Good morning Solon
I was not trying to be deceptive in my response to your post. Although I immediately recognized that it was not your usual approach to the subject, there was little indication that you were not the author of the material. There's a word for that isn't there. You should name your sources so that they might receive credit for their hard work instead of trying to make yourself appear more diligent than you are. If you do not quote the author then it must be assumed, (until there is adequate evidence) the material is yours. How was I to know that somehow, God had not softened your heart towards him, as someone else (not me) has said "hope springs eternal"
That being said, very briefly let me say that it is not my position that all humanity from all time has operated under a Christian ethic, but the west most certainly has and obviously continues to today. I once had an MGB that I drove from Banff to Calgary while the gas gauge read dead empty. Obviously aside from the possibility of Devine intervention, there must have been a little bit of gas in the tank. That is how I see the world,(particularly the west) operating today. All our philosophic gauges read empty yet we "keep on truckin" It's wrong to take something that is not yours, and it's good to help the little old lady across the road rather than push her in front of an oncoming truck (unless you live in Holland). Your post, whoever wrote it demonstrated this in spades.
Finally, regarding your disappointment with the notion that, "values, and ethical virtues, have been lifted from the Christian canon of dogmas". As I know you are aware Christianity is Jewish in origin and historically extends much farther back in time than does Christianity. But the basis for ethics themselves are timeless, being founded on the character and nature of an eternal and timeless being, God Almighty, Himself. Humans are inescapably moral because we have been created in the image of this God. You don't like that, but you can't escape it.
Have a good day
Greg |
