It there really any value to concepts like; right and wrong, good and bad, how do you decide?

Answer 1

Cultivate an understanding of the suffering of others and this will give the right answer.

Answer 2

There has to be an absolute, otherwise where would we get the ideas of right and wrong, etc... to begin with!

Proverbs 2:6-9 For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. 7 He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, 8 for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. 9 Then you will understand what is right and just and fair-- every good path.

Romans 2:14-15 14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15 since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)

Relativism, where your truth is as good as my truth and their are no absolutes, still makes the assumption that there is an absolute. The assumption that your truth is absolute. And your truth is based on someone else's truth that you learned from. It is the bottomless pit. There has to be an authority who set these values and obviously man is not civil or loving enough to come up with these on our own. They were made into use by their author, our Maker, Yahweh.

His Word, the Bible, is where you can receive guidance.

Here is a good topical Bible. You can find subjects very quickly.

http://bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Topical.default

Answer 3

Try living with other people without such concepts! Yikes! Oh, by the way, that's what post-modernists want---no right, no wrong! Taken to its logical conclusion, killing you, stealing from you, slandering you, would not be wrong...no right, no wrong...

Any value to the concepts of right and wrong? There is if you are wronged, right? Do you love anyone else in the world beside yourself? Do you have a baby daughter? Anything wrong with someone raping her? Sure there is! And, you know it!!!

How do I decide? It was decided long ago. Each of us is born with a sense of right and wrong...we call it conscience. God built this innate sense within us. Sure, it can be distorted and seared over...by neglect, environment...but always forced...

How do I decide? Incorporated into the revelation that God has given to us, the holy Scriptures, are lists of vices, sins... Check out Romans 1, 1 Corinthians 6, Galatians 5...and remember the "Golden Rule" to "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" (Jesus).

Answer 4

In cases of really obvious black and white issue there should be no question of the value of good versus evil. But most things fall into a grey area - do you hold a door open for a person with packages or not. While a nice thing to do, your not evil if you don't.

Answer 5

With the morals and discipline that were instilled in you by your guardians, your teachers, priests etc... whatever environment you were brought up in, unless you were raised in a sealed lab and had no contact or stimuli from outside world, you must have come into contact with the general ethics of right and wrong.

Answer 6

Yes, there is great value in the concepts you mention. They can lead to "loftiness or lowliness, glory or abasement, wealth or poverty."

The easiest way to decide right from wrong is to constantly ask oneself "Will this please God?" God gave every human being an innate knowledge of truth and error.

Consider the First Taraz from the Baha'i Holy Writings:

"The first Taraz and the first effulgence which hath dawned from the horizon of the Mother Book is that man should know his own self and recognize that which leadeth unto loftiness or lowliness, glory or abasement, wealth or poverty.

Having attained the stage of fulfillment and reached his maturity, man standeth in need of wealth, and such wealth as he acquireth through crafts or professions is commendable and praise-worthy in the estimation of men of wisdom, and especially in the eyes of servants who dedicate themselves to the education of the world and to the edifications of its peoples. They are, in truth, cup-bearers of the life-giving water of knowledge and guides unto the ideal way. They direct the peoples of the world to the straight path and acquaint them with that which is conducive to human upliftment and exaltation. The straight path is the one which guideth man to the dayspring of perception and to the dawning-place of true understanding and leadeth him to that which will redound to glory, honour and greatness."

Answer 7

one does what they feel in their heart is the right thing to do as long as they do not go against the free will and rights of others or break the laws rules and mores of the Country in which one resides.

Answer 8

If one breaks the Law, it's not God that will come after him. It's Man! And
man has no mercy! He will lock a you up in prison until your mind and body rots! And won't care.

Answer 9

They exist only as a misunderstanding in the mind of the one who believes in them.

Love and blessings Don

Answer 10

yes there is value. the descision however depends on the person, not all people have same views, what might be good to me is bad to you, but this to me is good because it helps shape people into there ownself, own pesonality.