"Most moral thinkers -- from Socrates to Christ to Francis of Assisi -- eschewed the written word. Once things are written down they become codified. Passages of sacred or philosophical texts are twisted, reinterpreted and rewritten to accommodate those in power, bolster the unassailability of religious institutions, and silence dissidents. George Steiner calls this 'the decay into writing.' This is especially dangerous for ethical and moral philosophy, since, where philosophy and prescription see only virtue or vice, in reality human actions combine the two to different degrees. Our choices in life are never between the purely moral and immoral. We must choose between the immoral and the more immoral. Moral laws, rules and edicts, when codified and blindly obeyed, lead to a suspension of conscience..... And all ethical action begins with an acknowledgment of our own sin and moral ambiguity" (Pages 91-92)
"Totalitarian societies persecute and silence prophets. Democratic societies tolerate them at their fringes.. Artists, writers, theologians and philosophers, all those who explore the fundamental questions of meaning and existence, or doubt and mystery, all those who listen to their inner authority, must defy the crowd. They usually keep their distance from institutionalized religion. They seek to preserve and portray that which lies beyond the realm of scientific or historical fact, but which also constitutes part of our collective existence. This is why so much of great religious writing comes to us in the form of stories. It is through stories, the stories told to us and the stories we tell others, that we find meaning.
The story of the crucified Christ, rejected by the mob, abandoned by his friends, and legally condemned, speaks of the fate of many who choose a life of conscience. Those who silenced Jesus represent the powerful in all human societies. When Jesus attacks the chief priests, scribes, lawyers, Pharisees, Sadducees and other 'blind guides,' he is attacking an authoritarianism as endemic to Christianity as to all institutions and ideologies. The story of Christ's death is a reminder that what is sacred in life always appears to us in flesh and blood. It is not found in abstract ideas or utopian schemes for human perfectibility. The moment the writers of the gospels began to set down the words of Jesus they began to kill the message. The central doctrine of Christianity -- something perhaps all great religious thinkers have believed -- is, as the Dominican theologian Herbert McCabe said, if you don't love you're dead, and if you do, they'll kill you." (Pages 94-95)
So as this point I am reminded of "there but for the grace of God go I." I know abortion is a terrible act. I know war is a terrible act. I know pornography is a terrible act. I know child abuse is a terrible act. I know sexual child abuse is a terrible act. I know domestic violence is a terrible act. I know destroying the environment is a terrible act. I know wasting resources including human resources is a terrible act. And the list goes on and on.
So is it better to truly educate and make sure people practice safer sexual practices throughout their lives so as to reduce unwanted pregnancies and abortions or to tell them nothing or to tell them to "pledge" not to be sexually active? We all know and have been challenged by "...our personal sinfulness and moral ambiguity," that is, the tendency to be unduly influenced by situations in which we find ourselves because of "our sinfulness and moral ambiguity." I have more than one third of my grandchildren as a direct result of situational forces that overpowered steely resolve with best intentions and naiveté as accomplices. As Hedges points out: "All ethics begin with religion. We must determine what moral laws to accept and reject. We must distinguish between real and false prophets. This is not the religion of authority, magic and taboo. This is religion built on the ethics of personal responsibility and freedom of conscience." (page 92) So each of my grandchildren were chosen by their parents and were gifts of love and continue to be gifts of love. Their parents no matter the circumstances of the conceptions freely chose to be personally responsible for the lives they created and to do their best as parents. They were lucky -- who you ask are "they?" For me, "they" refers to both my children and their children. Many are not so lucky. "There but for the grace of God go they." So in the end, I am saying, they were graced and many are not. Why? I don't know. I do know my children are not better people or morally superior although they chose the better path in my moral scheme.
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