Morality
 
Even when Gentiles, who do not have God's written law, instinctively follow what the law says, they show that in their hearts they know right from wrong (Romans 2:14).
 
According to the author of the letter to the Romans, every human being has a sense of what is right and what is wrong aside from any prescribed religious ordinance, almost as if subscribing to the theory that religion has no direct bearing on morality.  Yet, in today's postmodern society where a majority of the population is seeking some form of spirituality, we might benefit from visiting C.S. Lewis' exposition on the religious foundation of ethics.  In his opening chapter of Mere Christianity Lewis suggests that when people argue about moral issues such as: what you did is wrong, or you did me wrong, they act as if they know what is right and what is wrong.  "Quarreling means trying to show that the other man is in the wrong.  And there would be no sense in trying to do that unless you and he have some
sort of agreement as to what Right and Wrong are."
 
According to Lewis it would be very difficult for two individuals to observe that a certain athlete has committed a violation while competing in a certain sport unless these two individuals had the same knowledge of the rules pertinent to that sport, otherwise the argument would have no basis and then right and wrong only becomes what is right and wrong for one of the individuals without any consideration of what is right and wrong for the
other individual.
 
This same principle applies to individuals in the workplace.  As we are faced with making many moral decisions on a daily basis in the workplace we must draw from an immutable source whose definition of what is right and wrong is accepted by all.  As for Lewis, I suggest that this source be God's revealed word in the Judeo-Christian writings.
 
For Lewis the laws of science define the way things are, whereas the laws of morality define the ways things ought to be.  Yet, where as for most societies culture defines moral laws, for Lewis the only explanation of morality lies with God.  For if culture defines what is right and wrong, then right and wrong is bound to space and time.  What is right today will most likely be wrong tomorrow, and what is wrong today might be right tomorrow.  Whereas with God what He has defined as right and wrong through out times has remained a constant.
 
 
Lord, allow me to know your immutable truths so that my moral choices today will be my moral choices tomorrow. 

Meditation:  As others consider the moral choices you make every day in the
workplace can they observe a constant pattern or an ever-changing pattern?

Jorge L. Valdes, Ph.D.

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