Absolutes in Christianity Essay

Introduction

Absolutes are defined as fundamental concepts or ideas that are viewed to be valid universally and exist on their own without any relationship to other things (Geisler, 2009). Absolutes are important in governing the behavior and actions of an individual. Examples of absolutes are good and evil. Different cultures and persons have different meanings to what is right and what is wrong (Geisler, 2009; Kane, 2017). However, it is theoretically unacceptable to have the impression that an act is right and acceptable to someone despite the same being wrong, cruel and hateful to others. As such, there must be a broader standard of the way of life that is acceptable and more correct for everyone to follow. The availability of the standard provides the opportunity to abide by an absolute that protects us from the inventions and opinions that are subject to change due to our different ways of life. Christianity defines what is right based on the will of God (Kane, 2017). For Christians, whatever is deemed to be true at one place is true to another Christian located at another place at all times. An absolute cannot be changed and remains to be true to all Christians. An absolute remains the same whether a Christian chooses to believe it or not (Kane, 2017). Christians believe that God abides on the truth because He is the Standard of the same. The worldview of Christians abides mostly in reality. Christians have an ultimate standard that enables them to differentiate between truth and falsehood (Geisler, 2009). They believe that God is the determinant of what is deemed to be true or what is deemed to be false. Notably, Christians believe that God has given them a clear definition of what is right and true. This essay will aim to analyze personal absolutes and why they are of high individual value.

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My Absolutes and why I Selected them

One of my absolutes is to call what is evil as evil and what is good as good. This comes from Isaiah 5:20 that says "woe unto them who call evil good and good evil" (Bible, 2015). I selected the absolute because I am an ardent follower of the Bible and what it teaches about right and wrong. The absolutes of good and evil are well defined by God and He has given us the ability to differentiate what is bad and what is good. I believe that when an individual goes to the extent that he or she is not able to differentiate between what is right or wrong or what is good or bad then there is the probability of ultimate self-destruction. I had an experience where one of my friends was involved in a kind of racial discrimination against one of a classmate. I told the friend off without fear and explained to him that racial discrimination is against the Teachings of God and it is evil to be practicing such. Courtesy of my absolute value, the friend is now very open and welcoming to other people irrespective of their races.

The other absolutes are love for God and love for my neighbors. This comes from the book of Mark 12:31 which states that "love God your God and love your neighbor as you love yourself for it is the greatest commandment" (Bible, 2015). I selected the same because it is in the teachings of God. Being a Christian I am a firm follower of the Gospel of Christ. I believe that one cannot claim to love God and not love their neighbor. We were all created in the image of God thus when we love each other we portray the love that we offer to God. If I do not love my neighbor then it means I do not love God. I cannot claim to be a Christian because I love God and do not love my neighbor as the teachings say. Like the parable of the Good Samaritan, the Levites and priests were very religious people who claimed to love God but they did not help the traveler who was stripped and injured by robbers (Bible, 2015). Instead, a Samaritan helped the injured man and took him for treatment. The Samaritan loved the neighbor as he loved God. The two are inseparable the love for God and the Love for my neighbor. I had an experience where in my neighborhood there was a group of beggars who would often get chased away by the residents around. However, I decided to do my part where I would take food to them whenever I could. I loved them as much as I loved my God and treated them in accordance with the teachings of the Bible.

Additionally, another absolute is to worship God alone. This comes from the book of Exodus 34:14 which states that "do not worship other gods for there is only one God" (Bible, 2015). I selected this because it is one of the Commandments that God gave to the Israelites. God told the Israelites that they should not worship any other god for He is a jealous God. The commandments were passed to us Christians to follow them and use them as standards for our daily way of life. Putting other things in front of God is worshiping other Gods. Putting education, music, people or other things in front of God is worshiping other Gods thus God warns us that we should only worship him. God should come first in everything that we do. Be it our careers, be it our education or even our leisure. Putting God first results in blessings in abundance due to the fact that He will always guide us in whatever we do. My experience with studying for finals has never been easy but I have been putting God in front of everything. As such, I have been able to pass my exams with good grades. I always pray to God to help in my studies and in everything that I do. Putting God first results in success because he acts as a guide and standard to everything that we do. .Without God, then all actions that we take are in vain. It is only God who can give us success in our careers, education and other activities that we do.

Also, another absolute is to take the Bible as my only compass in life. This comes from the book of Jeremiah 29:13 where God says, "you will look for me and find me whenever you search for me with all our hearts" (Bible, 2015). I selected this because it is God Himself who said that the Bible is the only absolute compass that we should use as our cardinal and primary source of authority. When we use the Bible to humbly and patiently look for various answers, then we will find them because God will guide us. The Bible will always have answers to all the questions that we have provided to stay humble and patient. The Bible is defined as the word of God and since it is the word of God, we should ask for it and we shall be given what we ask for. The Bible provides every answer to every difficult situation that one might be facing With patience and persistence, we will find every answer that we need. I always refer to the Bible whenever I am faced with a difficult situation since it has all solutions to any problem an individual might be facing Recently, I used to get sick nearly all the time but I prayed to God and read the Bible specifically the Book of Job where Job outlines all the troubles he went through and how God was kind to him.. I am now well in terms of heath due to persistence, humility, prayer and reading the Bible. It does not mean that the answers are given right away but with humility, patience, and prayer the Bible provides every answer that I need.

The last absolute is to speak and act according to the word of God because it has light in it. This is derived from the book of Isaiah 8:20 which states that those who do not follow the word of God and speak in accordance to the same lack light in them (Bible, 2015). I selected this because I always speak in accordance with the word of God because I believe that I have light in me. Having light in me means that I always try to follow the commandments that God gave us because of it is my duty as a man. I understand that God will bring every action that I do to judgment regardless of how tiny and irrelevant they are. God says In James 2:12 that we should strive to act and speak like people who are going to be judged using the freedom-giving law (Bible, 2015). I know that I will be judged according to my words and actions thus I strive to act according to his teachings and commandments. I have found myself in many situations that require me to lie, for instance, one time my friend copied my assignment and we were interdicted by our tutor on the same. I had to be honest and admit to giving my friend my assignment to copy, because as a Christian, I had light in me thus could not lie to our tutor. The Bible says the truth will set us free and in this case, as such, the tutor decided against punishing as which according to our school policies was expulsion.

Methodology to be used in Determination of Health and other Ethical Issues of Life

The method that will be employed when deciding the health and other ethical issues in life is mainly personal evaluation and the use of the various teachings of the Bible. The Bible will act as the primary source of information in the determination of health and other ethical issues in life. The use of the Bible will provide a wider scope of relevant decision-making information required in the determination of health and other ethical issues in life. Various questions will be formulated that will be used in the personal evaluation. The research methodologies used for the determination of health and ethical issues in life allowed for the organization of information into a more cohesive and unified product which is paramount for the presentation of ideas relevant to the topic.

Other Decision Making Strategy that can be Adopted

Decision making is and has always been an important aspect of life. Unfortunately, some decisions are normally hard to make due to unspecified guidelines that are related to the same. Although the Bible always has every solution to a certain problem, there is always a need to use other forms of human tools that are helpful in decision making. God is the giver of knowledge that is the basis of all the scientific inventions and wisdom. Science serves the role of helping individuals develop effective solutions to a problem in addition to making decisions that are logical and acceptable in the society (Zsambok & Klein, 2014). With the gift of knowledge comes science that is an important decision-making strategy. With the Bible being the foundation of the use of science, decision making will always be informed and acceptable.

Actions that can be Implemented when Compelled by a Directive that is not in Accordance with my Absolutes

My absolutes are all based on the Bible. When compelled to go against them by a certain directive, I will consult the Bible because it is the foundation of life and has answers to all issues that affect man. The Ten Commandments will be the backbone of all the decisions that I make. I shall not do anything that goes against them since it is against the will of God. Every action that is done in any particular setting should be ethical and guided according to the teachings of God. Additionally, I will pray to God to help me overcome the temptations facing me. He says in Mathew 11:28 that we should go to Him all of us who are burdened and he will give us rest (Bible, 2015). Giving us rest, in this case, means that God will help me overcome such temptations that come with the directive that has been given. Also, I will declare my stand against the directive while trying to explain to the individuals involved why such decisions are not morally or ethically correct.

Conclusion

In Christianity, God is the only constant source of authority, be it spiritual or moral. This is an important absolute that acts as an important shield and keeper of our lives. In essence, to effectively sustain a particular ethical system, Christians have a complete belief in absolutes that are of moral background. Despite the fact that the current society is trying to do things without involving God, the equation is not complete without...