Derivations on a Theme -- Getting Away With It

Trey Smith

Over at Fallen from Grace, Bruce begins a recent post with the following:

Ken Ham, director of Answers in Genesis and operator of the Creation Museum had this to say about atheists and their ethics:

For atheists, there really is no basis for their ethics, therefore they believe they can do whatever they want if they can get away with it. What is “right” or “wrong” to such people is all relative...

For starters, right and wrong IS relative. It depends on the situation and the circumstances. For example, if I walk out of my house, see my next door neighbor weeding his garden and shoot him for the helluva it, that would be wrong. If, on the other hand, I find my next door neighbor attempting to rape my wife, shooting him most likely would be viewed as justified. In both instances, I would be responsible for killing or harming someone, but, because of the different circumstances, society would adjudge each situation differently.

But the real bone I have to pick with this Ham fellow is the basis for the ethics of fundamentalist Christians! From my experiences with them, anything goes. They can behave in the most unethical ways -- including repeated violations of so-called prohibitive Biblical "laws" -- and all they have to do is say "I repent" and everyone is supposed to let them off the hook!! This "I repent" defense frequently is meaningless because, once uttered, they repeat the same damn behavior again.

As study after study has shown, Christians, BY AND LARGE, are no more moral or ethical than anyone else. They suffer from the same human foibles as the rest of us and they wrestle with the same personal demons as the rest of us. Their divorce rates aren't all that different. They abuse substances and overeat like the majority of the population.

So, if we are to judge Christian morality on the basis of how Christians actually behave -- not what it says in some book -- they are no more or less ethical/moral than anybody else. Their actions, not their beliefs, seem to indicate that "they can do whatever they want if they can get away with it."

However, unlike the atheist, they seem to think they possess a magical "get out of jail free card." When caught with their hands in the proverbial cookie jar, all they have to do is say, "I repent," and everything is square with the house again. Simple as that.