Weekly Newsletter from Christian Vegetarian Association CVA - February 20, 2021
From Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA)

  1. Moral Frameworks part 8: A Synthesis
  2. All-Creatures.org Ministry

1. Moral Frameworks part 8: A Synthesis

Based on the prior 7 commentaries, I offer a framework for moral judgments for Christians who aim to emulate Jesus. This framework does not readily resolve all difficult ethical dilemmas. It aims to help with everyday decisions and to offer general guidance.

I suggest the following strategy. We should use our powers of empathy to gain a sense of compassion for the experiences of others. With that knowledge, we can use kindness as a general guide. This should work well for most choices we make during the day.

However, there remain ethical dilemmas. Should we prioritize local concerns to the needs of more remote individuals? How do we evaluate the needs of family and friends compared to strangers? How do we compare the needs to nonhumans whose needs resemble those of humans in many respects to those nonhumans whose experience of life appears to differ markedly from our own? There are many considerations, and many books have attempted to resolve these dilemmas. In pursuit of general rules to help orient our lies we might ask what rules Jesus, who had love and compassion for everyone, would establish. These rules need not be absolute or “written in stone.” Rather, the rules would help relieve the otherwise exhausting project of trying to work through the moral considerations of each of the countless decisions we make every day.

If we find that these rules conflict with our Christian values and, particularly, with choices that are compassionate and kind, then we will need to revise the rules. The new rules could be new general rules or exceptions to existing rules.

The goal of faithful Christians should be to lead a righteous life. While this is challenging for everyone and nearly impossible for those who struggle to survive, many people have found the pursuit of righteousness to be a source of meaning. This pursuit does not guarantee happiness nor even contentment, but it does offer the possibility of spiritual equanimity. Perhaps most importantly, it makes a genuine difference to the lives of others.

Stephen R. Kaufman, MD

2. All-Creatures.org Ministry

Newsletters: These are recent editions of our all-creatures Newsletter, which we hope you like and share with others to help end the exploitation and killing of animals:

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