Posted by
Playful Walrus on Saturday, April 19, 2008 3:52:03 PM
Have you noticed that some people who try to defend behavior that is deviant or traditionally immoral say something like ... the people who engage in it may be in your family, in your church, in your social circle, your doctor, your dentist, your child’s teacher, the cop who helps you, the fireman who saves your house, etc., or they try to assign the behavior to famous achievers in history?
This can be an argument for "you just don't know who is doing what in private". It is NOT a good argument for "so you can't say it is wrong."
It is no surprise to any follower of Christ (and a great many other people) that the people we deal with in our daily lives and the people we may admire for their achievements are sinners. I know all too well that I am a sinner. Hence, my need for a Savior.
When we recognize something as deviant or immoral, we are not saying that we ourselves never do anything deviant, immoral, or that someone else would simply find disagreeable. My favorite musician can love rye bread – doesn’t mean I will stop disliking it. But of course, that is mere taste of no moral weight.
What if my doctor also kicks puppies like he’s trying to score a field goal? That doesn't make it okay, no matter how good a doctor he is. Sin or not, we deal with people all day long that do things and believe things that we think are wrong, stupid, or disagreeable. That in no way means we should no longer consider the behavior in question wrong, if it is wrong instead of a matter of taste.
The next time someone tries this argument on you, turn it around on them. Point out that they probably deal every day (and get along just fine) with people who agree with you – that people who agree with you are involved in making the products and providing the services this person uses every day.
“You never know who is voting Republican, or praying to God, or studying the Bible, or attending church regularly, or believes in traditional morals!” We're everywhere, too.