On Tue, 16 Apr 2002 20:54:14 -0400 george murphy <gmurphy@raex.com>
writes:
> "D. F. Siemens, Jr." wrote:
>
> > On Mon, 15 Apr 2002 17:43:30 -0400 george murphy
> <gmurphy@raex.com>
> > writes:
> > >
> > > Agreed. WWJD ist OK as a broad ethical principle (cf. Phil.2:5)
> but
> > > we have to use
> > > our brains, among other things, to apply it in the situations
> that
> > > confront us in
> > > the world.
> > >
> > > Shalom,
> > >
> > > George
> > >
> > George,
> > I've always had trouble with WWJD. Jesus would heal the sick,
> raise the
> > dead, feed the hungry with whatever crumbs were available. I'm not
> quite
> > sure how the principle behind the cleansing of the Temple would
> be
> > translated into action relative to at least some of the
> televangelists.
> > But none of these things are being done by our contemporaries.
> >
> > I note also that many of those who seem to subscribe to WWJD are
> adept at
> > truncated quotations. "Judge not" is one of their favorites.
>
> As I said, it should be viewed as a general principle, not a
> detailed
> plan of action. It can be made absurd if it's turned into "What did
> Jesus
> do?" - we aren't all called to wear sandals or be carpenters. OTOH
> the
> gospels give us no examples of Jesus having to make decisions about
> genetic
> engineering or many of the other ethical problems that we're
> confronted with
> today.
>
> Shalom,
>
> George
>
I didn't intend to translate the "would do" to "did" as you suggest, as
if there is a disconnect. Indeed, it seems to me that the miracles would
be as necessary today to combat the current combination of dogmatic
naturalism and New Age as they were two millennia back. You are indeed
right that our Lord during his earthly sojourn did not face some of the
complications that today puzzle us. I am also aware that somebody was
trying to come up with a catchy motto. But they produced confusion
between what the Lord did and the principles he gave his followers to
live by. These may be thoughtfully applied to our ethical puzzles, though
it may not be simple. May I suggest a more accurate acronym, AACTT:
Always Apply Christ's Teachings Today.
Dave
Dave
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