By Harold W. Anderson, Ph.D., M.A., M.Div., MFT When I was growing up, I was told that I must “believe.” In our house, belief was equated with faith so believing in the right things made a person faithful. What were we supposed to believe? It was the standard affair for anyone growing up in middleContinue reading “Asking “Why?””
Tag Archives: Ethics
Faith, Judgment, and Edification
As many of you are aware, I have been teaching philosophy and ethics for the past years, and a written response I received from one of my ethics students was as interesting as it was informative. The student wrote: “Ethics is based upon knowing the good, knowing the good inside each one of us. WhatContinue reading “Faith, Judgment, and Edification”
Minimal Decency as an Obligation for Our Leaders
By Harold W. Anderson, Ph.D., M.A., M.Div. I have never lived in a country ruled by a dictator. Basically, in a dictatorship, anyone who does not agree with the dictator is considered an enemy and dealt with as such. Since policy under a dictator is at the whim of the dictator, no one really knowsContinue reading “Minimal Decency as an Obligation for Our Leaders”
A Lie Is a Lie…Right?
By Harold W. Anderson, Ph.D., M.A., M.Div. Emmanuel Kant believed that a lie was a lie and lying was and is always wrong. Do you agree? Most of my ethic students weren’t quite sure. Surely, they thought, a little lie—sometimes called “a white lie”—won’t hurt anything, would it? In fact, contrary to Kant, they wouldContinue reading “A Lie Is a Lie…Right?”
The Wisdom of Learning from Our Mistakes
By Harold W. Anderson, M.A., M.Div., Ph.D., LMFT When you have lived 70 years, you would think you would have learned something. Life experiences are great teachers, but you must be strong enough and willing to listen to them as teachers. This is not easy. The problem is, we all want to be right. WeContinue reading “The Wisdom of Learning from Our Mistakes”
Goodness, not Self-Interest, Is Our Truth
Sermon based on I Peter 1:17-22, written by Harold W. Anderson, Ph.D. on April 18, 1999 Let me begin this morning by telling you several different scenarios. I want you to think about each one and answer to yourself what you think you would do in these different circumstances. Here’s the first scenario: You areContinue reading “Goodness, not Self-Interest, Is Our Truth”
Facing the End of Life
By Rev. Harold W. Anderson, Ph.D., LMFT Last March we were bringing our vacation in Maui to a close. While packing our bags, Becky received a call from Becky’s youngest sister. Since we were busy packing, Becky let the call go to voicemail and thought she would call her sister back on the way toContinue reading “Facing the End of Life”
Moral Equivalency and Stopping at Stop Signs
In my ethics class, I would ask, “Do you suppose that driving would be safe if no one stopped at stop signs?” They would quickly answer that driving under such circumstances would not be safe. I agreed. However, living in a world where “X = not-X” is to live in such a world. Meaning becomesContinue reading “Moral Equivalency and Stopping at Stop Signs”
I Don’t Get It…. Is Heaven Really that Important?
The Church is the Church only when it exists for others . . . not dominating but helping and serving. It must tell people of every calling what it means to live for Christ, to exist for others. In short, it is much easier to see a thing through from the point of view ofContinue reading “I Don’t Get It…. Is Heaven Really that Important?”