In our modern society, on what do we base our views on morality – on right and wrong? It is a question being asked in many places and has arisen again in the light of several recent stories in the media – more particularly in relation to a woman who engaged in many hundreds of liaisons in a single day. Modern liberal moral theory is based on the view that people can do anything they want, as long as they don’t hurt others. And yet somehow many would feel uncomfortable in relation to this story?
Another intriguing example was given in my newspaper the other day: what is wrong with eating a pet after it has died a natural death? My dog Lola may have quite a view on this! Yet who has been hurt if someone does this? However, yet again, something in me, and perhaps in all of us, recoils at this idea and would even do so if I did not have my own dog whom I love. The article gave other examples which quite honestly are not suitable for a community Parish Magazine!
When trying to talk about the Christian basis for morality, I often refer to a verse of St Paul from the last letter he wrote, (whilst he was in captivity), to the Romans. It is Chapter 12 verse 1 where he tells us to treat our bodies like a living sacrifice, a holy and pure temple before God. That interests me because it gives a whole basis not only for how I might try to live, but also how I might try and treat others – if their bodies and persons are like pure and holy temples it leads me profoundly to try and respect them and never use them for my own purposes or desires. This view also, I might say, answers why such things as pornography are wrong. This faith perspective challenges us neither to degrade others or ourselves.
There are of course still a myriad of issues and problems to work out in a faith-based morality – and the challenge here is the opposite to problems associated with “you can do anything you want as long as you don’t hurt others” seen in secular liberalism. The most challenging issue is that you can end up being very judgemental of others. The church has done that in the past. All I can say briefly about that is that, in trying to live in a good way, Jesus in many places tells us NOT to judge others – the chief danger being we end up being hypocrites and will be judged as we judge others.
Yet as a society we do need guidelines and we do great harm to young generations if we do not give them some way of navigating the wild west world of modern technology and relationships in general.
I will end with that picture from the next verse in Romans. I know I do not always live it out in practice (that’s another editorial about knowing we fall short, needing God’s forgiveness and new starts): but it is a lovely template for life following on from the first verse treating others as holy – like a church or temple and also ourselves.
“Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and perfect.”
Peter