How Did King David Deal with a Scandal?

KING DAVID

The Lord considered what David had done to be evil (2 Samuel 11:27).

King David is well known for being a young man who killed an enemy warrior so bad no one wanted to deal with him.  He eventually grew through the ranks of Israel until he was king.  As a king he led his army into one battle after another, conquering and taking territory for his country.  

During a period of his life and during a season when kings went out and battled David stayed home in his castle.  While looking over his balcony one evening he happened to see a woman bathing on her roof top.  David may have been looking a few times before and couldn’t hold back from the temptation, but it is not clear whether or not he was expecting to see her bathing.  What is clear is that he sent for her,  got her pregnant and to cover up his affair, he made sure her husband died in battle; but in having her husband die in battle, several other good fighters were killed in the process.  

Like most people who do terrible things, David must surely have had plenty of excuses to fall back on.  I would think that he used all of the following:
1. I am protecting a woman from capital punishment.
2. I am helping to keep a marriage from going bad.  
3. I am protecting a child from being considered a bastard.
4. I am protecting my testimony as a leader. 

These are common today and I assume they were common back in David's day.

To cover up his affair, David had a General let the husband die in battle; and to kill this husband, the General allowed several others to die.  David was a mass murderer, but his affair was kept secret, or at least he thought it was. The truth is, his affair was well known - the social media of his day (gossip) had already spread throughout the land. 

David was the most powerful man in area, and as a result he was above the Law, but he was not above God's judgment.  When Nathan the Prophet told King a parable of a rich man who brutally took another man's only sheep, David was so enraged that he demanded the rich man be put to death.  When Nathan told the king it was him, David's secret was revealed and David was told this:
Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites,,, you have despised me (2 Samuel 12:9-10).

Nathan was repulsed by David's actions and God was disgusted with David's acts of murder and adultery.  When I see modern preachers busted for some sin, saying, "Jesus forgives me and that's all that is necessary" so quickly, I find many are offended because it so quickly dismisses the gravity of the situation.  I feel like these people believe that God is up there in heaven, disappointed like a parent whose child stole a cookie, but quick to lovingly re embrace and to forgive.  King David sought God with his whole heart and yet he dared not take his sin so lightly.  His sin was terrible and he knew it.

When I hear preachers today say so quickly that God has forgiven, I am reminded of Psalm 51 where David, who loved God and was used by him in so many ways, pleaded with God for mercy and begged God not to take God's Spirit from him.  I see in Psalm 51 a man who is vulnerable and humble.

For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. 2 Samuel 12:12

I Want to Be Famous!

 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people.

Acts 5:10

I overheard that not too long ago, Christian Sam Rader from The Sam and Nia YouTube series told people he wanted to be famous and he let people know he was going to be famous.  In the end, he became far more famous than he expected for allegedly faking a discovery of his wife's pregnancy, for getting kicked out of a vlogger's convention, and then for several payments he made to a website designed to help him find discreet adulterous affairs.  These events happened days apart from each other.  It was almost like God was allowing their lives to fall apart overnight.

A few years back, Richard and Mayumi Heene sought fame by staging a false report that their child was trapped in a large balloon somewhere over Colorado.  While the authorities were looking for the balloon, Richard had his kid hide in the garage.  Their plan to become famous and get into the news worked very well; except the kind of fame they were looking for was not the kind they got.  The Heenes will forever be known as bad people.

These are cases of people who wanted the good side of fame - the attention and the money - but got the nasty side of fame instead - the ridicule and hatred of the media and of the very people they wanted to win over for good.

Fame is a tricky beast to tame and for those who seek fame simply to be famous, there can be unseen consequences that can turn one's life into a place of hell.

I believe most of us want fame.  When I was younger, I wanted it badly.  I wanted to be recognized as someone special and to be looked up to.  Before I was Christian I was convinced I was going to be a rock star.  Shortly after I became a Christian I expected to become a famous Christian speaker, Christian musician, and prophet.  Fortunately I quickly outgrew the fantasies, but only life and experience helped me shake off the hunger to be well known.

When fame is the value most sought out, things can easily go wrong.  People do weird things to become famous or to hold on to fame, and those weird things can get them into a whole lot of trouble.

In Acts 4, Barnabas sold property and gave the money to the disciples for distribution to those who were in need.  As a result Barnabas immediately fit in with the top ranks of the new Christian community.  He became an instant Christian celebrity.  Seeing this, a man and his wife (Ananias and Sapphira) decided to do the same by selling a piece of their property and giving 1/2 the money to the disciples and secretly keep the rest for themselves.

When they gave the money to Peter and the disciples their plan backfired and God killed them as an example to the new community of believers.  This sounds terrible for us 21st Century Christians, but that is how things worked in the ancient times.

Ananias and Sapphira were looking for fame among a small community of Christians.  They wanted to hobnob with the Apostles who seemed to be bigger than life celebrities.  But their attempts were thwarted by destruction because they were only looking for fame and because they wanted fame so much, they resorted to dishonest methods to get to that fame.

How do we know they were looking for fame?  At the conclusion of their episode, the Bible says that no one else dared to join them, that is the disciples.  The people didn't dare attempt to join them because they got the message loud and clear from Ananias and Sapphira that the celebrity world of Christianity was off limits to anyone else.

Barnabas became a celebrity in the book of Acts and in his day not because he sought to become famous neither did he intend to join the circles of the disciples.  He became a celebrity as a result of what he did for a good cause without looking to become famous.

Ananias and Sapphira sought to join the disciple and take on the Christian celebrity aura by poorly copying what Barnabas did.

LESSON FOR TODAY

Most of us want to be famous.  However, to help avoid the nasty side of fame, be good at what you do and pursue to be good not for fame, but for the enjoyment of what you do. Work hard at it and stay honest, stay ethical, and make sure past mistakes are dealt with and cleaned up.  At the very least, be up front and honest about your past mistakes.  The celebrity life is filled with exposes.

Finally, realize that fame comes from skill, a lot of work, and most of all, a lot of luck.

I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.            

—Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)

How Famous Christians React after a Scandal

 

CONFESSION

 I have been the biggest hypocrite ever.  While espousing faith and family values, I have been unfaithful to my wife.  I am so ashamed of the double life that I have been living...."

Josh Duggar 

The fact is I am guilty of sexual immorality. "I am a deceiver and a liar. There is a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I have been warring about it for my entire life. ..."

Ted Haggard 

Josh Duggar, Jimmy Swaggart, and Ted Haggard, like many cheaters who get caught openly, confess their misdoings and the revulsion with what they have done.  I assume they are used to confessing to God in their private lives, but they are not used to confessing to the nation.  But confession before the world has a negative side to it as most fallen heroes discover.

THE IMAGE OF CONFESSION

 

"I Was Wrong"

Jim Baker

Jim Bakker and his caked on make-up wife became popular among Christian TV watchers back in the 1980s on a show (the PTL Club) that discussed all kinds of events and opinions.  They became so wealthy that they began their own Christian themed park (Heritage USA) and that's what became their undoing.  Overselling rooms for their park put the Bakkers on the defensive and sent Jim to jail.  During this time it was also discovered that Jim was paying off a secretary who accused him and his friend of raping her.  His wife Tammy divorced him.

Spending 5 years in jail, Jim Bakker saw the error of his ways and later wrote a book claiming that the excessive lifestyle he lived was wrong.

 

"I have sinned!"  

(Jimmy Swaggart)

When publicly confessing misdoings, some people, like Jimmy Swaggart, give the press an image that will show up for the life of the internet. 

Old School Pentecostal Jimmy Swaggart (cousin and child buddies with Jerry Lee Lewis) was the world's most popular TV preacher in the 1980s.  He was a gifted speaker who railed against the world, Rock and Roll, and pornography local  Jimmy also viciously exposed another local preacher for committing adultery.  In the height of his career, that other preacher took pictures of Jimmy Swaggart visiting a prostitute.  After being exposed, he wept before his church and confessed his sins.

Weeping was a part of Jimmy Swaggart's preaching style.  He turned it on when needed as to emphasize certain points of his messages.  He learned from his preaching that public weeping produced positive reaction and empathy from his audiences.  For Jimmy Swaggart tears were a form of steering his followers.  Tears awakened the emotions of his audiences to the importance of what he was saying.  Jimmy learned to control audiences with his weeping, his mood swings, and his pacing on stage.  He was a master orator.

Unfortunately for Jimmy, his ability to control an audience was limited to his followers.  When he was faced with an audience outside of his faithful, his tears became an image of disgust and mockery.  Jimmy poured out the tears, just like he did in dozens of sermons, but his tears became a mockery and a picture of disgust to people who now saw his hypocrisy.

Jimmy Swaggart learned the hard way that openly admitting to guilt may add to the relentless news agencies and negative feedback of fellow Christians.  He could no longer control his audiences and he found that the media now owned him in ways he could not handle.

Several months later being pulled over by a police man for erratic driving, Jimmy was caught with porn magazines and another prostitute in his car.  When he was caught this time and asked by the media about the incident, his response was clear, "It is none of your business."  He learned that confession and tears didn't work with the world at large.

ON THE DEFENSIVE - STAGE 2 OF A CONFESSION

I knew a man who molested children. When members of his family and his church board found out about this, they got together and surprised him with the news that his secret was exposed.  Like Swaggart, he confessed as a broken man.  Several years later, when he was again exposed, he hardened up and the people harmed were met with nothing but a denial and a lawyer.

Like Swaggart, this man learned that the repercussions of public confession can be brutal, so with this experience in mind, the church member (like Swaggart) gave the people concerned the feeling one gets when someone gives you the finger.

Sam Rader is a video blogger who has gained a decent following online by filming a reality show surrounding his wonderful and outrageously cute family.  When the Ashley Madison website was hacked (this was a website designed to help married men and women find discreet adulterous affairs), it was discovered that Sam Rader had paid to find women he could meet on the side.

Upon being found out, Sam Rader confessed in a video blog, but then turned to the "It's none of your business" right away.  He did not wait for media feedback to begin setting up his internal defenses.  In one message he went from "I sinned, but I didn't really meet with anyone, Jesus forgives me, my wife is okay, and that's all I am going to say about it."  He really didn't give the media much to gloat over for very long, so the media moved on.  Besides, there were much bigger people with much bigger scandals out there than Sam.

On the surface, this seems to be an effective way to deal with the media.  Confess and move on.  Don't be too broken, but don't be arrogant either.

Personally, I was turned off by part of his message with the flippant attitude that came across when Sam said something like "Jesus forgives me, and that's it."  For those of you who face a public scandal in the future, it might be better to say something like, "I have prayed for forgiveness and am working on my relationship with God and with my wife who is facing a difficult time because of my actions."  The proclamation that "God has forgiven me," sounds like God is a vending machine giving out forgiveness every time I put in my quarter.  Grace and mercy are not cheap expectations we can take for granted.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE RIGHT WORDS IN CONFESSION

"I did not have sex with that woman."

(President Clinton)

America was disgusted with Clinton's denial because his careful wording was an attempt to lesson the gravity of what he did and his attempt to lesson the gravity was obvious to all.  In Rader's online confession, he carefully worded that he had not had outside affairs while he was married which tells me he may have cheated on his wife before he was married.  I cannot assume that to be absolutely true, but his wording suggests the possibility.

Sam also stated that his Ashley Madison account was created before he started video blogging; but some on the internet say that is not true.  Furthermore, as was mentioned above, Sam told his viewers that he never really met with anyone he talked to on the internet.  A confession like his is loaded with questionable statements and possible cover ups - all designed to protect his image, his following and his marriage.

I don't know if Rader ever really visited any of his online girl friends in person, but Ashley Madison is designed for that purpose and Rader paid a lot of money to find fellow cheaters.  In the end, even though only he knows, his reactions are highly suspicious to the media and to many who listen to the media.

CONFESSION OF HYPOCRISY

So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.  

(Matthew 23:3)

Whether it is through speeches and sermons, video blogs or TV, when people let you believe one thing and practice another, it is deception and hypocrisy.  The Pharisees were not all that different than many today whose private lives are filled with sexual and financial disgrace while their public lives are saying something completely different.  That is what Jesus saw in the religious leaders of his day and it is what He sees today.  Hypocrisy from an ancient group is not more evil than the hypocrisy of today.

Many such as Josh Duggar, Ted Haggard and Sam Rader freely admit the hypocrisy of their lives, but I wonder if any of them realize the gravity of their actions beyond the embarrassment of getting caught.  We live in a Christian culture that emphasizes and places highest value on God's love, forgiveness and understanding.  Even though these are good values to hold dearly, Christian culture is losing the sense of the holiness and the judgment of God.  Hebrews 10:31 tells Christians, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

Because the holiness of God is so underrated by our Evangelical community, when people fall, the fallen quickly take comfort in God's forgiveness and compassion, not realizing that they have fallen into the hands of the living God who is cleaning His house from the hypocrisy these people so freely confess.

FORGIVENESS



"Jesus died for this sin, but there are still earthly consequences."
R.C. Sproul Jr.

Most Christians who face a scandal turn quickly to God's forgiveness.  Whereas Sam Rader seems to use his feeling of forgiveness as a tool to say "it's none of your business" to the media,  Josh Duggar and others use it simply to find personal peace.  The world is against them, but at least God supports them and loves them and is so touched by their hurts and their failures.

I am not going to speak for God, but I wouldn't assume that He so quickly wraps them up in His protective arms.  Throughout the Bible, when God's people angered Him, it took time and some changes made for the relationship to return to some kind of normal.  It took time for God to get over His anger.

On the surface of things, people who get caught in scandals typically think only of themselves and neglect the feelings and struggles of the rest of their family.  For me, I thought that R.C. Sproul Jr. who also had an Ashley Madison account, was an exception to this rule when he stated, "My sin, sadly, has impacted those who are innocent—my colleagues, friends, and family. I have and will continue to seek their forgiveness. I covet your prayers.”

Most of those caught seem to be protective and dismissive toward media intruders - they seem very inward and focus only on God and finding forgiveness without consequence from Him.  R.C. seems to realize that the outing of his sin has consequences and has affected others.  He acknowledges not only his sin, but its consequences and acknowledges that his scandal affects others.  Nevertheless, he later admitted that he wished he had withheld comment on the matter.

THE INNOCENT

In some movie I saw years ago the main character said something like, "When I confessed to my wife that I had an affair with another woman, a large burden was lifted from my shoulders.  But my confession placed a huge burden on my wife's shoulders who did not know I was having an affair."  

Most of the people caught in scandals haven't unloaded their burdens on others, but others are still given new burdens that are difficult to bear.

When Ted Haggard's follies were exposed, he became the center of his family more than when he was a pastor.  The same is true for Sam Rader, Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Baker, Josh Duggar, Bill Gothard and the myriads of other fallen Christians.  The wives and the children disappear in the ongoing family story, as the family story becomes the story of dad's tragedy, confessions, and aftermaths.

The type of burden taken on by the innocent when scandal is exposed is worse in a public arena because under so much publicity, the fallen usually focuses on their own survival and their own reputation.  The innocent people surrounding the fallen quickly become victims of neglect, confusion, and hurt.  

The burden on others is not something that those caught intend to do; it is just what happens to the people who love or who are connected to the fallen person. 

The Genesis of Covenants

We live in a world of readers and writers.  Most children in my country can read and write - but in ancient days, most people - even most adults - could not read and write, so spoken words became very important.

When people could read and write they made deals with with each other in words.  Any type of agreement was rarely made in writing in the ancient world.  Every agreement was made with words - and this became a problem.

Let's say Bruce wants to marry Fred's daughter, and Fred promises Bruce his daughter in marriage. But in 10 years when Fred's daughter is 12 and old enough to marry (and they did marry young in those days) and when Fred's daughter is old enough to marry, Fred tells Bruce that he never made such a deal because he found a better suitor for his daughter.  Bruce has only his memory to bring to the agreement, and his memory cannot compete with Fred's denial.  So Bruce concludes that if he wants to make an agreement with someone else, he needs something bigger than simple words.

Words were not enough because people forgot or denied ever having said things.  So a new level of words had to come into the agreements to help raise the level of commitment.  People began to promise certain things - but even promises could and were forgotten and broken.  So a higher level of promise called vows were used.  But even vows were forgotten and broken - so the highest of all levels of words were established - covenants.

Covenants were made between two parties and included certain events that helped people to remember.  Those events may be a meal or some strange ritual - both of which would be remembered years later.

Large meals in those days were costly and rare, so were easy to remember even years later.  And when Bruce says,  "Do you remember the agreement we had, when we shared a meal together?"  Fred cannot easily deny.

WITNESSES

But even though they were so powerful, people could still deny or break promises, vows, and covenants; so on occasion there were witnesses to the agreement.

Finally, whether there were witnesses or not, another form of protection was developed.

CURSES AND BLESSINGS

There were no police or outside protectors of the covenant to make sure agreements were established, so people began to using curses and blessings to protect what was said.

In a world of words, blessings spoke good for people and future generations; but curses created bad things that were expected to happen from those who cursed.   People believed that blessings truly brought good things to their lives.  And most people believed that curses really brought bad things to people, so curses and blessings became the protectors of covenants.

Celebrities in the First Century

There were different types of celebrities in the ancient world, just like there are today.  Today actors and musicians are in the top tier of the celebrity world while war heroes are almost non-existent.  Politicians are up there while poets have a very limited following.

In the ancient Roman world politicians and generals were on the top as were philosophers and poets.  This hierarchy of the celebrity world exposes the core values of a society.  The ancients valued cunning in battle, winning victories, and conquering.  They also placed a high value on knowledge and learning among the elite.

When Paul wrote his letters, only a few years after Jesus had been crucified, the people in his churches had their own celebrities that they clamored to.  Some of them had probably had gone to the arena and seen gladiators who held a certain amount of popularity. Some had listened to local or international philosophers and pondered on what they said, admiring their knowledge and intimidated by their celebrity like popularity.

Paul came into their cities and stirred up things, becoming somewhat of a celebrity as well.  His name grew around the regions of the Mediterranean and people went to hear what all the buzz was about.  In short, Paul had become somewhat of a celebrity with a fair share of people who became his followers - some who became avid fans.

But his popularity was constantly under attack intentionally or unintentionally by others.  Peter, John, Apollos were some of those who stepped into Paul's territory without meaning any harm to him or to his ministry.  Following Paul and moving into the same cities in which he ministered, these three and others won the hearts of many of Paul's followers.

Apollos was an amazing speaker that won over the hearts of those who were seduced by image and charisma.  Peter and John gained celebrity status reputation by being the flesh and blood disciples of Jesus who had become the center of the Christian faith. 

Other preachers moved into Paul's territory with intentions of taking Paul's followers away from him.  Most of them believed they were doing service to God.  Among them were Jewish Christians who hoped to instruct the Gentile Christians in the Law of Moses, thus leading them to a "deeper and better" walk with Christ.  Others had secret and special revelations they wanted to pass on the the new Christians in Paul's churches.  Some used their preaching to gain access into villages and homes of Paul's followers so that they could live off other peoples' kindness and generosity.

Every one of these types of people came into Paul's ministry and knowingly or unknowingly set themselves up as his competition. 

Paul dealt with each of these in different ways - some of which is very surprising.

How to Prepare for Ebola

I have lived through several low level panics that send chills throughout communities.
-I grew up in a culture of Cold War.  When I was just a kid, our schools taught us how to duck under our desks in case of a nuclear weapon.
-Then when I was in a Florida college rumors got out that a title wave was going to wipe out Florida.  One student actually left school and went back to his home state. 
-In 1988 Jesus was supposed to return.  A NASA engineer wrote a pamphlet called 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988.  The feeling of excitement and/or fear permeated certain communities and individuals.
-In the late 1990s, many were convinced that the entire computer world was going to crash with Y2K.  As 2000 came and went, nothing happened.
-In 2011 people sold houses and left bills unpaid as Harold Camping told them that Jesus was going to return in May, and when May came and went, he predicted October.  Jesus didn't return.

People fear and these events give real possibilities for fearful people to hang their fears on.  It seems that people need to find things to fear in order to justify what they feel inside.  Fear of opposing political parties' presidents and politicians can meet a certain amount of their needs to find reasons to be afraid (whether real or imaginary), but events like those mentioned above are far easier to grab onto. 

As I write Ebola is the latest event on which people hang their fears.  False reports of children and health workers getting Ebola spread like wild fire on Facebook.com.  I've been through these fears before and there will be more in years to come, but having said that; I believe that history tells us that the day will come that we will face a real world changing event.  Will that be Ebola?  How should I prepare for something like Ebola or a comet hitting the earth or some other global disaster?

THE FIRST CENTURY PANIC

Jesus predicted a real life changing disaster that was going to come upon the people of his time.   Less than 40 years after he prophesied of the event, the Roman army tore down the temple and the city of Jerusalem.  The women were raped and the people were starved and killed.  This was a real event preceded by real fears, but a lot of that the tragedy happened because people were acting out on their fears.  

When people fear, they often give into irrational emotions.  Some jump on fear filled band wagons with others who fear the same, and as a group becomes unpredictable and sometimes dangerous.  In the mid 1st Century, bands of fear filled and angry people gathered together to resist the Roman dominance.  That rebellion was the beginning of the end for Judah.

Here are some suggestions for these times and the future fears we will face as a nation and a world.   These suggestions are based on what Jesus told his disciples about the coming tragedy they were going to see.

LOOK FOR REALITY

The reality is this: There may be a real event coming or else there is nothing but fear out there.  Jesus told his disciples that a day was coming when the temple would be destroyed.  That would be like telling an American that the White House was going to be destroyed along with New York City.  It was the epitome of disasters for a 1st Century Jew.  Jesus said the Roman army would surround Jerusalem and that there would be terror.  That would be like telling Europeans that their countries would be devastated and death was coming.

As events unfolded during the first Century, the disciples lived in a culture of fear and panic going on all around them.   They didn't know when Roman armies would destroy Jerusalem and they didn't know if they would live through the time of destruction.  People all around them lived in constant fear that something terrible was about to happen.

During their day, rumors would spread like wildfire and because rumors were so rampant, fear would rise to even greater levels.  Jesus told his followers not to be troubled and not to be deceived.  During these times of fear, it is easy to fall into the trap of fear and panic.  In Salem, MA when fear was growing in the early colony, Pietists lashed out, hoping to protect themselves from their fears.  So they slaughtered innocent women believing that they were witches bringing darkness into the colony.   Several years later, after the fear subsided, some of the accusers and judges apologized for what they did, but it was too late.

All these people lost track of reality and lived in their fears.  Even if real disaster is on the horizon, we need to keep a calm head and watch out for those who capitalize on fear.

DON'T LISTEN TO THE THOSE WHO CAPITALIZE ON THE FEAR

In Jesus time, leaders who rode the waves of group fears were either named or called themselves messiahs.  These leaders took dozens and sometimes hundreds of followers and led them into battle or into the desert to wait for God to act on their behalf.  Most of the times Roman armies were brought in to kill off the people and their leaders.  Acting out on their fears and stimulating the fears of the people always ended in disaster.

Jesus warned his disciples to avoid these leaders and stay away from them even though they were capable of gathering large numbers to them.

Today we have leaders and media talkers who capitalize on fear.  They tell us everything that is going wrong and paint bleak pictures of the future.  I believe that Jesus tells us to stay away from these people because they are misleading us.

DON'T LISTEN TO THE RUMORS

In the ancient times news traveled by word of mouth.  There were nothing to read that would be termed "Current Events,"  so rumors could get very wild and terrifying.  Today there is a certain level of fact finding that goes on in the media which helps but does not stop the wild rumor factories. Facebook has become filled with rumors that jump on the latest fears.  One such rumor stated that a class of Kindergarten kids (5 and 6 years old) got Ebola from an Ethiopian classmate.  These rumors spread as true events and the rumors tell us that the government is trying to cover up the true events.

After studying the dynamics of Urban Legends, I have been able to catch most of these rumors because they have a distinct aura to them - one of which is that many urban legends capitalize on fear, serving to give credence to unfounded fear.  In other words, if I am afraid that Ebola is going to reach my neighborhood and the people I care about the most; if I am convinced that the government is covering up the real story; if I have unconscious or conscious xenophobia (fear of outsiders - like they are taking over the country); all these dynamics can be encapsulated in a story that gives the worst case scenario - an entire class of kids coming down with the feared disease because of an African kid.

There were other stories that surfaced as well - each promoting and giving life to the fear that is around us.

Jesus said that there would be rumors in his day before things went bad and he told his listeners not to be misled.  When we hear rumors and "facts" about Ebola, don't just give into the hype.  Check the facts.

DO NOT GET SWEPT INTO THE PANIC

This is important.  Preceding whatever event will change life as we know it there may either be no warning (nuclear bomb) or there might be fear that builds up as people make more and more predictions and tell more and more wild stories like as in the case of Ebola.  Whatever the case may be, it is wise not to give in to the fear.  You may feel the presence of fear and as a result you may be certain that something big is on the rise, but chances are, your fear is unfounded.  Even if the predicted disaster is upon us, your fear is not your friend.  In the end, fear will promote you to believe wild stories (not good), and take wild action (really bad).

Fear causes people to commit suicide (as when the Stock Market crashed), sell off property (as when the rapture is predicted), build bunkers (big during the Y2K and after), or join in on some genocide (as has happened dozens of times throughout history).  Fear is not rational and just because it is in you (as it is in all of us) does not mean you should give into it.  Listen to the rational side of you, if it is there.

WHAT JESUS SAID ABOUT PREPARATION

During Y2K a lot of people built bunkers to protect themselves from certain disasters.  My brother in law stocked food 20 years before that because he was sure the apocalypse was coming soon.  His food went bad after a few years and he lost most of it.

Jesus told his audience that there would be suffering and that they should accept it without giving into all the hype and all the fear.  He also told them to be ready for the events that were to unfold; not by building walls of protection, but by building a life dedicated to serving others, because when the evil day unexpectedly came they would be ready to meet their maker.

Where Does Morality Come From?

I have heard many Christians imply or state outright that Atheists and Agnostics do not have a moral foundation.  Their assumption is that if you don't believe in God, you will follow your own self and your own self will automatically lead one on some crazy road to immorality and unethical behavior.  But is this true?  I am a Born-Again believer.  If I turn away from God, away from the Bible and away from His guidance, will I end up in some sort of journey to moral depravity?

Over the years, I have met wonderful Atheists and ex-Christians who in all appearances were very moral, true to their commitments, who love their spouses and remain faithful to them, and are genuinely very nice people and pleasant to be around.  I have also met some very pious Believers who have immoral habits, who are lazy at work, and who cannot be trusted.

I would venture to say that the Christians and followers of other religions generally have higher standards and expectations for themselves than unbelievers, but few if any live up to the standards they have set for themselves and for others.

People who fail to live up to their standards may realize that they fall from time to time and excuse their forays; they may inwardly deny they have issues; they may mentally beat themselves up; or they may admit they have issues and move on with their lives.

I had a good friend in Seminary who fell out of the faith.  He simply stopped believing that God loved and cared for him.  He stopped believing that God was relevant to his life or for any one else.  Politics overtook his life and my friend decided that political action and dialogue was far better and more affective in helping humanity than personal faith.  I was still young and in my 20s so my mind rushed to wondering how he would be able to live a life committed to his wife and dedicated to helping others. I expected his morals to fall apart; but his lack of faith seemed to have no effect on his moral path in life that I could see.

So where do Unbelievers get their sense of right and wrong?

MORALITY FROM WITHIN - CREATION AND NATURAL LAW

When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans, he had not yet met the church.  Paul was a missionary traveling further and further westward, and wanted to work out of Rome for his next missionary journey - in other words he was writing to ask the Romans to become his sending church.  But in order to do so, he wanted them to know the teachings he taught everywhere.  So he wrote a letter to the Church in Rome which in the Bible is called the Book of Romans.

One of the very first arguments Paul developed in the book of Romans was one that established that unbelievers (he called Gentiles) could by nature be just as moral as the people who were steeped in the Word of God:

Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law.  They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts...(Romans 2:14-15).

His argument concluded that God put His morals (His Goodness) in every human being when He made us in His image. However, no matter how much goodness God has bestowed upon us as His image bearers, sin perverts and corrupts what is good.  In fact, sin so corrupts us that some theologians claim that any vestige of good is completely destroyed - we are totally and completely depraved, as Jesus said, "Who is good, but God alone?"

According to these theologians, the only good that we get comes from God and is given to us in a relationship with Christ.

MORALITY FROM WITHIN - EVOLUTION 

The idea that evolution has given us an inner sense of morality is built on the premise that morality was and is necessary to the survival of the species.  The core of survival is individual self-centeredness. I need to survive, and to survive I need a group because a group protect me, as, "there is safety in numbers."   And because I need the group to survive, I will adjust my own needs enough to contribute to the group to make sure my group survives, because if my group survives, I survive.

It doesn't take too long for an individual to realize that independent and self-centered actions can hinder or destroy the group.  Independent behavior that threatens the group may eventually send me out of the group as the rest of the members will want to protect the group.  

Individualists who are too separated from their societies are not able to continue adding to the group and will be pushed out and will be unable to survive on their own.  So as extreme individualists are pushed out, the traits that help people bond with groups will dominate in the species.  Through survival of the fittest, those traits that keep us working together become morals that are internalized in all of us to one degree or another.  

Evolution says that morality is a part of my nature.  Today I internally know that murdering someone inside my group is wrong, as I know that taking someone else's wife or possessions is wrong; but my self-centered nature will take over from time to time and break the internal agreement I have with others.  In other words, although there is a sense of morality and a sense of need to serve the group and others in my group passed down from evolution, my self-centered nature can and will at times come out to overrule my morals and my duty to the group.  As with Creationists, I can either defend and justify my actions with excuses, or I may realize that I have done wrong and deal with it according to the ways I have been trained from childhood or from other experiences.

MORALITY FROM WITHOUT - LEARNING FROM OUR SURROUNDINGS

The above mentioned views are based within us, they are internal.  Some will believe one, some believe the other and some will believe that there is a combination of both.  Even someone who believes that the earth was created 6,000 years ago can see that there is an internal need to survive and to survive within a group - although they believe that this is something God put within humans at birth and from creation.

However, morality is not only something that is inward and natural to us, in fact, most of what I just stated about Evolution could also have been simply learned in my experience growing up.  From the moment I was born I was faced with one reality that stood out above the rest:  I needed others to survive - a mother, a father, a caretaker, or anyone who would make sure that I would continue to live. 

While infancy and childhood are mostly forgotten, the years are intense learning times:  From the moment I entered the world I learned that I had a group - a family that took care of me.  I knew that my group was important for my survival - they fed me and took care of me.  Without others, I would have died. 

As I grew older, my lessons from childhood stayed with me.  The lessons I learned as an infant reached out to the people with whom I went to school, to friends, to church, to work, and so on.  I learned that I belonged to the group that helped me to live.

Knowing that I needed others to survive, I adjusted self-interest to help my group survive.  Outside groups were less important to me and to my group.  In fact, other groups could be a threat or a perceived threat to my survival or the survival of my group.  And when other groups threaten me or my group, they are quickly deemed evil and may need to be eradicated.  And if I view them as evil, I will look for and see only evil in those other groups.  It will not occur to me that each one of those groups are in many ways, mirrors of my own group.  People in those groups who grew up in those groups will view my group as evil and will see only bad things in my group.  We see this in political parties, in tribal conflict, and in nations that argue or fight.

MORALITY FROM WITHOUT - LAWS AND FEAR OF PUNISHMENT

Besides lessons learned from childhood, there are other foundations for morality that come from without.  I have no desire to keep the speed limit when I am in a hurry.  In fact, I would love to take my car much faster most of the times, but because every ticket I had in years past cost me so much in insurance, today I keep within a few miles of the speed limit.  

Laws and punishments are important because they help keep individuals safe from hurting themselves, others, or the group.  Laws are written by the Government, by the State, by the cities, by churches, by corporations and businesses and by families.  Written and unwritten laws are made in every level.  

My workplace has a Code of Ethics as well as rules and regulations for employees and contractors. And my church has a Code of Conduct, Constitution and By-Laws.  These are needed for each group to work together in a common direction and to curb individualists, such as myself, from going in directions that are not serving the needs of the whole and may be destructive to the group (the company or the church).


As for me, I do not revere laws as much as I fear the consequences of breaking laws, so I generally keep to the speed limit.  I learned as a young kid that breaking rules have consequences as my parents disciplined me and as I learned what I could get away with and what I could not get away with. 

I have been created with internal morals that keep me from misbehaving in some ways and I have morals that come from without that keep me from doing wrong things.

MORALITY FROM WITHOUT - GOD

Religion or faith provide us with another morality that comes from without, and that is from God.  In religion there are rules that are placed upon us from a higher power.  Whether it is the Koran, the Bible, or the Book of Mormon, these writings serve as guides and rules for conduct and life.  Each one of these books are believed by their followers to be inspired by or given directly from God.

MORALITY FROM WITHOUT PLACED WITHIN - JESUS CHRIST

The Christian Bible tells us that "Jesus died for our sins."  This phrase is very popular in the U.S., but has lost much of its original meaning.  For many this phrase means that Jesus took our place for the punishment we deserved for sin, and this is true.  But when Jesus died for our sins, it was more than just paying the price for our failures, for when Jesus hung on the cross, the Bible says that he so identified with humanity, that we were there with him suffering, dying, and eventually rise again.

Here is how this all works:  I am crucified with Christ and I am raised up with Him, so I am dead and the life I now live is a life raised up from the dead.  When I was converted and baptized in Christ, I died with Christ and I died to sin and to the powers of this world.  Full Immersion Baptism (when one is completely buried in water) symbolizes the going down into burial and rising up to new life.  Pouring over the head type of baptism symbolizes the cleansing of sin.  According to the Bible, when I turned to Christ and was baptized, sin and the powers of this world no longer had a hold over me and I became free to serve God and to live morally in Christ.

When I died with Christ in baptism and conversion, I was raised up a new person, so that the life I now have I live by faith and in the power that God used in raising Jesus from the dead.  So I died, but but was raised to live for God.  The morals that I have that go beyond what I learned growing up and from society around me, I have from God who raised me from the dead in Christ.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

WHERE DOES THE ATHEIST GET HIS/HER MORALITY?

So where do Atheists and Agnostics get their sense of morality?  I would say that many of their morals and commitments to others come from the same place Believers get theirs - learning from and growing up in families that cared for them and unconsciously taught them how to survive with others.  Believers add on such morals as come from their faiths; but a lot of the basics of morality come from our own common learning experiences growing up.