The Issues of Morality

Over at The Thinking Christian blog, there is a discussion on issues of morality. As I read it and the multiple feeds concerning the blog, I was struck at the similarities between some of today's Christian leadership and those of the Pharisee and Sadducee leadership during Jesus Christ's time. History has demonstrated untold brutality from the "Church", from the Inquisitions, to the Northern Ireland war between Catholics and Protestants, etc. So much of the frustrations and disgust of the common man, then as today, has been on the hypocrisy of ideology of Christian leadership. The Christian Worldview is high on Ideology but seems to lack ideas. Jesus Christ attracted multitudes of people with His ideas and lightness of His yoke (ideology). The Pharisaical Leadership worshiped the Law instead of the Lawgiver. Maybe we can learn from their dysfunctional, non-leadership taskmaster-style and return to the message of hope, love, joy, caring, compassionate, humility and thankfulness of Jesus Christ's actions.

Maybe we need to learn from the Centurion in Luke where Jesus says:

"I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith."
(Luke 7:9)

So here we have a heathen, an idolater whom Jesus says has greater faith than anyone in the nation. Maybe we should listen to Jesus' words and recognize there are those who do not follow the Law, but the Lawgiver - they do not say "the Christian mantra" yet have more faith/morality than us or our so-called Christian Leaders. Maybe humility is more powerful than selling books that make the best-seller lists.

Maybe we should stop judging and present ideas of humility, compassion, mercy, hope and thankfulness. Maybe we need to use the current language of today to articulate the ideas to the common people instead of the ideology of condemning opposing worldviews. Last time I checked, the only condemnation Jesus had was for the Religious Elitism (the leadership of the Mega-Church so prevelant today or politicians) not for the common man. In fact the common man was drawn not repelled by Jesus Christ, and who was repelled?

There are religions of the world who justify their deadly violence because of their god. There are religions of the world who justify their ownership of government because of their god. There are those religions of the world who justify their physical abuse of women and children because of their god. What do we use our God to justify our ends?

Morality is to be demonstrated as an attractive idea that we enjoy as an action of our soul. It is not an oppressive ideology to be crammed down the peoples throat. Morality is good and not the sole property of a religion. Remember the Centurion, remember the Lawgiver not the Law? If we are practicing Christians then people should see us as a home rather than a house. Are people drawn to us because they want what we have in our hearts, our soul; or are they repulsed because they see our oppressive ideology of the Law?

Food for Thought, If you are Hungry

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Virtue as Habit

Aristotle (384-322 BC), in his book Nicomachean Ethics, describes the "Virtue of Character" as:

"Rather, we are by nature able to acquire them, and we are completed through habit" (pg. 18).

"To sum it up in a single account: a state [of character] results from [the repetition of] similar activities. That is why we much perform the right activities" (pg. 19)

James Allen (1864-1912) says in his book, As a Man Thinketh, on page 24:

"Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results. Bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results. This is but saying that nothing can come from corn but corn, nothing from nettles but nettles. Men understand this law in the natural world, and work with it. But few understand it in the mental and moral world (though its operation there is just as simple and undeviating), and they, therefore, do not cooperate with it."

So the question must be asked: What "virtuous character" and "good actions" habits have our nation's leaders acquired? The fruit they have produced, by any stretch of the rational mind, cannot be determined as good. The habits of Washington D.C. politicians are simply not in keeping with the definition of good character - be it of antiquity nor of modern times.

The change must begin with ourselves to change America.

C'ya
Eagle Driver
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Responsibility - Are you Smarter than a 7th Grader?

Catching up on some of my favorite blogs, I was recently taken aback on the aggressive support of promiscuity. The blog author vehemently defends the danger of such selfish activity. Following my response I thought about doing a simple Google search on "responsibility". On the first page, 5th entry I found this web site:

Teaching Guide: Responsibility for Grades 7-12 from the series "In Search of Character"

Immediately in front of the reader is a simple "Are You a Responsible Person?" checklist. 6 questions for self-evaluation with the last question being the most incredible in my opinion:

I exercise self-control: yes or no

The site (goodcharacter.com) goes on to give discussion questions and writing assignments for the students. I found this concept of good character being defined by self-control reminiscent of Aristotle's posit that happiness requires virtuous thought and action which lead to a virtuous character. By the way Aristotle wrote this some 300 years before the birth of Jesus Christ and the development of Christianity.

Self-control is the antithesis of promiscuity.

Promiscuity is the bane of good Character.

It is time to stop the childish, temper-tantrum irresponsible behavior of "blaming" Christianity for not getting what you want, and demonstrate some self-control, some good character to do the right thing. "When I was a child, I spoke [and did] as a child."

Here is an Aesop Fable (again hundreds of years before Christianity) that seems quite applicable to promiscuity which simply is the lack of self-control, lack of good character, lack of responsibility:

The Flies and the Honey Pot

A jar of honey chanced to spill
Its contents on the windowsill
In many a viscous pool and rill.

The flies, attracted by the sweet,
Began so greedily to eat,
they smeared their fragile wings and feet.

With many a twitch and pull in vain
They grasped to get away again,
And died in aromatic pain.

Moral

O foolish creatures that destroy
Themselves for transitory joy. *

Food for Thought, if You are Hungry

Do not be found wanting as we are all without excuse.

Eagle Driver
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*The Book of Virtues by William J. Bennett (New York: Simon & Schuster 1993, page 48), emphasis mine.

"Revolt against Rationality"

As I am getting ready to fly a late night trip, I watched HLN to get up to speed on what is happening in the US. I was taken aback by the small icon in the lower right corner listing the number of days Lindsey Lohan has been in jail. Then I see the continuing news on Mel Gibson’s troubled meltdown.

What is going on that I need to know the number of days Lindsey is in jail? What is going on that someone on top of the world from the financial to the professional ranks has lost control of themselves? What is the example that is being set for American’s to view?

Back in the 1970s Christopher Lasch wrote a bestseller titled The Culture of Narcissism – American Life in An Age of Diminishing Expectations. In his section on The Eclipse of Achievement, Lasch writes:

“Self-approval depends on public recognition and acclaim, and the quality of this approval has undergone important changes in its own right. The good opinion of friends of friends and neighbors, which formerly informed a man that he had lived a useful life, rested on appreciation of his accomplishments. Today men seek the kind of approval that applauds not their actions but their personal attributes. They wish to be not so much esteemed as admired. They crave not fame but the glamour and excitement of celebrity. They want to be envied rather than respected.” (New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1979, pg. 59)

This is the spiritual and moral condition of many in our American society. As James Allen wrote about in his famous treatise on “As A Man Thinketh”, thoughts crystallize into habits which solidify into circumstances. Noble thoughts cannot produce bad fruit.

Or better put: “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit” (Matt. 7:17 NASB).

Mel Gibson’s road must not to be traveled by us or by our children and our road of life can/must be guarded with noble thoughts. Lindsay Lahan’s road is not to be traveled by us or by our children and our road of life can/must be guarded with proper actions not personal popularity. Why? Actions speak loudly. Jesus Christ spoke of the proper actions (not a concept well received today with the new religion of “tolerance”) in John 13:17, “If you know these things [those from prior verses 5-16], you are blessed if you do them” (NASB).

These things: server others, bear good fruit, etc. are mandatory to maintain a civilized society. Lasch concludes with the indictment of, “More than anything else, it is this coexistence of hyper-rationality and a widespread revolt against rationality that justifies the characterization of our twentieth-century way of life as a culture of narcissism” (pg. 248).

The time is now to study and regain a rational lifestyle.

C'ya

Eagle Driver

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