Gilberto, At 07:24 PM 1/26/2005, you wrote: >>In my experience, the "answer" I've gotten most often from Bahais seems to >>suggest that basic ethical principles and values change over time like >>hemlines. Personally I find that answer REALLY unsatisfactory beceause it >>doesn't seem to take morality seriously.<<
There is, IMO, a difference between virtues, which are divine structurizations, and morals (norms and values), which are human structurizations. Through the Will of God (virtues) or through the wills of humans in groups (morals), both can change over time and vary geographically or situationally. The fact that virtues may be relative to God's Will does not indicate a failure to take them seriously. Likewise, people must be sensitive to the norms and values in different cultures and, for Baha'is, to find ways of contextualizing the virtues revealed in the Baha'i Sacred Texts into the moral codes (values and norms) of the societies in which they live. This relativist approach respects both the prerogatives of God and the differences between societies and cultures. On the other hand, a timeless, one-size-fits-all approach to human behavior turns virtues and morals into ritualized irrelevances. Regards, Mark A. Foster � http://markfoster.net � [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Sacred cows make the tastiest hamburger." ---- Abbie Hoffman __________________________________________________ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[email protected] To unsubscribe, send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, use subscribe bahai-st in the message body to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:[email protected] Web - http://list.jccc.edu/read/?forum=bahai-st News - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st Public - http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]
