When it comes to morality, I see it as a spectrum. On one side you find people who follow a black-and-white, checkerboard morality that says that almost every act is either right or wrong, and that every situation has a right or wrong solution. This world can be very legalistic and can produce a lot of guilt if all the rules aren't followed exactly. In this world anything can be regulated, and some people in power seem determined to control as much as they can.
On the other side of the spectrum everything fades to gray. There are no longer the rigid absolutes you find on the other side, and though there still may be "right" and "wrong", they depend much more on the situation than the inherent "morality" of any given action. Several different variables are weighed in each situation, and the "moral" thing to do becomes much more personal and subjective. Though this world can offer some freedom, it can also bring more confusion. It can be hard to find a concrete answer and it can seem like each person is going his or her own way, using a unique personalized map.
Then there are those who throw the whole spectrum out, believing that morality is just a social construct and therefore doesn't actually exist. These people may also believe that there is no absolute Truth, nor is there any meaning to this life. The problem with this theory is that it disproves itself. By stating that there is no Truth or meaning, they have inadvertently declared meaning and Truth.
I believe in a universal Truth, with a capital "T". Something has to be correct. It can't be both black and white at the same time. It may be purple, but it is at least something. Think about history. It too is a matter of knowledge and faith. At any given moment in history, reality happened. The Truth is there. Whether we know exactly what happened is a different thing entirely. JFK was assassinated; no doubt about it. A bullet ripped through his head and he died. Either Oswald did it or a man on the grassy knoll did; or someone else did. I believe that event actually happened, and that someone pulled the trigger of a gun. We may never know exactly what happened that day in Texas, but we can all agree that it happened.
I see morality the same way. Something has to be "good", or "right", or "best" and conversely something must then be "bad", or "wrong", or "worst". Otherwise we couldn't have this conversation.
The problem I have with either extreme of the spectrum is that one side says it knows everything, and the other side says it knows nothing. Though I may not know the answers to every problem that may present itself to me, I do know some fundamental truths that help guide me. I know that stealing is wrong. I can’t really think of any instance where it would be right. On the other hand, I can’t buy that anyone has the unquestionable answer to issues such as masturbation, or cannabis, or voting, or war, or our place as Christians in culture, or piercings and tattoos, or any given topic that’s been debated ad nauseum.
The church leaders aren’t infallible, and the writers of the Bible just don’t talk about certain issues. Too many times our religious beliefs and “morality” has been defined by our culture or those in power. Many of us as Christians grew up hearing that the world is “this” way, and that those who disagree with us are “wrong”. The world is so big and our God is infinite. How can we say with such certainty that we have all the answers, or that we interpreted everything in the Bible correctly? Sure there’s Truth, but do you really think you have all the details down? Do you need to? Didn’t Jesus make it simple for us: Love God and love each other?
The problem comes when you start micro-managing how people use these principles in their own lives, in essence controlling them. We start splitting hairs about almost every little thing imaginable. We soon forget about the original virtues we’re to uphold, and we find ourselves trapped in the checkerboard of life. You can’t go wrong with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law, and to me these are the colors of life.
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