Hello Jeri,
That is a very interesting example you give using slavery. It is true that our culture’s universal condemnation of slavery today points to an ultimate moral truth. But what I find interesting about the example is that, in the past, it was exactly the opposite—slavery was almost universally accepted around the world until the values of Christianity gradually persuaded people that slavery was immoral.
Perhaps this is an example of how, though we know the moral law written on our hearts, we often fail to follow it. This certainly applies to individuals, but perhaps it applies to entire societies as well. For example, the Nazis with their treatment of the Jews, or the Aztecs with their human sacrifices. In these societies, these things were largely accepted, though maybe not universally. I imagine that if the roles were reversed and, overnight, those in power became the victims, they would be quick to object on moral grounds that it was unjust.
“Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression, to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right…” (Isaiah 10:1–2).¹
---
Citations (Footnotes)
1. Isaiah 10:1–2 (RSV-2CE).
---
Bibliography
The Holy Bible: Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006.
No comments:
Post a Comment