Ethics and Morals

According to Merriam-Webster Ethics is:

"1 plural but singular or plural in construction : the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation



2 a : a set of moral principles or values b : a theory or system of moral values c plural but singular or plural in construction : the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group d : a guiding philosophy "

Ok, fine, but what about morals?

1 a : the moral significance or practical lesson (as of a story) b : a passage pointing out usually in conclusion the lesson to be drawn from a story

2 plural a : moral practices or teachings : modes of conduct b : ETHICS

Ok, so none of this really helped me. I did help me understand why a professor at Princeton who advocates infanticide could win an Ethics award though. (See post below) Ethics/Morality...it's all relative. What is moral to one person, is not to another. Our world has the line so watered down, so shaded, so "gray", that in essence I wonder if anything is immoral?



It seems to me that people could, and do actually change their "morals" in different circumstances. Most people would agree that murder in cold blood is wrong, immoral and unethical. It is quite possible that a handful of those people would say, however, that abortion is not wrong. It is also quite possible that those who would still say abortion is wrong might change their mind if it were they that ended up with an unwanted/unplanned pregnancy.



So as I looked up the definitions of morals and ethics I learned that within the definition themselves, there is no measure. There is no basis for what is ethical or moral. What should one base their morality on? Whatever feels good? Feels right? What everyone else is doing? Whatever we can get away with?



I base my morality on what God laid out for me. I would challenge even those who believe in no God at all to live according to the Ten Commandments. Our governments are filled with thousands of "laws and regulations", wouldn't it be cool to live by only ten? The Ten? It seems to me we start adding laws to regulate those original ten because we couldn't adhere to them. If we simply obeyed His Law we would be moral, and ethical. I believe Truth is absolute. That God's Law is absolute.



God saw that we couldn't live by His Law, but He still expects us to give it our best shot. When we still fail, He forgives and gives us a way out of that cess pool of sin, immorality. Jesus adhered to His Law perfectly. Because He was perfectly obediant to the Ten Commandments, and to God's Plan, God allowed Jesus to take my place. Basically Jesus says, "since they can't do it, let me!" God granted that and because Jesus was perfect, and I gave my life to Christ, God sees only the success of His Son, and not my failure.



I don't have all the answers because I don't fully, or maybe even partially, understand the heart of God. I do know His mercy, His forgiveness, His Faithfullness and His Love and for all of Him I am thankful.



There are ethics/morals that man creates. There are ethics/morals that God created. I choose God. I choose Life.