Everyone has ethics

In teaching ethics to laypeople for many years I have especially enjoyed comparing and contrasting approaches to ethics. Everyone has an ethical approach to life, valuing some things as right or wrong, good or bad, from their standpoint in life. I particularly enjoy bringing up world-wide peacemakers and Nobel Peace Prize winners such as former President Jimmy Carter, who wrote a book entitled Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis, or the Dalai Lama, who co-wrote Beyond Religions: Ethics for a Whole World. It is illuminating to point out that such diverse motivations for ethical positions lead to the same commitment to making the world a better place. It is a reminder that while motivation for our positions may vary, we can work together for the same ends.

The question is really "what is the motivation for ethics?" When I pedagogically play devil's advocate I may say that "even Mother Theresa had some self-motivation for helping other people. There is no such thing as a pure altruistic act." Of course, in this regard Christians would take out the acts of Jesus. But there are always mixed motives in helping other people. It is impossible for us to practice sheer altruism.

So it really comes down to measuring other people and ourselves along the continuum as far as to what degree we serve God vs. to what degree we help ourselves. I think developing as a person who has a deeper, more faithful Christian ethic reflects a greater ability to get ourside ourseles, to become less of an ethical egoist and more of an ethical theist, in our understanding of Christian ethics.

Our motivation as Christians will remain one of response to the grace of God, especially as demonstrated in Jesus Christ. To the degree in which we can make our Christian ethic about gratitude for what God has done for us, and not our faith leading to good works we will be more self-sacrificial. When we are able to get outside or ourselves we will reflect Christ's challenge to us to have a "higher righteousness."

The track record of Christians hasn't been very good. I am reminded of what Indian leader (and Hindu) Mohandas Gandhi said about the Sermon on the Mount and Christianity: "I have a great respect for Christianty. I often read the Sermon on the Mount and have gained much from it. I know of no one who has done more for humanity than Jesus. In fact, there is nothing wrong with Christianity, but the trouble is with you Christians. You do not begin to live up to your own teachings."

James McEldwoney wrote about the above in "My Visit with Mathatma Gandhi:" "That made us all the more humble." Aren't we humbled when we witness how Christians live out their lives? Aren't we humbled when we think of our own mixed motives in living out our ethics as Christians?

Everyone has ethics. Our challenge as individual Christians is to make our ethics more Christ-like, more about service to God, and helping other people for its own sake-- and less about us. Certainly outsiders to the faith such as Gandhi motivate us to be more faithful servants of God.