Morals and Opinions

From 8/24/08 -
We can become confused when discussing morals and opinions. There is a difference between something that is moral and something else that is simply a matter of opinion. In most cases when discussing an opinion with someone the conversation remains civil, light and unemotional. This is usually the case when discussing what flavor of ice cream you are going to get at Coldstone Creamery, if you cheered for the Celtics or the Lakers or what color you should paint the house. These are opinions with no right answer so it is hard to form a political party based on ice cream or paint and it is hard to split a church over the NBA finals. But, the level of conversation changes when the issue becomes a moral issue such as abortion, marriage, homosexuality, or correct exegetical interpretation of scripture. At this point it is clear to see we have switch from an opinion to the realm of right or wrong.

This little bit of information will help you discern between things that are truly opinions or things that deal with morality. It is easy to accept someone with a different opinion (color, ice cream, team) but you will feel the tension rise and see divisions form when the moral line is crossed.

Just a warning: If you have had personal troubles because of an ice cream flavor or who won the NBA finals you need to refocus and relax. People are entitled to their opinions. But, you also need to get a focus if you think abortion, homosexuality, marriage and scriptural interpretation is simply a matter of opinion. We all live in a universe with absolute rules in physics, math and ethics.