Christian Ethics
What’s wrong with seeking help from physicians, or from the Syrians? Was it because he tempted Ben-hadad to break his previous alliance with Israel? (II Chr 16:3,7,12)
Why does the Bible say that if you’re being abused, you should just endure it? Why can’t you try to escape the situation? This totally doesn’t seem right to me. I say run away. Or why not even rebel? Is it wrong to rebel against an evil government? Why did the early church do nothing about slavery? (I Pt 2:18-20) (see Slavery)
Is Jesus serious that if somebody steals your stuff, you shouldn't report it or try to get it back? (Lk 6:30)
I don’t agree with Paul’s logic on the eating of food offered to idols. By not eating it if you think there is nothing wrong with it, aren’t you spreading the belief that it is wrong? Shouldn’t you just eat it and if a brother doesn’t understand, you can explain it to him and free his conscience and give him freedom to do what has not been forbidden? Above all, why should my freedom be restricted by anyone else and their silly beliefs? (I Cor 10:28, 8:9-11)
I Cor 8:7 Isn’t it wrong to see things this way, since this shows faith in idols? Therefore, isn’t it better to eat?
How are we supposed to be content with what we have (Heb 13:5) if we don’t have enough (like if we’re hungry or lonely)? Though I agree with the proverbs – “The greatest wealth is contentment with a little” and “He is richest that has fewest wants”. This is ideal, but is it possible in all circumstances?
I Thes 5:16 How does one rejoice while mourning? (Rom 12:15, Phil 2:17) How does God do it? Doesn’t even Hebrews say, “for the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant”? (12:11)
So then, even in the Church and Kingdom of God, there is inequality, as when Paul says in I Cor 12:31 “earnestly desire the higher gifts” and when he lists the hierarchy in v 28. But doesn’t this contradict the essence of vv 22-25?
Mk 12:44 (Story of the Widow’s Mite) Isn’t it stupid to give like this when you need the money? Then how will she survive? She’ll have to depend on others and so take money from them.
Why do the Old and New Testaments have different ideas about wealth?
Also, isn’t it going too far protecting the conscience of some brother you’ve never heard about, he just sees you eating out on the streets? This sounds too extreme for me. I realize that protecting your brother is a good intention, but it sounds so restraining. (I Cor 8:10)
What's wrong with communicating with the dead? (Dt 18:10-12)
Why would Jesus not want the 72 to greet those on the road? (Lk 10:1, 4) Why wouldn’t Elisha let Gehazi greet anybody on the way to the Shunamite woman’s house? (II Kgs 4:29)
What does it mean to test God? (Ex 17:2) What's the difference between this and trusting him and his will?
O LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.
(Ps 131:1) Can this really be so wrong? This sounds so anti-intellectual.
Is open rebuke really better than hidden love? (Prv 27:5)
Wouldn't people have thought things about Elijah living with the widow of Zarephath? (I Kgs 17:9)
Is 8:6 Why would God be against this alliance?
What’s so wrong about building fortresses? (Hos 8:14)
What’s so bad about not believing you’re earning enough and seeking a raise? (Lk 3:14)
Wouldn't it be wrong to be a tax collector (for the Roman Empire, as foreign occupiers)? How can it be right to support an occupation? This really bothers me. I also don't understand what a centurion's doing helping out the people he's occupying. Is my moral compass too extreme? But all this makes sense to me. (Lk 7:29, 4-5, 9) How could Levi, a tax-collector, go about boldly preaching the gospel when there were (probably) people out there who thought he wasn't earning his livelihood rightly?
Why couldn't they greet anyone on the road? (Lk 10:4)
If Jesus was against paying the temple tax, why did he pay it? (Mt 17:24-27)
Mt 26:6-13 I agree with Judas; not from the same greedy desires he had, but because I honestly can't convince myself that it's OK to use money on anything but utilitarian purposes. Even so, Jesus commended the woman and even said that wherever the gospel was preached she would be honored. But what's the difference between this and say, building the Crystal Cathedral? And I also sense in this teaching the antidote to my own utilitarianism, which is very like communism.
Rom 14:16 I don't get this verse. To me it contradicts its very context.
The Jerusalem Council said to abstain from food offered to idols, but Paul said this didn’t matter, and he was at the Council. Why two contradictory instructions in the bible? (Acts 15:28-29, I Cor 8:4-8)
So then is it wrong or not wrong to eat food sacrificed to idols? (I Cor 10:20-21, cf I Cor 9:7-13, 10:25, 27-29, Rv 2:20)
How could Paul say there was nothing inherently wrong with eating food sacrificed to idols when Jesus condemned it? (I Cor 8:4-13, Rv 2:14, 20)
Is the bible saying it’s OK to help somebody worship idols? (II Kgs 5:18-19)
What is pride of life? (I Jn 2:16)
recommended commentary: scroll down to "Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary" section; 3rd paragraph
Another insightful answer -- Eve bore the same nature that we do.She believed Gen 3:4, "Ye shall not surely die". -- Mark on 10/13/07 (from: http://christianblogs.christianet.com/1133753886.htm)
I think these art works do a good job of capturing this idea. Notice that they all depict women. I was surprised when I first noticed the pattern, but if you think about it, what could be more full of life, (that is, more far away from death), than a beautiful young woman in full bloom? And yet, it's an illusion.
"The death then of a beautiful woman is unquestionably the most poetical topic in the world ..." -- "The Philosophy of Composition" (published 1846) (speaking on Edgar Allan Poe)
You can also see this same archetype in stories such as The Phantom of the Opera and Persephone/Prosperine. Vampire stories could also be included in this category (although I think the draw here is mostly sexual).
Related to this is another archetypal story of the woman who has to choose between life and death, in the form of rejecting or accepting life with, and love of, her male love interest. You can see this in Tuck Everlasting and Arwen in The Lord of the Rings.
So then do we come full circle to another spiritual truth (and another archetype) -- the salvation of the church, Christ's bride, in her acceptance of her redeemer?
Mi 4:10
Eph 5:25-32
(This is also related to the concept that men furnish/provide a life for women, not the other way around. [See Philosophy > The Sexes])
Why does God endorse a morality of rules and moderation, instead of a free-for-all morality? For example, why did God make monogamy, when men would be far happier if they each had a thousand women, just like Solomon? (see also Sacrifice & Mortification)
I don't see why they say the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Prv 1:7) After all, Satan has no fear of the Lord nor do I think he ever did -- and yet is he not wiser than any other creature? Besides that, I know the bible insists on this, and that's why I insist that I don't necessarily see a connection. And see here (2:4-5) the love of knowledge and understanding results in understanding the fear of the Lord, and that's backwards from what it said previously.
And yet, can it truly be said that Satan is wise? Yes, he's wise, he's shrewd, he knows so much and can use it to get what he wants, and yet, he screwed up on the issue that matters most -- his allegiance to God, and how can that be called wise in any way, shape or form? So it's a great paradox -- he's both wise and the greatest fool. What are we to make of this? And what does this say about the nature of wisdom?
Thinking point: the difference between being nice and being stupid, and wisdom not only as an asset, but a holy virtue.
Is suicide wrong even under extreme circumstances?
Why did Jesus turn water into wine? It seems unimportant, unworthy of a miracle. (The Wedding at Cana; see Jesus' hesitation at v 4 and John's commentary at v 11).
Why did Jesus clean out the temple? (Mt 21:12) It was the one time he went berserk like that.
Jesus hung out with sinners (Mt 11:19), but Paul says “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.’” (I Cor 15:33)
How are things made holy by the word of God and prayer? What does this mean? (I Tm 4:5)
Why does the Bible say that if you’re being abused, you should just endure it? Why can’t you try to escape the situation? This totally doesn’t seem right to me. I say run away. Or why not even rebel? Is it wrong to rebel against an evil government? Why did the early church do nothing about slavery? (I Pt 2:18-20) (see Slavery)
Is Jesus serious that if somebody steals your stuff, you shouldn't report it or try to get it back? (Lk 6:30)
I don’t agree with Paul’s logic on the eating of food offered to idols. By not eating it if you think there is nothing wrong with it, aren’t you spreading the belief that it is wrong? Shouldn’t you just eat it and if a brother doesn’t understand, you can explain it to him and free his conscience and give him freedom to do what has not been forbidden? Above all, why should my freedom be restricted by anyone else and their silly beliefs? (I Cor 10:28, 8:9-11)
I Cor 8:7 Isn’t it wrong to see things this way, since this shows faith in idols? Therefore, isn’t it better to eat?
How are we supposed to be content with what we have (Heb 13:5) if we don’t have enough (like if we’re hungry or lonely)? Though I agree with the proverbs – “The greatest wealth is contentment with a little” and “He is richest that has fewest wants”. This is ideal, but is it possible in all circumstances?
I Thes 5:16 How does one rejoice while mourning? (Rom 12:15, Phil 2:17) How does God do it? Doesn’t even Hebrews say, “for the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant”? (12:11)
So then, even in the Church and Kingdom of God, there is inequality, as when Paul says in I Cor 12:31 “earnestly desire the higher gifts” and when he lists the hierarchy in v 28. But doesn’t this contradict the essence of vv 22-25?
Mk 12:44 (Story of the Widow’s Mite) Isn’t it stupid to give like this when you need the money? Then how will she survive? She’ll have to depend on others and so take money from them.
Why do the Old and New Testaments have different ideas about wealth?
Also, isn’t it going too far protecting the conscience of some brother you’ve never heard about, he just sees you eating out on the streets? This sounds too extreme for me. I realize that protecting your brother is a good intention, but it sounds so restraining. (I Cor 8:10)
What's wrong with communicating with the dead? (Dt 18:10-12)
Why would Jesus not want the 72 to greet those on the road? (Lk 10:1, 4) Why wouldn’t Elisha let Gehazi greet anybody on the way to the Shunamite woman’s house? (II Kgs 4:29)
What does it mean to test God? (Ex 17:2) What's the difference between this and trusting him and his will?
O LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.
(Ps 131:1) Can this really be so wrong? This sounds so anti-intellectual.
Is open rebuke really better than hidden love? (Prv 27:5)
Wouldn't people have thought things about Elijah living with the widow of Zarephath? (I Kgs 17:9)
Is 8:6 Why would God be against this alliance?
What’s so wrong about building fortresses? (Hos 8:14)
What’s so bad about not believing you’re earning enough and seeking a raise? (Lk 3:14)
Wouldn't it be wrong to be a tax collector (for the Roman Empire, as foreign occupiers)? How can it be right to support an occupation? This really bothers me. I also don't understand what a centurion's doing helping out the people he's occupying. Is my moral compass too extreme? But all this makes sense to me. (Lk 7:29, 4-5, 9) How could Levi, a tax-collector, go about boldly preaching the gospel when there were (probably) people out there who thought he wasn't earning his livelihood rightly?
Why couldn't they greet anyone on the road? (Lk 10:4)
If Jesus was against paying the temple tax, why did he pay it? (Mt 17:24-27)
Mt 26:6-13 I agree with Judas; not from the same greedy desires he had, but because I honestly can't convince myself that it's OK to use money on anything but utilitarian purposes. Even so, Jesus commended the woman and even said that wherever the gospel was preached she would be honored. But what's the difference between this and say, building the Crystal Cathedral? And I also sense in this teaching the antidote to my own utilitarianism, which is very like communism.
Rom 14:16 I don't get this verse. To me it contradicts its very context.
The Jerusalem Council said to abstain from food offered to idols, but Paul said this didn’t matter, and he was at the Council. Why two contradictory instructions in the bible? (Acts 15:28-29, I Cor 8:4-8)
So then is it wrong or not wrong to eat food sacrificed to idols? (I Cor 10:20-21, cf I Cor 9:7-13, 10:25, 27-29, Rv 2:20)
How could Paul say there was nothing inherently wrong with eating food sacrificed to idols when Jesus condemned it? (I Cor 8:4-13, Rv 2:14, 20)
Is the bible saying it’s OK to help somebody worship idols? (II Kgs 5:18-19)
What is pride of life? (I Jn 2:16)
recommended commentary: scroll down to "Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary" section; 3rd paragraph
Another insightful answer -- Eve bore the same nature that we do.She believed Gen 3:4, "Ye shall not surely die". -- Mark on 10/13/07 (from: http://christianblogs.christianet.com/1133753886.htm)
I think these art works do a good job of capturing this idea. Notice that they all depict women. I was surprised when I first noticed the pattern, but if you think about it, what could be more full of life, (that is, more far away from death), than a beautiful young woman in full bloom? And yet, it's an illusion.
"The death then of a beautiful woman is unquestionably the most poetical topic in the world ..." -- "The Philosophy of Composition" (published 1846) (speaking on Edgar Allan Poe)
You can also see this same archetype in stories such as The Phantom of the Opera and Persephone/Prosperine. Vampire stories could also be included in this category (although I think the draw here is mostly sexual).
Related to this is another archetypal story of the woman who has to choose between life and death, in the form of rejecting or accepting life with, and love of, her male love interest. You can see this in Tuck Everlasting and Arwen in The Lord of the Rings.
So then do we come full circle to another spiritual truth (and another archetype) -- the salvation of the church, Christ's bride, in her acceptance of her redeemer?
Mi 4:10
Eph 5:25-32
(This is also related to the concept that men furnish/provide a life for women, not the other way around. [See Philosophy > The Sexes])
Why does God endorse a morality of rules and moderation, instead of a free-for-all morality? For example, why did God make monogamy, when men would be far happier if they each had a thousand women, just like Solomon? (see also Sacrifice & Mortification)
I don't see why they say the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Prv 1:7) After all, Satan has no fear of the Lord nor do I think he ever did -- and yet is he not wiser than any other creature? Besides that, I know the bible insists on this, and that's why I insist that I don't necessarily see a connection. And see here (2:4-5) the love of knowledge and understanding results in understanding the fear of the Lord, and that's backwards from what it said previously.
And yet, can it truly be said that Satan is wise? Yes, he's wise, he's shrewd, he knows so much and can use it to get what he wants, and yet, he screwed up on the issue that matters most -- his allegiance to God, and how can that be called wise in any way, shape or form? So it's a great paradox -- he's both wise and the greatest fool. What are we to make of this? And what does this say about the nature of wisdom?
Thinking point: the difference between being nice and being stupid, and wisdom not only as an asset, but a holy virtue.
Is suicide wrong even under extreme circumstances?
Why did Jesus turn water into wine? It seems unimportant, unworthy of a miracle. (The Wedding at Cana; see Jesus' hesitation at v 4 and John's commentary at v 11).
Why did Jesus clean out the temple? (Mt 21:12) It was the one time he went berserk like that.
Jesus hung out with sinners (Mt 11:19), but Paul says “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.’” (I Cor 15:33)
How are things made holy by the word of God and prayer? What does this mean? (I Tm 4:5)