CAN CHRISTIANS DISAGREE ON MORAL ISSUES?
Educated and moral Christians can have disagreements based on morality an indeed have had disagreements based on morality right from the inception of the church. The main driving force behind these disagreements is the attitude of each Christian. Even though they share the same faith and the same idealism with regard to spiritualism, each Christian has their own unique and individual attitude about certain issues and chiefly morality. This may lead to disagreements in the instance where some Christians are of the opinion that their attitudes represent absolute truth with regard to the doctrines of their religion and the attitudes of others do not. This can lead to a moral argument as to what is right and what is wrong and each of the involved parties might even proceed to seek justification for their moral disposition from the bible.
A good example of a moral issue that many Christians seem not to be able to come to common ground about is the issue of birth control. Some Christians are of the opinion that applying birth control techniques is the highest form of immorality. They are of the opinion that each birth is a gift from God. This means that we should not do anything to affect the flow of these gifts hence there should be absolutely no attempt to prevent the conception and eventual birth of a child since the child just so happens to be a gift from God.
Other Christians however are of the opinion that living within our means is indeed part of morality. It is immoral to bring children into this world when we know very well we lack the capacity, either financial or otherwise, to cater for their every need and ensure that they live comfortable lives. These Christians also base their argument on the fact that God Himself gave man a free will. This means that it is acceptable in the eyes of God for man to make certain decisions which do not go contrary to the will of God. They therefore advocate for birth control and family planning and ensuring that Christians only have a family as big as they are able to cater for comfortably and without unreasonable strain.
Another moral issue that widens the rift between Christians is the use of condoms. Some Christians are of the opinion, the realist opinion, that sex is sadly becoming a part of mainstream life. Young people are continually engaging in sexual behavior and thus putting themselves at risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases. These Christians preach abstinence in accordance to the Christian doctrines but also advocate for the use of condoms because they know for sure that not all they preach to will indeed abstain from sexual behavior until they get married. These Christians are providing an alternative to people who find themselves unable to abstain so as to ensure they do not live to regret their lack of patience. Other Christians are however sternly against the use of condoms. They back their assertion on the fact that the bible forbids sexual behavior outside marriage. Therefore preaching to the people about the issue of condoms is like trying to circumvent the rules set up by God. These Christians are of the belief that the rules of God are divine and human beings should not find solace in bending them to suit their sinful machinations.
It is possible for educated and upright Christians to disagree on issue morality. A person’s attitude can lead them to translate the teachings of the bible in their own way thus forms their own opinion on morality.
