SemperFiDawg
Political Forum Arbiter of Truth (And Lies Too)
Your point?
Welcome Guest!
GOOD VS. EVIL
- Thread starter matt79brown
- Start date
Your point?
matt79brown
Senior Member
Situational ethics= when my standards of whats right or wrong change depending on the situation at hand. Floating guidelines= when I change the rules to best fit my needs at the time. Adjustable standards= being able to ''update'' to fit current times. Concrete black & white rights and wrongs= Such as cruelty, torture, rape,ect....... And yes the bible does record terrible behavior throughout it's pages but I didn't mention the bible, or eternal punishment or anything theological. I was simply wondering if we all agreed that there are things we (humans as a whole/majority) deem to be unacceptable behavior in our society.And if so what is it in us that says ''hey this is wrong!''? The thread was not intended to have any angle or underlying motive. As a believer there are things that I accredit to the Holy Spirit or a knowledge of what I believe to be God's standards that effect how I feel about certain things. However when I was an unbeliever there where things that I felt strongly against. Things that I would have thought any normal person would view as wrong. Where did those feelings or beliefs come from? And please don't tell me it was ''enviromental'' because you do not know what ''environment'' I grew up in.
Israel
BANNED
Yeah.
Can't say I've ever come across anyone that didn't have some sense that there are "right" things and "wrong" things.
And even disagreement as to what they might be in particular, still signals the presence of that sense.
Conviction to a consistency is something else however...that seems to be only apparent in every man to some degree.
Makes me think of the time when the Jews got their panties all in a wad at Jesus calling Himself the Son of God.
Also makes me think of the time the cop decided for himself what free speech is. And he wasn't going to suffer being taught it by me.
Seems men have a difficulty with being schooled. Unless they make an agreement to enter into it. Few realize that first breath was an enrollment.
You may hear us whine "Do we have to be in Lab every day...?" (will there be a test at the end? will there be math?)
Last edited:
atlashunter
Senior Member
atlashunter
Senior Member
Matt it doesn’t just record terrible behavior it sanctions terrible behavior.
Israel
BANNED
God, not requiring more of any man in his present situation than is bearable, is called grace.
God, telling what is His to be kind to their slaves, is no less than He does.
Jesus has some. Slaves, that is. And He's not ashamed of ownership.
He's quite delighted with what is His.
Everyone is owned.
Who owns...you?
Everyone will discover.
Among men, repentance is eminently...bearable.
And each man is owned by what can break him.
God, telling what is His to be kind to their slaves, is no less than He does.
Jesus has some. Slaves, that is. And He's not ashamed of ownership.
He's quite delighted with what is His.
Everyone is owned.
Who owns...you?
Everyone will discover.
Among men, repentance is eminently...bearable.
And each man is owned by what can break him.
Last edited:
WaltL1
Senior Member
Yes all those exist at the same time.
They come from a combination of things - environment, personal feelings, the society/geography/culture you live in, experiences etc etc.
"environmental" can work 2 ways. You can be raised in a violent, lawless, gang banging environment and become/think just like that or you can see/experience that an become/think just the opposite.
660griz
Senior Member
I wasn't trying to make a point. Just answering your request.
What you should be saying is,"Yep, all that bad stuff is in the bible but, how was God supposed to know it would one day be frowned upon." Oh, wait....
Israel
BANNED
One thing a believer can know is that he reeks of death to some noses.
Spotlite
Resident Homesteader
Ethics / Standards - It is ever changing as society changes. Something that is accepted in yesterdays society is rejected in todays. Something that was rejected in yesterdays society is accepted today. The troublesome part is using yesterdays to condemn todays.
Israel
BANNED
Yes...or using today's to condemn yesterdays.
I am kinda persuaded a lot of folks would think they'd stand on the corner of Appian Way and Caesar Augustus Blvd in ancient Rome hollering "Free the slaves! Free the slaves"
I get that most wanna see themselves as Spartacus...but I'd probably have been the fat guy with greasy fingers picking through the mutton.
Jesus had something to say to the fellows that thought they would not have stoned the prophets.
It's a rare day One doesn't find me thinking "gee, I really am a better man".
Attachments
Last edited:
I’ve always thought it was kinda interesting that the Southern Baptist Convention, after hollering “Don’t free the slaves! Don’t free the slaves!” for the 150 years after their organization in 1845, saw fit to issue an apology at their convention in 1995 for their support of slavery.
http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/899/...nniversary-of-the-southern-baptist-convention
Resolution On Racial Reconciliation On The 150th Anniversary Of The Southern Baptist Convention
Atlanta, Georgia - 1995
WHEREAS, Since its founding in 1845, the Southern Baptist Convention has been an effective instrument of God in missions, evangelism, and social ministry; and
WHEREAS, The Scriptures teach that Eve is the mother of all living (Genesis 3:20), and that God shows no partiality, but in every nation whoever fears him and works righteousness is accepted by him (Acts 10:34-35), and that God has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on the face of the earth (Acts 17:26); and
WHEREAS, Our relationship to African-Americans has been hindered from the beginning by the role that slavery played in the formation of the Southern Baptist Convention; and
WHEREAS, Many of our Southern Baptist forbears defended the right to own slaves, and either participated in, supported, or acquiesced in the particularly inhumane nature of American slavery; and
WHEREAS, In later years Southern Baptists failed, in many cases, to support, and in some cases opposed, legitimate initiatives to secure the civil rights of African-Americans; and
WHEREAS, Racism has led to discrimination, oppression, injustice, and violence, both in the Civil War and throughout the history of our nation; and
WHEREAS, Racism has divided the body of Christ and Southern Baptists in particular, and separated us from our African-American brothers and sisters; and
WHEREAS, Many of our congregations have intentionally and/or unintentionally excluded African-Americans from worship, membership, and leadership; and
WHEREAS, Racism profoundly distorts our understanding of Christian morality, leading some Southern Baptists to believe that racial prejudice and discrimination are compatible with the Gospel; and
WHEREAS, Jesus performed the ministry of reconciliation to restore sinners to a right relationship with the Heavenly Father, and to establish right relations among all human beings, especially within the family of faith.
Therefore, be it RESOLVED, That we, the messengers to the Sesquicentennial meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, assembled in Atlanta, Georgia, June 20-22, 1995, unwaveringly denounce racism, in all its forms, as deplorable sin; and
Be it further RESOLVED, That we affirm the Bibles teaching that every human life is sacred, and is of equal and immeasurable worth, made in Gods image, regardless of race or ethnicity (Genesis 1:27), and that, with respect to salvation through Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for (we) are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28); and
Be it further RESOLVED, That we lament and repudiate historic acts of evil such as slavery from which we continue to reap a bitter harvest, and we recognize that the racism which yet plagues our culture today is inextricably tied to the past; and
Be it further RESOLVED, That we apologize to all African-Americans for condoning and/or perpetuating individual and systemic racism in our lifetime; and we genuinely repent of racism of which we have been guilty, whether consciously (Psalm 19:13) or unconsciously (Leviticus 4:27); and
Be it further RESOLVED, That we ask forgiveness from our African-American brothers and sisters, acknowledging that our own healing is at stake; and
Be it further RESOLVED, That we hereby commit ourselves to eradicate racism in all its forms from Southern Baptist life and ministry; and
Be it further RESOLVED, That we commit ourselves to be doers of the Word (James 1:22) by pursuing racial reconciliation in all our relationships, especially with our brothers and sisters in Christ (1 John 2:6), to the end that our light would so shine before others, that they may see (our) good works and glorify (our) Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16); and
Be it finally RESOLVED, That we pledge our commitment to the Great Commission task of making disciples of all people (Matthew 28:19), confessing that in the church God is calling together one people from every tribe and nation (Revelation 5:9), and proclaiming that the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is the only certain and sufficient ground upon which redeemed persons will stand together in restored family union as joint-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17).
Spotlite
Resident Homesteader
As society changes so does everything else. A 100 years ago who would have imagined that the Supreme Court would declare laws against desecrating the flag were unconstitutional?
matt79brown
Senior Member
So..... there is good & evil?
red neck richie
Senior Member
Of course there is. We dont differ on that. Where we differ is weather Satan is involved?
atlashunter
Senior Member
You would think a perfect moral code from an infallible creator wouldn’t lend support to both sides of the fence.
ambush80
Senior Member
Devil's Advocate (DA):
"The words are perfect. The failure is Man's."
Let's assume that's true. Fact: People used the Bible to support slavery. Fact: People used the Bible to dissolve slavery. I've heard believers (my mom included) that say that God was speaking to people to whom the institution of slavery was deeply rooted in their culture and that He knew that one day humankind would be "mature" enough to understand the ultimate evil of slavery. If that's true then it's an example that God's will might not be clearly understood by the people of any given time and that as humankind matures they might eventually understand His true message.
What else are modern believers (yes, YOU) misunderstanding? What else may He reveal as Right for our time and yet Wrong for all time? And what exactly are the methods by which the TRUE GOOD is revealed. How was slavery changed from bad to good? Were abolitionists given a spark of revelation? They were certainly looked upon as agitators perhaps even heretics during their own time. Who are those people today?
Last edited:
They continued with racism and segregation long after abolition-all the way up to their public apology 150 years after their separation from the abolitionists......
while claiming the approval and support of their God.
ambush80
Senior Member
They continued with racism and segregation long after abolition-all the way up to their public apology 150 years after their separation from the abolitionists......
while claiming the approval and support of their God.
There might be someone here whose grandparents are still alive and who might still believe that slavery is good and sanctioned by the Bible. Believers of every time period are certain in their beliefs and their reasons for them would sound exactly the same as those of believers today.
Perhaps the true lesson of how the Bible can be used to justify or abolish slavery is that it is appropriate to it's time. The fact that people can read the same words out of it and come to very different ideas about what is moral may be its best attribute.
Last edited:
matt79brown
Senior Member
Southern Baptist Convention or any other organization has adjustable standards. When you make the rules you can change them as you see fit. Like playing back yard ball. Perfect example of the situational ethics and floating guidelines that I referenced earlier. I sat in on a lecture of a political scientist that says the Constitution was written with the idea in mind that even though society wasn't quite ready for it yet, slavery would be abolished in the near future. I don't know if he is right or not. If so, kudos to those founding fathers for being ahead of their times. Seems like most of us would deem slavery as bad/evil. Ok, so we're getting somewhere. No one told us slavery is wrong but somehow we just know? Maybe?
