MORALITY GOOD AND BAD RIGHT AND WRONG PRESENTATION

MORALITY GOOD AND BAD, RIGHT AND WRONG. PRESENTATION TO METRO CHURCH OFCHRIST 15 DECEMBER 2019

GOOD AND BAD, RIGHT AND WRONG…

LIAR! PANTS ON FIRE! EVEN YOUNG CHILDREN KNOW WHAT THE DIFFERENCE IS BETWEEN BEING GOOD AND BEING NAUGHTY / BAD. CHILDREN SEE THINGS THROUGH A LENS WHERE THINGS ARE A LOT MORE BLACK AND WHITE THAN ADULTS DO. CHILDREN AS YOUNG AS 3 BEGIN TO LEARN HOW TO LIE AND DECEIVE OTHERS. MANY FAIRY TALES ARE TOLD TO YOUNG CHILDREN TO IMPLEMENT GOOD MORALS IN THEM.

• A TRAM RACES OUT OF CONTROL WITH NO WAY OF BRAKING. • UNAIDED IT WILL TRAVEL DOWN THE LEFT PATH AND INJURE 5 PEOPLE. • YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF THE LEVER WHICH CAN CHANGE ITS PATH. • IF YOU PULL THE LEVER THE TRAM WILL TRAVEL DOWN THE RIGHT PATH. THE 5 PEOPLE WON’T BE INJURED BUT ANOTHER SINGLE PERSON WILL. • DO YOU PULL THE LEVER?

• A TRAM RACES OUT OF CONTROL WITH NO WAY OF BRAKING. • UNAIDED IT WILL TRAVEL UNDER THE BRIDGE AND INJURE 5 PEOPLE. • YOU ARE STANDING ON A BRIDGE OVER THE TRAM TRACKS WITH A BIG MAN. • IF YOU PUSH THE BIG MAN WILL BE INJURED BUT HE’LL STOP THE TRAM AND THE OTHER 5 PEOPLE WILL BE UNHARMED. IF YOU DON’T PUSH THE BIG MAN HE WILL BE OKAY BUT THE OTHER 5 PEOPLE WILL BE INJURED. DO YOU PUSH THE BIG MAN?

AND THE SURVEY SAYS…. • IN THE FIRST SCENARIO – ON AVERAGE ~ 90% OF PEOPLE ‘PULL THE LEVER’. • IN THE SECOND SCENARIO – ON AVERAGE ~ 90% OF PEOPLE ‘DO NOT PUSH THE BIG MAN’. • THIS DEMONSTRATES THAT DOING WHAT IS MORALLY RIGHT IS NOT ALWAYS EASY OR STRAIGHTFORWARD.

WOULD YOUR ANSWER CHANGE IF…. • THE ONE PERSON TO BE INJURED TO SAVE THE FIVE WAS ONE OF YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS OR LOVED ONES? • IF THE BIG MAN WAS THE VILLAINOUS CRIMINAL MASTERMIND WHO SABOTAGED THE BRAKE SYSTEM OF THE TRAM TO BEGIN WITH?

WHAT IS MORALITY? • MORALITY: •

- WHAT WE CONSIDER TO BE MORAL OR IMMORAL BEHAVIOUR LARGELY DEPENDS ON HOW WE BELIEVE MORALS CAME TO EXIST IN THE FIRST PLACE. - RELIGIOUS PEOPLE BELIEVE MORALS ARE FROM GOD AND HIS MORAL WILL FOR HUMANKIND. - NON-BELIEVERS SAY MORALS STEM FROM OUR OWN EVOLUTION AS A SPECIES. WHERE DO OUR MORALS COME FROM?

• NON-BELIEVERS WOULD SAY THAT MORALS DEVELOPED FROM EVOLUTION. • SURVIVAL PROSPECTS WERE IMPROVED BY HELPING ONE ANOTHER AND ACHIEVING MORE AS A PACK, GROUP OR SMALL SOCIETY. • AS AN EVOLVED TRAIT IT IS OFTEN THOUGHT THAT MORALITY (OUR SENSE OF RIGHT AND WRONG) IS CONTINUING TO EVOLVE AND CHANGE. • OUR EVOLVING MORALS COULD DEPEND ON WHEN OR WHERE YOU LIVE AND THE CULTURE IN WHICH YOU LIVE.

• ARE DIFFERENT MORAL PERSPECTIVES JUSTIFIED FOR THE 80 YO CHINESE RICE FARMER FROM THE QING DYNASTY AND THE 8 YO GIRL FROM MODERN DAY LA? • IT IS A VERY PREVALENT WAY OF THINKING TODAY AND TAKES ITS SHAPE IN THE FORM OF SHOWING ‘TOLERANCE’ TOWARDS ALL SORTS OF CULTURES AND BEHAVIOURS. NOTHING IS EVER ‘IMMORAL’.

RIGHTS OF THE INDIVIDUAL AND TOLERANCE • THE CONCEPT OF SUBJECTIVE MORALS AND TOLERANCE OF ALL BELIEFS IS TAKING OVER SOCIAL STANDARDS, NORMS, ETHICS AND LAWS. • WE ARE ALL BEING TAUGHT ABOUT BEING INCLUSIVE AND TOLERANT BECAUSE NOTHING IS WRONG ANYMORE. E. G. LGBTQI, GENDER IDENTITY ETC. • ABOUT THE ONLY THING THAT IS WRONG IS WHEN WE EXTOL BIBLICAL CONCEPTS OF WHAT IS RIGHT AND WRONG. E. G. ISRAEL FOLAU PRECEDENT.

MORALS FROM GOD • GOD’S PERFECT MORAL NATURE AND HIS WILL FOR US DOES NOT DEPEND ON TIME, PLACE OR CULTURE. THE BIBLE IS GOD’S WORD AND IS A MORAL AUTHORITY, IT IS A STANDARD OF MORAL GOODNESS WHICH EXISTS FOR ALL TIME, ALL PLACES, ALL CULTURES AND ALL PEOPLE. • SECULAR SOCIETY SAYS MORALS EVOLVED AND DEPEND ON TIME, PLACE AND CULTURE. IT REJECTS GOD AND THE BIBLE AS MORAL AUTHORITIES. NON-BELIEVERS BASE THEIR MORALS OWN THEIR OWN SET OF PERSONAL BELIEFS AS THERE IS NO UNIVERSAL STANDARD OF MORAL GOODNESS. • BOTH CANNOT BE TRUE. • SO WHICH VIEW IS CORRECT?

CHRISTIAN MORAL BELIEFS STEALING IS WRONG IF YOU LIVE NOW, DURING THE ROMAN EMPIRE, THE WILD WEST OR EVEN IN THE FUTURE STEALING IS WRONG IF YOU LIVE INLONDON, ALASKA, TIMBUKTU OR WAGGA. SECULAR MORAL BELIEFS STEALING IS WRONG NOW N OUR CURRENT SOCIETY BUT PERHAPS IN SOME REMOTE AREAS OF CIVILISATION OR MANY THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO IT MAY BE JUSTIFIED AS A FORM OF SURVIVAL INSTINCT OR IT MAY BE PART OF THAT CULTURE. MORALS CHANGE OVER TIME AND FROM SOCIETY TO SOCIETY. E. G. WILD JUNGLE TRIBE EXAMPLE

WHY SCIENCE CAN’T EXPLAIN MORALS • SCIENCE IN ANY FORM CAN’T EXPLAIN MORALITY. • SCIENCE OBSERVES & HELPSDESCRIBE THE RULES AND RELATIONSHIP THAT EXIST IN THE NATURAL WORLD. • MORALS PRESCRIBE WHAT WE SHOULD OR OUGHT TO BE DOING. • A DESCRIPTIVE PROCESS CAN’T BE APPLIED TO A PRESCRIPTIVE CONCEPT. I. E. YOU CAN’T APPLY THE LAWS OF PHYSICS IN A LABORATORY EXPERIMENT TO EXPLAIN LOVE OR MORALITY. • SCIENCE MAY ANSWER MANY QUESTIONS BUT IT CAN’T EXPLAIN ‘WHY’ ANY ACTION WOULD BE RIGHT OR WRONG, GOOD OR BAD, MORAL OR IMMORAL.

WHY MORALS ARE BEST EXPLAINED BY GOD • MORALS BASED ON VARIABLES LIKE TIME, PLACE AND CULTURE LACK ANY SORT OF COMMON STANDARD BY WHICH GOODNESS CAN BE MEASURED. • WITH NO UNIVERSAL STANDARD MULTIPLE PEOPLE CAN LOOK AT THE SAME ISSUE WITH OPPOSING VIEWPOINTS & BOTH THINK THEY ARE MORALLY RIGHT. CHAOS! • ONLY GOD PROVIDES THE STANDARD BY WHICH OUR ACTIONS CAN BE CONSIDERED MORALLY GOOD. • GOD PROVIDES US A FRAMEWORK BY WHICH WE OUGHT TO MAKE OUR DECISIONS. GOD’S WORD, THE BIBLE IS OUR MORAL COMPASS.

REMAINING VIGILANT • “WHO AM I TO JUDGE ? ” • “IT’S NOT HURTING ME OR ANYONE ELSE. ” • “I DON’T SEE ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. ” • “WHAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU MIGHT NOT BE RIGHT FOR ME. EVERYONE HAS TO DECIDE FOR THEMSELVES. ” • “IF I LOVE HIM / HER THENI REALLY SHOULD SUPPORT THEM & STOP BEING SO JUDGEMENTAL. ” • DON’T JUDGE THE MORALITY OF YOUR OWN ACTIONS BY WHAT EVERYONE ELSE IS DOING. • THE RISK IS PLACING HUMAN WISDOM AND AUTHORITY ABOVE GOD. IF I FEEL IT’S RIGHT TO ME THEN I’LL DO IT EVEN IF IT CONTRADICTS GOD’S WILL FOR US.