Page 7 - Biblical Ethics Course

2. Homosexuality – Is homosexuality wrong. Does the Bible allow for homosexuality? Can homosexuals
become pastors? Is marriage only between a man and a woman?

3. Gender Identity – If you feel like you were born the wrong gender, is there anything wrong with changing
your gender surgically and by using strong hormones? Are you a woman locked into a man’s body? Should you
not be able to use the bathroom of what you feel your gender is?

4. Politics - What kind of governments is best for a country to adopt?

5. Education - Should prayer and Bible study be allowed in schools? If so, whose prayers and what religious
documents should be studied? Should our children pray to Allah? Should the Quran be the source of our
information about God?

6. Sexuality - How far should a couple go in their sexual relationship before marriage? Or is marriage necessary
for a man and woman to live together?

7. Business - If you are an employer, how should you treat your employees? Should not profit trump the
benevolence of the policies in a company?

8. Every other Decisions in Life!

You see, your ethical system influences every aspect of life! Let’s look at the various systems of ethics that
people hold.

Absolute Truth/Universal Truth versus Relative Truth

The first aspect of ethics is to determine if there is such a thing as TRUTH, right and wrong. We recall Pilate’s
famous question, “What is truth?” Truth, according to the dictionary, is “conformity to fact or actuality; a
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statement proven to be or accepted as true.” Some people would say that there is no true reality, only
perceptions and opinions. Others would argue that there must be some absolute reality or truth.

One view says that there are no absolutes that define reality. Those who hold this view believe everything is
relative to something else, and thus there can be no actual reality. Because of that, there are ultimately no
moral absolutes, no authority for deciding if an action is positive or negative, right or wrong. This view leads to
“situational ethics,” the belief that what is right or wrong is relative to the situation. There is no right or wrong;
therefore, whatever feels or seems right at the time and in that situation is right. Of course, situational ethics
leads to a subjective, “whatever feels good” mentality and lifestyle, which has a devastating effect on society
and individuals. This is postmodernism, creating a society that regards all values, beliefs, lifestyles, and truth
claims as equally valid. Generally, people with this view would says that all religions will lead you to God and
there is no correct or incorrect religion.

The other view holds that there are indeed absolute realities and standards that define what is true and what is
not. Therefore, actions can be determined to be either right or wrong by how they measure up to those
absolute standards.

Think about it! If there are no absolutes, no reality, chaos ensues. Take the law of gravity, for instance. If it were
not an absolute, we could not be certain we could stand or sit in one place until we decided to move. Or if two
plus two did not always equal four, the effects on civilization would be disastrous. Laws of science and physics

2 https://www.yourdictionary.com/truth
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