In my last post "Why is there evil in the world", I wrote that I have a well formed opinion on what I think good and evil is, and I imagine many of you would like to know what that opinion is. To such people I write this post. Who knows? Perhaps it will help chisel and improve your own perception of good and evil.
Many of you who have read my previous posts know or can easily infer that I am a Christian, believing that Christ, the Son of God, died on the cross to atone for mine and everyone's sins. It is not surprising, then, that my opinion is based on, if not centered on, my Faith.
It is obvious and sensible to assume that God is the goal, the prize, etc. Salvation and eternal life in heaven are central ideas not only in Christianity but in every religion ever, acknowledging God, or whatever that religion may call him, as the goal of every man, woman, and child. Is it not sensible to assume, then, that God is also the Standard, the thing we ought to be as much like as possible?
It is my opinion, then, that God is the standard. God is Right, and anything else that conflicts with what God says is Wrong. This, I think, is a much more solid conclusion than any person can conjure without using God.
For example, let's assume that someone, without using God, assumes that Right and Wrong are perfectly fixed and absolute. Not so surprising of a conclusion, there are things that for the most part seem very obviously wrong, such as murder and stealing. However, would one be considered to have done wrong were they to murder someone with the intent of murdering them? Let's say a robber has a gun to your head. Should it be counted against you if you shot him first? I would say no, and many others stand behind me. "That's justice", one might say. However, if Right and Wrong are so absolutely fixed, wouldn't murder be wrong under any and all circumstances? And besides, who decides whether or not an action is right or wrong? People? Clearly, there is some level of relativity when it comes to Right and Wrong.
Now what about the other end of the spectrum? Say someone, without using God, decides that Right and Wrong are completely relative. Not unwarranted, yet misled. After all, how can we account for things that are obviously wrong under almost any circumstance? In addition, to what is Right and Wrong relative to? Human preference; that is, what one would want done to them? Children don't like to be disciplined, but I don't think anyone will deny that that is what is best for them; that that is what is right. A child doesn't know what's best for them; to say that Right and Wrong are relative to what we want is assuming that we always know what is best for us. Is it not obvious that we don't?
So I believe that God's will is Right, and that which conflicts with it is Wrong. This covers all of the problems encountered when we try to omit God from the Moral Question. Right and Wrong are indeed absolute. However, though absolute, they are not predictable since we cannot know God perfectly and completely. At the same time, Right and Wrong are completely relative to God's judgment on them, accounting for why some things (such as murder) are wrong most of the time yet not all of the time.
Now, some of you may say, "How can God contradict himself? For instance, why would he tell the Israelites 'thou shalt not murder' one moment, then lead them into battle the next?" All warranted questions, however, allow me to use an analogy to better your understanding. Have any of you watched "The Incredibles"? If not, allow me to explain my analogy. Ellen is the mother of Violet. Each of them have super powers. The current political atmosphere in the world rejects super heroes, so Ellen makes sure Violet knows that she is never allowed to use her powers in public. Long story short, the two of them end up on a private jet with Ellen as the pilot. The jet is being hunted down by seeking missiles. Unable to outmaneuver them, Ellen tells Violet to use her powers of force-fielding. Violet is panicked and confused, simply yelling, "You told us we weren't supposed to use our powers!"
Would you say that the mother's judgment was wrong? Of course not. They were going to die. They needed her powers. Violet didn't understand why she wasn't allowed to use her powers at home, yet here on the plane she had an obligation to. The mother, on the other hand, knew better than her daughter, and made her best judgment.
So it is with God. He is omniscient; he possesses knowledge far above our own. He knows every circumstance and situational dynamic involved and is fully equipped and thoroughly inclined to make the right decision. Just because it seems contradictory to us does not change the fact that it is right.
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