Over the past three days,I've had some really interesting conversations. It's somewhat bizarre to me how I could have similar conversations/circumstances happen, but have them be around compeletely different people. These thoughts have pertained to things such as alcohol consumption, profanity, and just the morality in someone's life. Where do our morals come from?
I know that most people would say, "well,you learn morals from your parents." How true is that?I remember growing up and hearing this phrase: "It's not okay to do drugs. It's not okay to drink. It's not okay to have sex."So what did I do? I stayed away from all of those things because it was engrained in me that they were wrong. And though I still manage to find hurt, I don't intentionally go out seeking for it...so I stayed away from those scenes.
If a person hasn't been brought up like that or with loving parents, where do they learn their morals from? In such an immoral world, can we say that we get "morals" from the world? How much do we let people influence us? Where do you draw the line? How close is too close? Is there a certain level of "liberal" thinking that a Christian should have...or we will continue to be classified as "conservative Christians" that can't think outside the box. I've had someone say that to me...it's not just coming out of nowhere.
I love the fact that I'm changing...for real.
Something that I've thought about is that in every new experience that I'm in...I change. A part of me changes...develops into a hopefully better person.So, when I leave that new experience and return home, I've changed,but other people haven't or I may feel that they can't relate to me. So...it's almost presented me with a fear..thinking that I have to keep in close contact with people(granted I want to anyway) because I want them to be able to relate to me when I go back home...
I guess what it boils down to is that we are each presented with a choice.A choice of who will impact our lives...people come and people go, but it's up to us if we want their influence to do just that...influence our lives.Will hanging out with "this type" of people make me a better person or will it hinder me? Do people hinder?
Thoughts are welcome.
Be blessed and be a blessing.
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I long to serve Christ and to bring hope to the hopeless.
- Heidi
- Follow along as I journey to different parts of the world...to serve God and to bring hope to the hopeless.
6 comments:
I'd love to talk with you about this some time. Its a very tricky issue. For example, I don't put much stock in morals. Why? Because I think so many morals are socially constructed more than they are derived from scripture, tradition, reason and experience. So a moral standard can look like its scriptural, but in fact its reinforced by a social conservatism that lead to unhealthy attitudes for example legalism. The reason that social rather than biblical conservatism leads to legalism is because socially derived conservatism is about appearances more than it is about living freely but in God's will. So social conservatism becomes a kind of strait jacket completely opposite to the freedom that God intends. So the same moral standard could bring bondage to one and freedom to another.
On the other hand the impact of pluralism on Christian foundations is a real risk - Christian liberalism is a threat to Christian orthodoxy and definitely a threat to discipleship. So you can't afford to swing wildly on the core issues either. But for many the reason that they do swing is because moral standards are operating as bondage rather than freedom in Christ.
I'm not sure that makes any sense!
That does make sense...and yes,i'd love to talk more about it.something that my friend was asking me about the other day is whether or not the Bible had lost its relevence in our lives...like,should we take the Bible literally,or are there parts of it that we should just take figuratively.
what are your thoughts on that?
also,what about ethics?do you consider ethics, morals?as Christians, what should our ethics look like?
I think we should take the bible literally and figuratively. Literally in that we should always strive to understand God's Word to us through the scriptures. But not literally in that sometimes undertaking literal readings is being unfaithful to God's Word to us. Figuratively in that some of the Bible is written figuratively. When Dylan Thomas wrote:
"Rage, rage against the dying of the light" was he suggesting we should have a temper tantrum at the end of each day?
If I were God I'd be a bit disappointed that much of my poetry is treated like prose. I'd be saddened that my creativity was being so lost in the quest for certainty...
But not figuratively in that if something, properly exegeted, requires the taking of a moral or ethical position, then it must be given pre eminence.
Here's how I see the difference:
Morals - are positions on good and bad - they are often personally held
Ethics - is a system or philosophy that attempts to objectively determine positive or negative behaviour
In our society I would rather teach Christian ethics over (so-called) Christian morals, because morality is being shaped so deeply by social currents at the moment. The individual's moral authority is huge and so I'd rather disciple a Christian to develop their biblical worldview within the pluralistic environment we live in, than give them all the answers. Its a fine line though and it needs to be both/and.
For example we did a series last year which on the surface appeared to be about: Drinking, Gossip and Porn. But actually the series was about:
1. How do you form a moral view on an issue in scripture that is very clear? ie Gossip - we chose this one because it is minimised. If we'd picked murder we wouldn't have taken people with us on the process.
2. How do you form a moral view on an issue in scripture where there are boundaries and ethical guidelines, but no absolute prohibition? ie Alcohol
3. How do you form a moral view on an issue which is not in scripture explicitly? eg Porn - here we picked something that most would agree on but which doesn't have an explicit biblical prohibition.
And there is a ton in the Bible about HOW to think like a Christian as opposed to simply WHAT...
wow!
you've given me a lot to think about...
okay...along the ethical issues..if they determine positive or negative behavior..wouldn't we have to think about our morals in helping us determine what to be ethical about?
also...sometimes i feel like Christians need to be on one side of the thinking...which is usually conservative...not that it's a bad thing to be conservative...
i don't know where i was going with that...
Our ethical system should lead to formulation of our morals.
Where morals already exist we might want to test them by applying Christian ethics in the context of scripture, reason, experience and tradition.
Let me give an example:
Alcohol.
It is possible to come to a biblical view that the consumption of alcohol is wrong.
Some would say on the basis of their exegesis that the consumption of alcohol is a sin. You have to work hard to prove this one.
Others may say along the lines of Romans 14 that it may be a sin to consume alcohol if your consicence is bound or it harms others.
However, there is a third view that often overlays the first. It goes something like:
"Christians don't do that. Its not respectable behaviour. If you drink, you're probably not 'in'"
I'd call that a non biblical view. Its socially driven. And in my humble opinion, the overlay of socialised views of morality masquerading as biblical views are as bad as liberal versions of morality.
Legalism and Licence have long been the twin poles which humanity swings between in order to avoid the reality of life in the Kingdom of God.
Matt 11:16-19
Now go outside and enjoy the sun its beuatiful day :)
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