Ethical decision paper
leasharwilliams
Paper1Feedback-SuggestionsDallasWillardandCloudandTownsendbooks-10April2017.docx1
General Feedback on Ethics Paper #1 (Personal Decision/Rae Paper)
April 10, 2017
Suggestions: Dallas Willard www.dwillard.org and Cloud/Townsend http://www.cloudtownsend.com/
The Ethic of Jesus and Paul
This issue of ethics was the most important philosophical issue in the eyes of Socrates and Plato: “We are talking about no small matter, but how we should live!” Plato has Socrates rebuke his followers in the Republic with this line. On their read of things, our job is to figure out human nature and the path of growth into virtue.
Christianity might be false (let me make that disclaimer), but I would argue that the ethic of Jesus and Paul and the path of growth (through the spiritual disciplines: fellowship, worship, study, service, prayer, fasting, meditation, silence, solitude, simplicity, confession, celebration, etc.) into being virtuous individuals cannot be beat by any other philosophers out there. The best guy on this to read is the late philosopher, Dallas Willard: www.dwillard.org in books like Renovation of the Heart (and Revolution of Character is the same book in easier-to-understand language) and The Spirit of the Disciplines (where he argues against Karl Marx and claims a holy and virtuous people will destroy structural evils in society in one chapter). Email me if you want suggestions: [email protected]
Many of my friends (with Ph.D.s in philosophy) just do not understand Christianity and they make straw man arguments against it. You may conclude that God doesn’t exist and that Jesus wasn’t raised from the dead, but (in the spirit of John Stuart Mill) learn the views and the arguments for it before dismissing Jesus because of straw man arguments like, “Look at the Westboro Baptists!”
After living with one of these guys for a year (and arguing 25 hours a week), he came to say, “Wow, Tuffer. I thought Christianity was stupid, but now I think it is a rational and plausible worldview. For now, I think scientific atheism (Naturalism) is a little more plausible, so I am just going to wait for God (if S/He exists) to show up in my life.” To his wish, I think Willard’s book, Hearing God, is so important. If even a few of the stories in the Bible are true, then God is talking to us every day whether we are listening or not. This is a 2nd order capacity we have in our souls that needs to be developed—most of us are not listening and most of us do not know how to listen. See Willard for more.
Henry Cloud and John Townsend (I’ve read 10 of these many times)
Most of you wrote on boundary issues with friends, parents, coworkers, bosses, roommates, significant others, etc. and these are (often) the largest ethical problems all of us face in life. We all need a philosophy of friendship, a philosophy of being a child, parent, sibling, co-worker, manager. Aristotle said it takes study and time to become people of practical wisdom. It just doesn’t happen without work.
Henry Cloud and John Townsend, Boundaries (book and workbook) and Safe People.
· This surveys all types of boundaries between ourselves and parents and friends, etc.
· I had to cut off my best friend for 3 months after reading this book. Another time, I had to cut off a relationship for a year until he respected boundaries.
John Townsend, Beyond Boundaries. Henry Cloud, Necessary Endings.
· This helped me deal with a relationship where there was a lot of manipulation and control. This will help you learn how to set up temporary “protective boundaries” in love and know when to take them down or if they need to stay up until a person behaves and respects your boundaries.
Cloud and Townsend, Boundaries in Dating and Boundaries in Marriage.
· This has helped countless people deal with the problems of ending a potentially good relationship too soon (for fickle Seinfeld-like reasons), and staying in a bad relationship way too long. They give case after case after case where you will see all of the relationships around you along that continuum. This helps people distinguish between “yellow flags” and “red flags” in relationships (which most of us don’t get).
See books here: http://www.cloudtownsend.com/
1
General Feedback on Ethics Paper #1 (Personal Decision/Rae Paper)
April 10, 2017
Suggestions:
Dallas Willard
www.dwillard.org
and Cloud/Townsend
http://www
.cloudtownsend.com/
The Ethic of Jesus and Paul
This issue of ethics was the most important philosophical issue in the eyes of Socrates and Plato:
“
We are talking about no small matter,
but how we shoul
d live!
”
Plato has Socrates rebuke his followers
in the
Republic
with this line. On their read of things,
our job is to figure out human nature and the path
of growth into virtue
.
Christianity might be false (let me make that disclai
mer), but I would argue that the ethic of
Jesus and Paul and the path of growth (through the spiritual disciplines: fellowship, worship, study,
service, prayer,
fast
ing, meditation,
silence, solitude, simplicity, confession
, celebration, etc.) into being
virtuous individuals c
annot be beat by any other philosophers out there.
The best guy on this to read is
the late philosopher, Dallas Willard:
www.dwillard.org
in books like
Renovation of the Heart
(
and
R
evolution of Character
is the sam
e book i
n easier
-
to
-
understand language)
and
The Spirit of the
Disciplines
(where he argues against Karl Marx and claims a
holy and virtuous people
will destroy
structural evils in society in one chapter)
.
Email me i
f you want sugges
t
i
o
ns:
Many of my friends (with Ph.D.s in philosophy) just do not understand Christianity and they
make straw man arguments against it.
You may conclude that God doesn
’
t exist and that Jesus wasn
’
t
raised from the dead, but (in the spirit of John Stuart Mill) learn the views and
the arguments for it
before dismissing Jesus because of
straw man arguments like,
“
Look at
the Westboro Bapti
sts
!
”
Aft
er living with one of these guys for a year (and arguing 25 hours a week), he came to say,
“
Wow, Tuffer. I thought Christianity was stupid, but now I think it is a rational and plausible worldview.
For now, I think scientific atheism (Naturalism) is a little more plausible, so
I am just going to wait for
God
(if S/He exists) to show up in my life
.
”
To his wish,
I think Willard
’
s book,
Hearing God,
is so
important. If even a few of the stories in the Bible are true, then God is talking to us every day whether
we are listening or not
. T
his is a
2
nd
order capacity we have
in our souls
that needs to be developed
—
most
of us are not listening and most of us do not know how to listen. See Willard for more.
1
General Feedback on Ethics Paper #1 (Personal Decision/Rae Paper)
April 10, 2017
Suggestions: Dallas Willard www.dwillard.org and Cloud/Townsend http://www.cloudtownsend.com/
The Ethic of Jesus and Paul
This issue of ethics was the most important philosophical issue in the eyes of Socrates and Plato:
“We are talking about no small matter, but how we should live!” Plato has Socrates rebuke his followers
in the Republic with this line. On their read of things, our job is to figure out human nature and the path
of growth into virtue.
Christianity might be false (let me make that disclaimer), but I would argue that the ethic of
Jesus and Paul and the path of growth (through the spiritual disciplines: fellowship, worship, study,
service, prayer, fasting, meditation, silence, solitude, simplicity, confession, celebration, etc.) into being
virtuous individuals cannot be beat by any other philosophers out there. The best guy on this to read is
the late philosopher, Dallas Willard: www.dwillard.org in books like Renovation of the Heart (and
Revolution of Character is the same book in easier-to-understand language) and The Spirit of the
Disciplines (where he argues against Karl Marx and claims a holy and virtuous people will destroy
structural evils in society in one chapter). Email me if you want suggestions:
Many of my friends (with Ph.D.s in philosophy) just do not understand Christianity and they
make straw man arguments against it. You may conclude that God doesn’t exist and that Jesus wasn’t
raised from the dead, but (in the spirit of John Stuart Mill) learn the views and the arguments for it
before dismissing Jesus because of straw man arguments like, “Look at the Westboro Baptists!”
After living with one of these guys for a year (and arguing 25 hours a week), he came to say,
“Wow, Tuffer. I thought Christianity was stupid, but now I think it is a rational and plausible worldview.
For now, I think scientific atheism (Naturalism) is a little more plausible, so I am just going to wait for
God (if S/He exists) to show up in my life.” To his wish, I think Willard’s book, Hearing God, is so
important. If even a few of the stories in the Bible are true, then God is talking to us every day whether
we are listening or not. This is a 2
nd
order capacity we have in our souls that needs to be developed—
most of us are not listening and most of us do not know how to listen. See Willard for more.
