Every day we are faced with choices about what we should or shouldn't do. We choose to work or not to work. We choose to go to school or not to go to school. We choose to play or not to play.
We choose to make friends or to refrain from making friends.
Have you ever thought consciously and intentionally about what is the basis for the choices that you make in life? Do you make choices automatically and instinctively without thinking? Do you make choices on the basis of what feels good and right to you? Do you make choices on the basis of what you think others may be expecting of you?
In the area of issues which may be life threatening, or at the very least, life affecting, we devise an ethical or moral standard by which we decide to act or refrain from acting. We make those decisions on moral standards because we believe that those standards determine whether our actions are right or wrong. We tend to believe that if we live by those standards we will be rewarded, and if we violate those standards we will be punished.
Among the issues that we have to make decisions about are issues of sexual relationships, abortion, war and peace, euthanasia, environmental problems, etc. There are ethical standards which we utilize and quote in order to make a decision as to whether or not we should be involved in these matters.
Where do we derive our ethics from? That is a question to which there are no simple answers. We find ourselves in a quagmire because regardless of which answer we give, there will always be a variety of perspectives on those very same answers. Christians may offer the following answers:
1. The Bible as a source of ethics- This position is most known among Protestant and so-called "non-denominational" Christians. The major problem with this position is that while these Christians claim Scripture as the primary source of ethics and morality, they do not tend to take into consideration the hermeneutical issues, i.e. matters of biblical interpretation. The mere fact that they use the same book and yet arrive at different conclusions is a testimony to the fact it is not that simple to say that our ethics and moral standards are based on the Bible.
The problem is further compounded by the fact that the Bible itself is culturally conditioned, and that many of the ethical mandates emerge from a culture which is alien to ours. There are mores and standards that are not necessarily universally applicable in all times and in all places. For example, there are commandments in Scripture that require the death penalty for adultery, and for children who are insolent and disrespectful to their parents.
2. Tradition as a source of ethics- This position is most known among Catholic and Orthodox Christians. The major problem here is that tradition varies from church to church. For examples, Catholics venerate statues, and Orthodox Christians venerate icons. Protestants display an extensive variety of practices in their style of worship services.
3. Experience as a source of ethics- This position is known primarily among those Christians who believe that experience supersedes both Scripture and tradition. They believe that experience is the ultimate authority in the private and public life of Christians. Charismatic and Pentecostal Christians are famous for this type of thinking. But again, we find that experiences vary from person to person and from church to church.
4. Feelings as a source of ethics- This position basically states that whatever "feels right" is in fact, right. In other words, emotions and feelings are the ultimate determinant of ethical standards. Those who hold to this view, believe that their individual opinions, perspectives, and points of view, constitute the basis on which we should live our lives and make our decisions.
I ask you, the reader, where do you stand on ethics? Should we or should we not have an ethical standard by which we live? If we should have an ethical standard, where should those ethical norms derive from? Is there room in your opinion for a valid variety of ethical standards? Please share with us your thinking on these matters.
Grace and peace,
Dr. Juan A. Ayala-Carmona
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