me

Yes, it can be disappointed with myself if i fail at what i know to be the right thing to do
 

SalixIncendium

अग्निविलोवनन्दः
Staff member
Premium Member
What is 'righteousness', in your opinion?

I really don't use the term except in its slang form. So I equate "righteous" with "awesome" or "excellent." So for me, "righteousness" is the state of being awesome or excellent.

How is (your idea of) righteousness achieved?

By striving to always do my best.

Does it matter if you fail to achieve (your idea of) righteousness?

If I always do my best, how can I possibly fail?
 

Redemptionsong

Well-Known Member
I see righteousness as being able to justify your morality.

Its achieved by being me

Yes, it can be disappointed with myself if i fail at what i know to be the right thing to do

What do you think of Proverbs 12:15?; 'the way of the fool is right in his own eyes.'
 

Brickjectivity

Turned to Stone. Now I stretch daily.
Staff member
Premium Member
What is 'righteousness', in your opinion?

How is (your idea of) righteousness achieved?

Does it matter if you fail to achieve (your idea of) righteousness?

Given that RFs reflect a spectrum of thought, l'm interested to hear a wide range of views on this issue.
My impression is that 'Righteous' refers to something that is balanced enough to remain vertical. Righteous, then, is a combination term that means skill among other things. I think a person can only be so good, and if we try to be good to an extreme we can become unbalanced and fail worse than if we had not been good at all. At the same time if we are not good enough we are unbalanced as well. Either extreme leads to psychological problems, time problems, resource problems...various problems.

Imagine living before people had ever heard of 'Gravity'. You'd see balance everywhere, and you might well wonder what principle was behind it. Even today and knowing what gravity is and that it pulls from all directions we still like this concept of balance and apply it to more than flower vases. It is mysterious and wonderful, and its game for application to many areas of life.

In the story of the flight from Egypt, the Israelites are told they must turn neither to the left nor to the right. Solomon's temple has named its right and left pillars. Psalm 1 talks about trees of righteousness, which are upright by means of strong roots.

You can be balanced in different ways. It can be that you are symmetric like a vase, or it can be that you have roots, or it can be that you stay on the narrow path -- that you are humble instead of fat, or that you have just the right amount of wealth neither too little nor too much, or that you ... and so on. There are different kinds of balance.
 
Last edited:

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
What is 'righteousness', in your opinion?

How is (your idea of) righteousness achieved?

Does it matter if you fail to achieve (your idea of) righteousness?

Given that RFs reflect a spectrum of thought, l'm interested to hear a wide range of views on this issue.

I don't know. I never used the word before weirdly enough. After looking it up I guess it means having pride in ones morality. Similar to having a lot of pride which is different than wise and even humility.
 

SigurdReginson

Grēne Mann
Premium Member
Hmmm... "Righteousness" isn't really a word or concept that has much value for me in my day to day life. There are things I care about and believe in, like charity work, but I don't associate morality with it.

As far as morality goes, I usually choose to live and let live. As long as folks aren't hurting anyone, breaking serious laws, or violating people's rights, then it doesn't really bother me what they do. If something is legal or illegal that I don't like, I do my part in trying to get those laws changed as I see fit. That's about it. :)

Righteousness as a concept has a bit too much zeal behind it. Zealotry is to be avoided, IMO.
 
Last edited:

dybmh

דניאל יוסף בן מאיר הירש
Righteousness is choosing to follow a code or a rule in spite of obstacles.
 

Brian2

Veteran Member
What is 'righteousness', in your opinion?

How is (your idea of) righteousness achieved?

Does it matter if you fail to achieve (your idea of) righteousness?

Given that RFs reflect a spectrum of thought, l'm interested to hear a wide range of views on this issue.

It's probably not a word that is used much outside of religious circles and not in all religions no doubt. I found a list of similar word.

Similar and opposite words
righteous
adjective
good
virtuous
upright
upstanding
decent
worthy
ethical
principled
moral
high-minded
law-abiding
just
honest
innocent
faultless
honourable
blameless
guiltless
irreproachable
sinless
uncorrupted
anti-corruption
saintly
angelic
pure
noble
noble-minded
pious
God-fearing

For me I guess it is how God sees me if God is pleased with me.
I found a Biblical quote which could be about the righteousness of us humans in the eyes of God.
Isa 64:6 For we are all become as one that is unclean, and all our righteousnesses are as a polluted garment: and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
God found a way of giving us the righteousness of Jesus however when we receive the life of Jesus and are what is called "in Christ".
When God looks at me He sees someone who is righteous because of being "in Christ" and for that reason is pleased with me.
 

Polymath257

Think & Care
Staff member
Premium Member
What is 'righteousness', in your opinion?

How is (your idea of) righteousness achieved?

Does it matter if you fail to achieve (your idea of) righteousness?

Given that RFs reflect a spectrum of thought, l'm interested to hear a wide range of views on this issue.

The word is one that I almost never use. It has too many religious overtones and represents a morality that I do not share.

The closest I come is when I use 'self-righteous' which, for me, has very negative connotations.
 

Redemptionsong

Well-Known Member
Is it fair to say that the world divides neatly into those who believe there is an absolute 'right', and those who don't? There are a number of scriptures that talk about what is 'right in his [man's] own eyes' [Deuteronomy 12:8; Proverbs 12:15; Proverbs 21:2, for example] as opposed to objectively right, which fits with Genesis 18:27, 'shall not the judge of the earth do right?' [or Deuteronomy 32:4, 'just and right is he', speaking of God.]

Is God not offering people a way out of 'selfish' morality? Even the morality of consensus is unlikely to come close to true objectivity.
 

Polymath257

Think & Care
Staff member
Premium Member
Is it fair to say that the world divides neatly into those who believe there is an absolute 'right', and those who don't? There are a number of scriptures that talk about what is 'right in his [man's] own eyes' [Deuteronomy 12:8; Proverbs 12:15; Proverbs 21:2, for example] as opposed to objectively right, which fits with Genesis 18:27, 'shall not the judge of the earth do right?' [or Deuteronomy 32:4, 'just and right is he', speaking of God.]

Is God not offering people a way out of 'selfish' morality? Even the morality of consensus is unlikely to come close to true objectivity.


Why would a morality imposed by a deity be objective? it seems like it would be arbitrary based on what that deity wants. Why should we care?

Instead, there are those that think that true morality is based on how people interact with other people to promote human well-being.
 

AlexanderG

Active Member
What is 'righteousness', in your opinion?

How is (your idea of) righteousness achieved?

Does it matter if you fail to achieve (your idea of) righteousness?

Given that RFs reflect a spectrum of thought, l'm interested to hear a wide range of views on this issue.

Righteousness seems to be what people say they have when they are convinced their opinions, beliefs, or actions are correct. I often see it used as a justification in and of itself, when no actual evidence or rational justification for their being correct is available.

It is a conceptual label they use as a shield against self-reflection. It is often a way to bootstrap the legitimacy of their own morality without doing the hard moral thinking.
 

Heyo

Veteran Member
What is 'righteousness', in your opinion?

How is (your idea of) righteousness achieved?

Does it matter if you fail to achieve (your idea of) righteousness?

Given that RFs reflect a spectrum of thought, l'm interested to hear a wide range of views on this issue.
"Righteousness" is an (Abrahamic) religious concept much like "sin" or "being saved". It has no real meaning and can't be defined or explained to someone outside of religion.

Always be weary when someone talks about righteousness (e.g. citing Ezekiel 25:17). People might die.
 

Redemptionsong

Well-Known Member
Righteousness seems to be what people say they have when they are convinced their opinions, beliefs, or actions are correct. I often see it used as a justification in and of itself, when no actual evidence or rational justification for their being correct is available.

It is a conceptual label they use as a shield against self-reflection. It is often a way to bootstrap the legitimacy of their own morality without doing the hard moral thinking.

You have clearly done 'the hard moral thinking'. Please enlighten me as to what you think is 'right'.

I have concluded that God is right and I cannot come close to his righteousness.
 
Top