I will consider this last question and maybe offer some opinions on which traits agitate me to cynicism.

Đ₰ Җ

Here are some questions to be answered, and the theme to the answer may permeate future posts, because, philosophy is seldom isolated to any specific Q&A.  Instead philosophy should be considered holistic thought therapy.

• Does philosophy have any value to the average person in the real world?
• Should I care what the professors are professing from the ivy towers of evolving knowledge & devolving belief?
• Should you care what the politicians are proposing from the chambers of evolving mercy & devolving justice?

The answer is a resounding “Yes!”  Individuals must take interest in the philosophy that is being considered by the men and women who shape the course of our world.

The philosophies in these elite circles may not be changed by our considerations, but, the goal should not be to change the world.  The goal, for each individual, is the recognition of Truth.  This is the power of each person.  We, individually, have & hold the power to evaluate thoughts and accept them or reject them.

It is just that simple.

If after evaluating the philosophy du jour, we find the conclusion of the thought to be untenable, we may remain in command by holding Truth in our minds, and never abdicating to others who desire to think for us. It is our authority as much as it is our right.

As an example of the importance of philosophy to average people I have been contemplating some underlying thoughts about the spirit of the “Age of Reason” & “Age of Enlightenment”.

I recently wrote something about the “ethos of humanity” and my wife asked what I intended to say. So, I found myself explaining what ethos is and why I hadn’t just used the common term, “morality”, to express myself. (I didn’t give her all of the details that I am including below; Molly will not suffer my pedantic verbosity as graciously as Mr. Scott, my editor/executive producer at ThoughtAudio.)

However, my answer involves the “Age of Reason”, the “Age of Enlightenment”, and almost all of the thinking that occurred as this era matured into our now “Post-modern” world.  I will resist the temptation to make a doctoral thesis out of “Ethos”, but, maybe when I go back to get my PhD I will have a head start.

If you haven’t already googled, I will save you a step by linking the Wiki on Ethos. You should notice that in the first paragraph, the Wiki references the Latin equivalent, which is Mores.

This is the key to my wife’s question.  I maintain that there is not an equivalency between the Greek concept of Ethos and the Latin concept of Mores.

The Western weltanschauung changed fundamentally with the “enlightenment” and the results of the change could have been expected, because of the philosophy that took root in the minds of the movers & shakers of the western world. Thoughts have costs and philosophies have consequences.  When one evaluates the ultimate conclusions of a thought and he sees that its end is bleak and hopeless, is he “closed minded” to block acceptance of the philosophy from his mind?

Metaphysical Naturalism (aka Ontological Naturalism) was the dominant philosophy, which consequentially led to many of the philosophies that you will hear on ThoughtAudio.  Wikipedia classifies Metaphysical Naturalism as a “quasi-religion”. However, the Wiki article then gives a description of a powerful religion.  Note carefully what Wikipedia has to say about Metaphysical Naturalism; “…metaphysical naturalism gives a set of answers (i.e. value judgments) to deep human questions…”

The value judgments of Ontological Naturalism are based on matter only.  In the modern/post-modern religion of Ontological Naturalism, there is no rational means of appealing to a dimension beyond the observable cosmos to give a framework for values.  Therefore, Nietzsche reaches into his natural “bag of tricks” for a purpose for mankind and he pulls out Übermensch (Super-Man), while Sigmund Freud found the Ego, Super-ego, and Id.

These carnal/material answers from the naturalist philosophers are essential in order to move mankind beyond deity.

Because of this evolution of reason & naturalism, ethos was no longer dominant for providing guidance to the actions of the individual, and it was during this time that mores, conceptually, replaced ethos.

Mankind’s Moral imperatives were to be driven by culture; that is to say that our guiding principles could no longer look to unverifiable deities such as Jesus. Also, with this evolution, it was a reasonable extension to consign determination of mores into the hands of the most logical (reasonable) minds, such as Freud, Nietzsche, Marx, & Engels, et al.

While I won’t necessarily credit these great men for their great philosophical advancements, neither do I fault them, because the logical progression from the mid 18^th Century “Enlightenment” was foreseeable.

Nevertheless, I see the evolution to mores as a degradation of civilization.

People assume that “Mores” & “Ethos” are equivalent concepts, but they are not. Mores are driven by ‘mob’ forces from without, e.g. culture, government, community, neighborhood, & even gangs.

Ethos however, is a spiritual element that arises from within; it is an application of an internal standard of reality. The standard is irrational, yet, it is spiritually superior. Consider how the writer of the book of Romans describes, what I am here recognizing as Ethos.

ROMANS 7:19-23

¹⁹ For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do— this I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. ²¹ So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ²² For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; ²³ but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.

Note that the writer continually references “I” in this passage. However, you can see that in verse twenty, the writer divides himself into two individuals.  Even more importantly, he transforms our understanding by his identification of a true self and a false self. In verse twenty-two the writer further enlightens us about who the true self is. True self is the “inner being”. As a disciple of Jesus, this makes sense.  I see the inner being in myself as the man who exists prior to the modifications from without, i.e. the fall.

Mores seek to convert humans into utilitarian tools for society.

We are so obsessed with doing that we have no time and no imagination left for being. As a result, men are valued not for what they are but for what they do or what they have – for their usefulness. ~Thomas Merton

Ethos maintains the value in the individual’s original essence, by acknowledging the value of all other individuals. The manifestation of Ethos is seen first by our attitude and then by our actions towards others.

What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves? This is the most important of all voyages of discovery, and without it, all the rest are not only useless, but disastrous. ~Thomas Merton

Therefore, I would say that Ethos is who we are in our being, while Mores represent who others demand that we become. Mores should be subservient to Ethos, or did you think I forgot about Nuremberg?

What do you think? Let me know.

DSM

click on the arrow at the corner of the screen to watch or listen while staying with this page.

lyrics:
Shake! Shake!

Don’t go
I believe in a celebration
I believe you set me free
I believe you can loose these chains
I believe you can dance with me
Dance with me

Shake! Shake!
Shake! Shake!

I believe in the third world war
I believe in the atomic bomb
I believe in the powers that be
But they won’t overpower me

And, and you can go there too
And, and you can go go go go

Shake! Shake!
Shake! Shake!

And we don’t have the time
And everything goes ’round and ’round
And we don’t have the time
To watch the world go tumbling down

Go! Go!

I believe in the bells of Christ’s Church
Ringing for this land
I believe in the cells of Mount Joy
there’s an honest man

And, and you can go there too
And, and you can go go go go

I believe in the walls of Jericho (And you…)
I believe they’re coming down (Can go there too)
I belive in this city’s children (And you… )
I believe the trumpet’s sound (can go go go go)

And you can go there too
And you can go go go go…

I believe in what I’m doing
What am I doing here…
_________________________________________________________
The single does not appear on any U2 album. It is considered one of the rarest of U2′s regular 45s and was deleted within six months. The song was performed live for the first time on February 25, 1982 at the Uptown Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri. However, it had a short lifespan in U2′s live set, played for the last time on March 1, 1983 in Sheffield. It was voted No. 2 in the Best Single category in the Hot Press Readers’ Poll. The single also appeared on Rare Rock Collection – Rock Against AIDS, a 1987 compilation released by 98KZEW with proceeds to benefit Rock Against AIDS.

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A preaching that does not point out sin is not the preaching of the gospel A preaching that makes sinners feel good, so that they are secured in their sinful state, betrays the gospel’s call. A preaching that does not discomfit sinners but lulls them in their sin leaves Zebulun and Naphtali in the shadow of death.

A preaching that awakens, a preaching that enlightens as when a light turned on awakens and, of course, annoys, the sleeper that is the preaching of Christ, calling “Wake up… Be converted!…” Naturally, such preaching must meet conflict, must spoil what is called prestige, must disturb, must be persecuted. It cannot get along with the powers of darkness and sin…

Oscar Romero, martyr, Jan. 22, 1978 – roughly 2 months before his assassination.

The Baptism of Jeffrey Dahmer

(Reprinted from the Christian Woman May/April 1995)

by Roy Ratcliff

Convicted serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was beaten and killed Nov. 28, 1994, by a fellow inmate at the Colombia Correctional Institution in Portage, Wis. The attack occurred while Dahmer and another inmate were cleansing a bathroom in the prison gymnasium.

The minister who baptized Dahmer shares his story and tells about a courageous woman who thought Dahmer was worth saving.

I first heard about Jeffrey Dahmer’s desire for baptism through Roy McRay, a preacher in Milwaukee. He had received a phone call from Curtis Booth of Crescent, Okla., who had sent a Bible correspondence course to Jeffrey. Just a couple of weeks later, Mary Mott of Arlington, Va., had done the same; and at the end of the course, Jeffrey had requested baptism. After making the necessary arrangements with the prison chaplain to meet Jeffrey and to confirm his understanding, I learned about Mary. She had sent Jeffrey a World Bible School correspondence course after seeing a TV report about the book written by Lionel Dahmer, Jeffrey’s father. Mary felt a deep conviction that this young man needed to hear the Gospel. She sent him a letter that said essentially, “I don’t know if you want to do this, but I believe it would help you if you studied the Bible.” In the New Testament, Paul wrote about Timothy’s sincere faith, which first came from the women in his life, his grandmother and his mother. Paul then added these words: “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self– discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7). Mary is to be commended for the faithful spirit of power and love that drove her to reach out, even against the advice of other people, and try to save the soul of someone so commonly despised.

Mary did not know whether her efforts would be well received. She simply acted on faith. To her delight and surprise, Jeffrey answered positively. At the end of the Bible study course, he wrote both Mary and Curtis requesting baptism.

Mary didn’t know whom to call, but she tried the best she could to tell others that Jeffrey wanted to be baptized. When I first was informed of this request, I contacted the prison chaplain. I told him that the congregation in Baraboo, Wis., was closer than mine. I said that I would contact the minister and that we would make arrangements to meet with Jeffrey.

The minister in Baraboo told me he was planning to move out of state and could not come with me. He also had been contacted by Mary. He had received a phone call from her and photocopies of her letter to Jeffrey, including his reply asking for baptism. I was given the photocopies, and we wished each other well.

After my initial meeting with Jeffrey, I phoned Mary to tell her how the meeting had gone. We have been in contact with each other ever since. When I first met Jeffrey, I asked him why he wanted to be baptized. He answered that he always had thought from watching televangelists that baptism was optional. But he had concluded from his Bible study that baptism was necessary.

Jeff and his dog FriskyPhysically, Jeffrey was an average–sized man of 33. He did not appear to be a weight–lifter but looked quite normal in build. I would guess his height to have been around 6 feet and his weight about 190 pounds. His hair was slightly blond, and he wore glasses. Some days he was shaven; other days he was not. He usually wore prison clothing and looked like all the other prisoners.

Jeffrey appeared to get along well with the other inmates. One earlier physical attack was made on him in prison, but that was exceptional. The attacker only recently had been placed in Jeffrey’s unit, and he later confessed that he had attacked Jeffrey only to gain publicity. Jeffrey revered the Bible as God’s Word. Because of some information he had read, he preferred the King James translation more than others, believing it to be more accurate. We spent quite a lot of time discussing Bible translations.

He also was influenced deeply toward the premillennial viewpoint of the second coming of Christ and the once–saved–always–saved viewpoint of the televangelists. But he was very open to Bible study and studied on his own as much as he could. He also read everything that was sent to him.

I asked Jeffrey what his religious background was. He explained that his parents had attended the church of Christ when he was a small child and continued to attend until he was about 5 years old. From that time on, he had not had any religious contact at all except for television and the times he lived with his grandmother. He did note that his father had been a faithful member of the church when Jeffrey was a child.

I was not able to study the Bible much with Jeff before baptizing him. Most of our time was taken up with how to accomplish the baptism in a prison setting.

The chaplain was resistant to bringing in a baptistry, even a donated one. Apparently, he had received a similar request before because he said prison policy did allow using the prison whirlpool tub for that purpose. Someone previously had donated a baptismal robe, which was in storage. Once permission was granted, which took two weeks, I met with Jeff, the chaplain, and two prison guards. After taking Jeff’s confession, we were escorted to the medical facility where the tub was located.

Jeff was concerned about the baptismal “formula” to use. I normally say, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of your sins.” He had been told that baptism was invalid unless the name of Jesus was the only name mentioned. After studying with him about this matter, he agreed to allow me to us the words with which I was comfortable. After Jeff changed into the baptistry robe, I went in and baptized him.

Nearly everyone raises the question about Jeff’s sincerity. But I was there, and these questioners weren’t. I deal with people who want to be baptized all the time. Knowing for certain the sincerity of the one requesting baptism is impossible. I just accept the words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 12: “[O]ut of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” (v.34 NIV).

I cannot know the condition of another person’s heart unless I listen to his or her words. I listened to Jeff’s words, and I watched his eyes and his body language. I listened to the tone of his voice and observed his mannerisms, and I am convinced that he was totally sincere in his desire.

Some people wonder how baptism might have benefited Jeff in terms of his stature with the prison system. The answer is that it had absolutely no effect on his life sentences. He still had 15 life sentences to serve in Wisconsin and one in Ohio, if he was ever released from the Wisconsin prison. But being released never would have happened. He had accepted the fact that he would die in prison.

Jeff had nothing to gain in this life by being baptized; he had everything to gain in the next life. He was baptized for the same reason anyone else is baptized. In the light of the Bible, he surveyed his life and concluded that he needed to be saved.

Jeff’s death comes as a major surprise to me and his family. I last saw him when we studied together the day before Thanksgiving. He was in good spirits. He led a prayer and gave me a Thanksgiving card, expressing his gratitude to me for studying the Bible with him.

Jeff was beginning to embrace the Christian spirit. His father and several pen pals saw a major transformation in who he was after he became a Christian.

His father has been restored and is again a faithful member of the church, as is a younger brother, who was converted in college.

A memorial service was held for Jeff, which was attended by his family, several Christians, and two sisters of one of his victims who had grown close to the Dahmer family since their brother’s death.

I developed a very good sense of friendship with Jeff, and I am feeling a sense of loss. He had a hunger and a thirst for righteousness like I haven’t seen in a long time, and I will miss him.

“Roy Ratcliff, a graduate of York College and Oklahoma Christian College, has been a minister for 24 years and works with the church of Christ in Madison, Wis. He and his wife, Susan, have two grown children.”