Compelled Morality

by Euphemism 15 Replies latest jw friends

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  SanFranciscoJim

  ...if a JW felt in his heart that homosexuality was okay, but believed that his heart was wrong and the Bible was right, that would be a moral choice on his part.

  Perhaps, but it would be a moral choice based on the manipulative teachings of others. It does not allow the individual to research the subject and determine if his current belief system is accurate.

  I am a prime example of this. While I was a JW, I knew I was gay. I did everything I could to avoid contact with other homosexuals, because I believed that the Bible taught homosexuality to be a sin. I did "slip" once while I was a JW and had a brief encounter with another man (for which I was given private reproof).

  After I left the JWs, I independently studied the scriptures in the original languages and discovered that the supposed condemnations against homosexuals were not valid translations of those passages, that they were actually condemnations of pagan fertility ritual, etc.

  Moral choices do not necessarily mean informed choices.
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  Euphemism

  Francois... If what you're saying is that a lot of JWs adhere because of mind control, and not genuine belief in the moral authority of a higher power, I entirely agree with you. I think that's proven by the fact that most of us, when leaving the Borg, also left our belief in the Bible (at least as an inerrant book) shortly thereafter. As I mentioned to Phantom, I was arguing at a theoretical rather than a practical level.

  Jim, you said:

  Moral choices do not necessarily mean informed choices.

  Excellently put.
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  bebu

  1984 is a great example.

  An interesting fact is that, even though people have disagreed about what is moral (e.g, how many wives a man might have), there is a touchstone here in that we all understand the concept of morality (all people have some kind of understanding that a man may not just have any woman he wants).

  In other words, we all appeal to moral authority in some way. It is hard for us to lay down our ideas of justice, for example, as an odd human phenomenon, but we really believe it exists independent of ourselves. Otherwise, justice is a concept that we may as well toss out.

  bebu
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  AnnOMaly

  I understand what you mean, Eu. Forced morality out of fear of punishment is not true moral choice.

  A few years before I started to seriously question all things JWs held dear, I was struck by how Armageddon was used like a sword of Damacles over our heads and how similar that attitude was to other religions using the threat of hellfire to impose their will on others. I came to the conclusion that, assuming the concept of inherent immortality was untrue, if God saw fit to execute me at Armageddon (I'd prefer He didn't, but it's up to Him), then I'd be dead, wouldn't I? I wouldn't 'miss' anything - I wouldn't exist. While everyone was enjoying the blessings of Paradise, I wouldn't know anything about it. So, in that respect, the personal fear of Armageddon evaporated. What remained was moral choice. I chose to submit myself to God - whatever happened to me at the big A. Likewise, if I die a premature death or of old age: if the Bible is bunkum, and there is no Paradise, what will I know? I'll be dead anyway. Finito.

  The key to free moral choice, IMHO, is love. Love of the Bible's message, love of the Person we think is behind the message and desiring His friendship, and love of our fellowman. Any benefits are a bonus. True friendships are not based on fear.

  However, this raises a question. Do young children, although loving their parents, obey them out of that love, or out of fear of punishment? We can't get away from the fact that fear of penalties is often the strongest motivator for young children.

  However, as they mature, we hope they'll see the love, wisdom and justice behind parental directives and they'll want to comply, rather than focussing on what would happen to them if they didn't. I suppose that analogy can be extended to those who choose to submit to a higher authority.

  Sorry if this is a meandering post. You've got me thinking, Eu, you've certainly got me thinking.
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  berylblue

  Great points, all
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  Euphemism

  Sorry if this is a meandering post. You've got me thinking, Eu, you've certainly got me thinking.

  Well that's 'cause you're so thoughtful.