Moral question - mainly for Christians

[johnny]

Originally posted by Yorick: quote: Originally posted by johnny: Don't make life so complicated, it's just a job, and as you said, one that pays well. Your beliefs don't bring food on the table, your job does.

What if you don't believe in work? What if you don't have a work ethic?

Your beliefs are central to you. You have them even if you are unaware of what they are.[/QUOTE]If you don't believe in work, you'll be a bum for the rest of your life. Wanna live like a beggar ? Nothing is for free in this world, so if you want to live a "normal" life, you'll have to work.

[Yorick]

Originally posted by johnny: quote: Originally posted by Yorick: quote: Originally posted by johnny: Don't make life so complicated, it's just a job, and as you said, one that pays well. Your beliefs don't bring food on the table, your job does.

What if you don't believe in work? What if you don't have a work ethic?

Your beliefs are central to you. You have them even if you are unaware of what they are.[/QUOTE]If you don't believe in work, you'll be a bum for the rest of your life. Wanna live like a beggar ? Nothing is for free in this world, so if you want to live a "normal" life, you'll have to work.[/QUOTE]Johny, you missed my point completely. Your beliefs DO put food on your table!

[johnny]

Would you mind explaining that Yorick ? Cause i don't think when i stay here at home and pray for a whole week, then open my eyes, there's suddenly food in front of me. Of course i could be wrong... now show me the light.

[Melusine]

Originally posted by johnny: Don't make life so complicated, it's just a job, and as you said, one that pays well. Your beliefs don't bring food on the table, your job does.

I think that's a bit too hastily reasoned Johnny. Obviously it *does* matter to Leonis. Look at it this way: would you like a well-paid job organising trips to Thailand for rich Westerners to visit child prostitutes? I doubt it. Why? Because you believe child prostitution is morally wrong, it goes against your beliefs, and you wouldn't want a job where you help keep that sort of thing into business.
Obviously gambling is not as bad as that, but is it so hard to accept that for Leonis, it *has* moral implications? If you don't have any advice for him, at least don't do away with his concerns as if they're silly. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[johnny]

I wasn't trying to "do away with his concerns as if they were silly". Where did you read that ? Don't twist my words.

[Melusine]

I'm not twisting your words at all. You said, paraphrased, "it's just a job, don't make things so complicated". That sort of makes clear that you don't think his concerns are necessary or valid.

[johnny]

Originally posted by Melusine: I'm not twisting your words at all. You said, paraphrased, "it's just a job, don't make things so complicated". That sort of makes clear that you don't think his concerns are necessary or valid.

Well, you were wrong. [img]tongue.gif[/img] I just have a different way of looking at things, but that won't come as a surprise to you.

[Melusine]

Well, thank you for pointing out my error to me so clearly. [img]smile.gif[/img]
If I'm so obviously not getting it, could you just explain what you did mean? I'm not deliberately misrepresenting your meaning, y'know?

[Epona]

Leonis,
Another non-Christian here to relate her experiences!

My views about the world are similar to Moiraine's. I have a very strongly held moral disagreement with the way companies do business, exploit workers here, exploit workers in the developing world to an even greater extent, damage the environment, monopolies and competition putting people out of work, etc etc etc. I disagree strongly with many things that our government does.

These beliefs are central to who I am.

So how come I ended up working in Central Government (the agriculture department) for 13 years? It's a bit of a mystery to me to be honest. I needed a job, and was offered that one so I took it. As a bit of background, I disagree with factory farming, overuse of pesticides and antibiotics in farming, government subsidies to pay farmers for growing nothing (to keep world grain prices high thus contributing to poverty and starvation throughout the world), creation of food 'mountains' (again to keep prices high by creating false scarcity, it causes losses to big business in the agricultural sector for governments to send food aid to areas of famine or poverty because grain prices fall dramatically as a result - think of it like inflation but with food instead of money - the more there is in circulation, the less it's 'worth').

In my years there, I was ashamed to say who I worked for. I would say I was a Civil Servant, and only give more details if pressed. And sometimes I received verbal abuse from people for working for the department since many people in England agree that the department does a lot of immoral or cruel things.

In my time there, I dealt with most of the things I listed above, although I always tried to get posted to areas dealing with internal services rather than policy. And I hated every minute of it. I could not reconcile working there with my beliefs. I was vegetarian for several years, and even now I'm not I disagree with the way livestock are intensively farmed. It was working in Animal Health that finally did me in. Talk all around me about slaughterhouses all day (just thought I'd add that the proportion of veggies in the department was far higher than the national average, that's food for thought!)

I'm now out of it, and unemployed. I would love to do a job that in some way makes people's lives better, even just to help one person out for a few days would be more valuable than the 13 years I spent in the Civil Service. Still looking...

[johnny]

Originally posted by Melusine: Well, thank you for pointing out my error to me so clearly. [img]smile.gif[/img] If I'm so obviously not getting it, could you just explain what you did mean? I'm not deliberately misrepresenting your meaning, y'know?

To make a long story short, i was trying to say not to worry too much about it, in my own way.