Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Moral Dilemmas

I am going to be writing a paper during the next week describing my position with respect to moral dilemmas.  When I am done I will post it on here as fair game for whatever shots anybody wants to take at it :)  But until then, I thought I would post on here the three basic positions with respect to moral dilemmas and see which everybody identifies with, or if anybody has a position besides the three I describe.  First, for the sake of clarity, here is how we will define a moral dilemma:
  • A moral dilemma is a situation in which there appears to be, or is, a conflict between two or more moral absolutes/norms that allow no exceptions.  Simply put, a moral dilemma is a lose/lose situation, where we will be unable to fulfill one of God's commands no matter what our choice.
Here are the three positions:
  1. Non-Conflicting Absolutism - maintains that absolute moral norms never do indeed conflict.  Put another way, we will never face a situation where we have no choice but to sin, and therefore moral dilemmas do not exist.
  2. Ideal Absolutism - maintains that absolute norms, ideally speaking (that is, in a world without sin), never conflict.  But actually speaking (that is, in our world with its sin), absolute moral norms do indeed conflict.  Basically, we are left with choosing the lesser of two evils, with either result being sin.
  3. Hierarchicalism, or Graded Absolutism - maintains that absolute moral norms do indeed conflict; moral dilemmas do exist, and in these the greater moral norm (according to a hierarchy of moral absolutes) is to receive precedence.  Basically, we are left with choosing the greater of two goods, and this position argues that doing the greater good absolves one of their lesser duty they are unable to perform.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Thoughts on interpreting Scripture, with an example.

Revelation 3:15-16

“I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.”

.

Everything we need is actually here for us to interpret this passage correctly. God is stating that the audience of this message is neither cold nor hot, and then states that he desires that they were either cold or hot. This makes it clear that being hot or cold are both positive or desirable qualities for the following reason: if hot and cold were opposites, with one good and one bad, this verse would be saying that God could desire a condition for people that is bad, and this would be contrary to his character. He goes on to say that it is the condition of being lukewarm that disgusts him. We see in the following verses that this lukewarm condition is that they think that they can be followers of Christ while not surrendering their lives to him. Instead of clothing themselves with God’s grace and being sanctified (which, like both hot and cold water, is beneficial and fruitful), they continue in their same course of life and in the same filthy rags of sin (which is compared to the lukewarm water).

.

So we can certainly make sense of this simply by looking at the immediate context of the passage as well as what the Bible tells us of God’s character. However, there is undoubtably an added understanding to why this was such a vivid picture for the original audience when one is aware of the aqueduct that brought water to these people from a hot spring 5 miles away, resulting in the water being just lukewarm once it arrived in Laodicea.

.

So, here is how I think scripture is best interpreted: we have sufficient information to interpret the Bible within the context of a passage, both in the surrounding verses as well as the overall context of the Bible as a whole. However, historical and cultural information can enhance this understanding, as well as shedding light on why something in particular was said, thereby helping us to more effectively and completely apply it to our lives today.

.

Let me know if you have different thoughts on this passage, or my approach in general.