Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Tell Me When and Why

It's interesting when discussing hypotheticals. Which is right, A or B? I hate answering those questions -- because they ignore any context. Why are you doing A or why are you doing B.

Context determines everything. Consider, two people are having sex. Depending upon their context it is either good and God pleasing, or it is fornication. Consider, two men are having a beer. Depending upon their context it is either a fine exercise of freedom, or it is so-and-so deciding to abandon self-control for the evening. Consider two men shooting another. Depending upon their context it is either a man waging just war for his country or a bank robbery gone wrong.

I can't just speak to an action being good or bad - when is it done and why?

8 comments:

Pr. Kory Boster said...

Eric, will you be developing this thought further? As you have it here, you also hold open the door to situational ethics. I hope you are getting some sleep. Or wait, is sleeping good or bad? Peace, Kory

Rev. Eric J Brown said...

It depends on whether or not sleep is good or bad. If you are sleeping to provide rest - that is good. If you are sleeping while driving - that is bad. =o)

Here is what I will say about Situational Ethics -- SE derives from the idea that there are no absolutes, that there is no absolute truth.

There are absolutes. Having an affair is wrong. But in that word "affair" the context to "sex" is given -- it is by definition sex outside of marriage. I'm not speaking to ideas that are by definition wrong (like murder).

Rather this -- I'm more worried about vain self-justification amongst Christians by the establishment of new laws -- X is good, and as I am doing X, I am good. Hooray me.

Well, that isn't enough. *Why* are you doing X? Is it simply to garner glory for yourself? In that case... it's sin. Is it being done so that you show love to your neighbor? If not... sin.

Phillip said...

I feel like a disproportionate amount of this blog is responses to me, though it depends on the situation whether this is good or bad.

Joey D. said...

Where is pastor Steve,this is Joey D.,we used to meet for coffee at Big ben in Kokomo once in a while.I realy need to speak with him.

Rev. Eric J Brown said...

Phillip - Look at Joey D's response. I have no clue who he is, nor who "Pastor Steve" is.

There is no context. I don't understand - even though I know that if I am in Kokomo I might want to get coffee at Big Ben's.

Therefore, without context I cannot say whether the above is simply someone getting my blog confused with another, wonderful satire on context, or drug induced hysterics.

As such, without the context, I can't prepare to judge specific acts -- actions don't happen in a vaccuum - they are always in context. And if you abuse the context, you get weird things, like the theologians who complain that Jesus committed suicide and things like that.

And besides -- I really think this blog is all about the coffee at Big Ben in Kokomo.

Rev. Eric J Brown said...

"Wait till your father gets home"

This is good if it means he's bringing presents. This is bad if it means I'm going to get a spanking.

In which case it still is good, even if it appears bad to me.

Anonymous said...

Eric I am already at home, where are you? You're not here. Is that good or bad?

Rev. Eric J Brown said...

Well, anonymous person who is probably my dad (who still doesn't have a google account) - unless you wanted your son to still be living in the back bedroom when he's 34, that's probably a good thing.