Moraliteit, Etiek en Facebook | Morality, Ethics and Facebook

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Moraliteit, Etiek en Facebook

Daar was ‘n groot geveg of “flamewar” die afgelope rukkie op Facebook. Hierdie spesifieke flamewar is gevoer as gevolg van ‘n spesifieke persoon se status waar hy beskryf het hoe hy ‘n tatoe wou kry met ‘n Christelike boodskap. Die kommentaar op die status was uiteenlopend en selfs skrikwekkend.

Dit het alles begin toe iemand kommentaar gelewer oor het hoe Christene nie die “tempel” mag beskadig of verander deur middel van tatoes nie. Daarna het ander mense die verskillende kante van die argument gekies, veral teen hierdie eerste kommentaar, en die verskillende punt van die saak uitbaklei.

Daar was, in die algemeen, drie partye in die geveg. Een was die anti-tatoe party. Tweedens was daar die anti-anti-tatoe party, wat nie noodwendig vir tatoes geveg het nie, maar was eerder teen die anti-tatoe party om hulle argumente as leeg te bewys. Die laaste party was die honger-kinders party, wat gesê het dat ons veg oor tatoes terwyl kinders sterf van hongersnood, en dat nie een van die bogenoemde partye reg was nie. (Ek was deel van laasgenoemde.)

Wie was dan reg? As ons sê dat ons nie mag tatoeëer want die Bybel sê so, moet ons ook sê dat vrouens nie juweliersware mag dra nie. Totsiens trouringe. As ons sê dat ons die Bybel nie so letterlik kan opvat nie, dan moet ons ook die gebod teen moord bevraagteken. Totsiens respek vir lewe. As ons sê dat ons al twee moet vergeet en eerder werk om honger kinders te voed, moet ons dan ook ons luukshede vir hulle opgee. Totsiens Facebook.

Die probleem is, hierdie hele tyd lê die oorspronklike status heeltemal vergete. Die punt van almal se kommentaar was om te bewys waarom ons reg was en waarom een van die ander partye verkeerd was. (Ek het die honger-kinders party gekies omdat dit moeilik is om teen so ‘n argument te baklei.) Die persoon wat hierdie status oorspronklik beskryf het wou maar net sy vreugde met ander deel oor sy tatoe.

Dit is asof dit belangriker is vir vandag se Christene is om reg te wees as om die eintlike saak aan te pak op ‘n goeie manier.

Moraliteit is relatief. Daar is geen kwessie hieraan nie. Een se reëls is anders as iemand anders s’n, al word beide uit dieselfde Bybel gestaaf. Daar is geen duidelikheid oor waar strepe getrek moet word nie. Vir party is dit reg as die Sabbat op enige dag gehou word, terwyl vir ander moet dit op ‘n Saterdag wees, terwyl ander sê jy moet dit presies vier vanaf die presiese tyd wanneer die son onder gaan op ‘n Vrydagaand. Waarom die verskille? Gaan sommiges hel toe omdat hulle om 18:45 en nie om 18:44 die Sabbat begin vier het nie? Sekerlik is daar belangriker dinge as dit? (Ek het reeds gesê ek veg vir die honger-kinders kamp.)

Die geveg oor wat reg en verkeerd is volgens die Bybel gaan seker nooit ophou nie. Wie is ons, in elk geval, om te sê dat ons die volle waarheid beet het? Al drie partye in die flamewar het beweer hulle het dit wel beet. Dalk kan ons die geveg los en met die persoon wat die tatoe kry sy lewe begin deel. Dalk kan ons ophou probeer sê dat liberale of fundamentaliste verkeerd is, en mekaar se lewens begin deel. Dalk is God ‘n God van liefde, en dit maak nie saak hoe laat die Sabbat begin of hoe lank my hare is nie.

Morality, Ethics and Facebook

There was quite a large fight or “flamewar” on Facebook a while ago. This specific flamewar was raged due to a status update of a person describing the tattoo that he wanted to get, which will include a Christian message. The comments on this status were diverse and sometimes scary.

It all started when someone commented that Christians may not change or destroy the “temple” with tattoos. Following this, people chose different sides of the battle, especially siding against this first comment, and fought out the different viewpoints.

There were, in general, three parties in the war. First of all we find the anti-tattoo party. The second party was the anti-anti-tattoo party, who were not for tattoos so much as they were against the anti-tattooers. The last party was the hungry-children party, who said that such fights are irrelevant while there are children dying of hunger, and that both of the above parties are therefore wrong. (I formed part of the third party.)

Who is right? If we say that we may not have tattoos because the Bible tells us so, then we must also forbid women to wear jewellery. Goodbye wedding rings. If we say that we cannot understand the Bible literally, then we must also question the command against murder. Goodbye respect for life. If we say that we must forget both and rather work to feed hungry children, then we must give up our luxuries to feed them. Goodbye Facebook.

The problem is, this whole time the original person’s status message lies forgotten. The point of the commentators was to prove why we were right and why one of the other parties was wrong. (I chose the hungry-children party because it’s very difficult to argue against.) The person who originally wrote his status update was just trying to share his joy about his future tattoo.

It is as if modern Christians find it more important to be write than to address the real issue in a good manner.

Morality is relative. There is no question about this. One person’s rules can be so different to another’s, while both are based on the same Bible. No-one knows where exactly to draw the dividing lines. From some, it is fine to hold the Sabbath on any day, whereas for some it must be a Saturday, and for others it must be held from exactly the moment when the sun goes down on a Friday evening. Why the differences? Are some people going to hell because they held the Sabbath at 18:45 instead of 18:44? Surely there are more important things than that? (I told you that I fight for the hungry-children camp.)

The fight over what is right or wrong according to the Bible will probably never end. Who are we, after all, to say that we hold the whole truth? All three parties in the flamewar claimed to know the truth. Perhaps we can leave the flamewar behind and start to share our lives with the person who wanted a tattoo. Perhaps we can stop saying that liberals or fundamentals are wrong, and start sharing each others’ lives. Maybe God is a God of love, and it doesn’t matter what time the Sabbath ends or how long my hair is.

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