Fw: Situation Ethics in the Bible

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>RON

> This was not "situational ethics" because the Israelites were simply 

>following God's orders. He has the right to destroy us all if he so 

>chooses. Questions of the human soul's immortaity aside. The Israelites 

>made no ethical considerations at that time. 

>

>

>BRIDEAN

>Basically you have just destroyed your credibility here Ron.  There are at least

>five ways I could respond to this.  I will try all of them.



>1) The Isrealites were indeed (if the Bible is to be believed) following God's 

>orders but according to your argument, what was causing God to order those 

>actions was the SITUATION the Isrealites were in.  Now compare that with 

>the subject of this message "SITUATION ETHICS"


RON
 That's my point. God, not the Israelites, was determining what was 
ethical.

BRIDEAN
So does God determine what is moral based on the SITUATION?  Or does he
have some absolute standard?
  

>2) You say in your last sentence that the Isrealites made no ethical decisions

>    at the time.  However, according to YOUR definition of morals or ethics,

>    something is ethical if it follows God's will.  The Isrealites were, by your

>    admission following God's will in these actions and therefore were behaving

>    ethically according to YOUR definition.  And some of them DID disobey

>    such orders (as in the case with Saul) making it evident that they didn't 

>    just simply follow God's orders.


RON
 Once again-my point. This was not "situational" to the Israelites who 
were simply following God's orders. Ethical,yes-situational, no.

BRIDEAN
So you are admiting that the SITUATION the Isrealites were in doesn't matter.
Ok, then that would mean that the fact that they were in a different SITUATION
than we are would be non sequitor.
 

>3) You did not address the fact that Crea came up with a non-Christian religion

>    that teaches to love your enemys which was in response to you asking for

>    an example of another religion that taught this.


RON
 Perhaps I missed the part about "loving your enemy". Please copy the 
pertinent lines to me again.

BRIDEAN
I will forward it later.


>4) How does the soul's immortality relate to this discussion?  If God could 

>    destroy the soul, then wouldn't the immortal aspect of it be accidental and

>    not inherent?


RON
 God could destroy the soul if he chose. I was merely pointing out that 
the story goes beyond the death of the actors. This should also be 
considered in the evaluation.

BRIDEAN
How does the "death" of the soul change the evaluation.  Most atheists would
say that the soul is not immortal.  You are also saying that the soul is not
immortal.  Where's the beef?


>5) You say that without Christianity your only basis for morality is strength 

>    and  weakness.  Yet I see that the basis for CHRISTIAN morality is merely

>    strength and weakness.  I.E. you act moral because otherwise you will 

>    piss off this big powerful dude who has every right to do whatever he wants.

>    I.E. God is strong, we are weak, therefore he makes the rules.


RON
 Exactly right. He has the power, like it or not.

BRIDEAN
So you DO believe in might makes right.  

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