(no subject)
1.) A small boy is playing happily on a swing in a local playground when an older girl pushes him off and hurts him for no other reason than that she wants to play on the swing. Are her actions morally wrong?
Yes, I believe that the only way actions people perform might even be considered "morally right" is if they are justified by being the only alternative to intentional pain or grief dealt to you or another person.
2.) Is it possible that an action is morally wrong solely for the reason that it harms the person undertaking the action? For example, might it be morally wrong to smoke just because it harms the smoker and for no other reason?
Like I said before, I think it is morally wrong if the harm is intentional. People do not smoke with the intention of doing harm to themselves. They usually do it for stress relief, or for an image. They also do not smoke just to harm other people, they usually do it for their own satisfaction.
3.) Is it possible something might be morally wrong for no other reason than that God determines that it is wrong? For example, imagine that God has declared that drinking water is wrong, and when she is asked why she replies honestly "for no other reason than that I say it is."
If you believe in God, then you believe that He would never tell you to do anything "morally wrong" in your opinion. If you doubt God's intentions, then you might be losing faith in Him.
4.) Can an action be morally wrong if it is entirely private and no-one, not even the person doing the act, is harmed by it at all?
It is a matter of opinion. You base your judgement on your own morals. If it is something you feel guilty about around others, then it is probably something you would still consider "morally wrong" when you are alone.
5.) Do you think that morality comes from God or some other source outside of nature, society and human judgement?
I think that whether or not God has to do with it coincides with your society. It is how you were raised. Probably leaning more towards the nurture side of the nature/nurture debate. It is not only God, but how your parents taught you how God might respond to your actions. The role God takes in morals is created in your own mind. Whether or not people believe in the same god or not, it is how they were raised to believe thier god would respond to thier "moral decisions" that takes the wheel.
6.) An old woman was very ill. On her deathbed she asked her son to promise that he would visit her grave at least once a week. The son didn't want to disappoint his mother, so he promised that he would. But after his mother died, he didn't keep his promise. He was too busy. He didn't tell anyone about his promise, and he has never felt guilty for failing to do as he said he would. How do you judge the failure of the son to visit his mother's grave once a week as he promised?
I do not think the son should feel too guilty. True he made a promise and did not keep it, but I think the mother should not have made him promise such and impossible deed. She could not truly expect him to be able to visit her every single week. I think if the promise was to visit her as often as he could then he should feel a little more remorseful.
Should the son be made to keep his promise or punished in some way for failing to visit his mother's grave once a week?
I think if he believed his mother could still see him, then she would know his circumstances. He should visit her whenever he can, but not be forced to every week.
Suppose you learn about two foreign countries. In one country, it is normal for a son to break a death-bed promise to his mother to visit her grave every week. In the other, if a son has made such a promise, then it is normal for him to keep his word. Are both these customs okay morally speaking or is one of them bad or morally wrong?
Again, it is all a matter of thier own society. Neither act is considered morally wrong to thier countries, and in my opinion, I think neither one is wrong. If a person leads a life where they can take time out of every week to go to a grave, then that is great; but if a person cannot keep a promise for some reason, they shold not be punished. I think no one ever makes promises with the intention of breaking it, I think it just happens. No one can help it.