PHILOSOPHY, HEALTHCARE ETHICS, AND RELIGION: DECISION MAKING
- Introductory Summary
There are a wide array of choices that individuals must make in their lives, and it is important to have guiding principles when it comes to making hard choices. The Bible and relevant philosophical texts give good guidance; even so, difficult decisions must be made frequently, especially in the medical profession. This discussion will focus on individual absolutes and the Biblical basis for those absolutes, especially in the context of difficult decisions that will be made daily. In addition, decision-making strategy will be introduced, including the question of what to do when one’s absolutes are questioned. Decisions must be made in line with one’s philosophical and Biblical beliefs; when these beliefs are questioned or threatened, they must be continuously re-examined from alternate points of view, and new solutions must be considered and implemented.
- Key Absolutes
There are a number of things that must be taken as absolutes from the Bible: it is impossible to consider oneself a Christian and not take the Bible as the true Word of God. That being said, it is also important to note that the messages that can be gleaned from the Bible are individual and unique to most people. Everyone can receive a different message from God through the Bible, and thus, the philosophical “absolutes” that each person retains from reading the Bible may be very different.
One question that is often bandied about by Christians is the question “what would Jesus do?” It is meant to be a guiding question for Christians in regards to how they live their lives-- indeed, would the world not be better if more people lived Christlike lives? However, it is a more complex question than it initially appears on its face. What Christ would do is heavily dependent upon the situation-- in some cases, Christ recommends a merciful response, as He does in John 8:7 (NLT) when the people want to stone the woman, saying “They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, ‘All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!’” However, in other cases, Jesus acts in a less merciful manner, as can be seen in the parable of the fig tree (Matthew 21:18-22 NLT): “Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, ‘May you never bear fruit again!’ Immediately the tree withered.” However, despite these differences in Jesus’ demeanor at different points during the New Testament, there are a number of absolutes that a Christian can and should take from the Bible and from Jesus’ story as a whole.
Perhaps the first absolute that should be considered is Jesus’ command to the people stoning the woman in the square: let he who is without sin cast the first stone. This is an important philosophical concept: it goes back to another Biblical concept, which is “judge not, lest ye be judged.” In the practical sense, this means that as individuals, there should be no judgment on the part of others; they may make mistakes, and it is all right to condemn mistakes, but that does not mean that personalities should be judged as a whole.
Another absolute that should be taken from the Bible is one that is cobbled together from a reading of the Ten Commandments. This is “thou shalt not covet.” Although the Ten Commandments list things that one should not covet, it is more important to consider coveting behavior to be jealous behavior, and jealousy often leads to poor behavior. This is more important even than the commandment not to kill, because killing can, in some circumstances, be justified; for instance, killing in protection of oneself can be justified in almost any legal system in the world. However, covetous or jealous behavior can lead to the kind of killing that is certainly not sanctioned by any legal system. It also leads to breaking many of the other commandments: jealousy can lead to theft, adultery, and so on.
Another absolute that should be considered is found in Luke 6:31. In Luke 6:31 (NLT), Jesus says to His disciples: “Do to others as you would like them to do to you.” This is a good absolute for life; it gives good structure and balance to life as a whole. It is difficult to go wrong with a decision if it follows this rule-- it is hard to make a bad or morally wrong choice when one is following this particular rule. Choices become much easier when people make choices that they would like to have done to them as well; one’s conscience becomes very easy to follow when one considers the implication of a decision based on this guiding principle. In medicine, this is particularly important, as medical professionals should always consider their patients as people and individuals as well as patients; their comfort and well-being must be considered in the context of their humanity.
- Methodology for Deciding Ethical Issues
Despite having strong Christian ethics, it is important to consider other methods for decision making as well. Ethical issues can be determined through a blend of rationality, logic, and religious ethics. Depending on the type of question being asked of the individual, there may be an answer that is backed by Scripture-- or there may be an answer that is logically and rationally correct. This part of the discussion will center around methodology for deciding both health-related issues and ethical issues.
There are a number of Biblical passages that are not absolutes in the sense that they are philosophical necessities, but they exist to guide behavior. Many of these have to do extensively with the way that people should treat others, especially their families; 1 Timothy 5:8 (NLT) which reminds believers, “But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers.” In the Ten Commandments, God commanded the Israelites to “honor thy father and mother” as well. These are good examples of guiding principles for behavior that are not necessarily philosophical absolutes.
There are a number of steps that one must take to make a decision in regards to ethical issues. The steps are as follows:
- Consider Biblical and ethical principles; what do one’s personal ethics and absolutes counsel one to do about this particular situation?
- Pray and seek guidance from God
- Explore Scripture if applicable-- what does God say about the fundamental dilemma at hand?
- Do research if applicable-- learn all there is to know about the issue at hand; knowledge is power in the decision-making process, and will often make God’s Will clearer
- Seek counsel from those wiser than oneself; this may include scientific counsel (doctors, scientists, etc) or theological counsel (priests, congregation members, etc) or some combination thereof
- Implement a solution and evaluate the success or failure of this solution; if the solution is unsuccessful, re-evaluate and develop a new solution based on the aforementioned steps.
Not all of these steps will necessarily be important for every problem that an individual faces, nor will all of these steps necessarily agree with one another for every problem. The important part is to consider both the logical and rational side of the dilemma as well as the Biblical and theological implications of an ethical dilemma. Without considering both sides of the issue, it is much easier to misconstrue or misunderstand God’s communication and it is much easier to make a decision that is unwise, unethical, or otherwise undesirable.
- Strategy for Decision Making when Not Biblically Relevant
It is hard to consider a dilemma that does not fall under some kind of Biblical guideline; however, there certainly are unexpected circumstances in life, and problems can arise at any time that are unlike those an individual has experienced before. However, many of these issues can be cleared up by applying the idea of doing unto others as one would like to have done to oneself.
If a problem does arise that there are no Biblical, ethical guidelines for, the best course of action is to consider all the information available. Researching and thoroughly understanding a situation is fundamentally important to success when faced with a new or unusual situation. The more information an individual has, the better decision can be made. Re-checking Scripture and asking people more well-versed than oneself about the Scriptural basis for a decision is always a good idea as well; indeed, praying and asking God for guidance should also be part of the process as well. Even if God had nothing to say about the situation in the Bible, He will always give guidance to His children. Asking God for His guidance, along with plenty of research and input from trusted individuals will make the process of making an unclear or murky decision much easier.
- Authority and Acting Against Absolutes
I feel that my absolutes are quite reasonable-- they include the ethical treatment of myself and others. To be asked to violate these absolutes would be quite an extreme situation-- to be asked to steal or kill on behalf of the government or by an employer would, indeed, be a very dire situation. In these kinds of situations, the only thing to do is to stand up for one’s beliefs. I have always been particularly drawn by the story of Giles Corey, the only man accused of witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts during the witch trials. Corey was given many chances to confess; he was placed under a slab of wood and stones were piled slowly on top of him. He refused to confess to witchcraft because he was a God-fearing man and could not lie. Having never been in such a drastic situation, I cannot say with certainty how I would react; however, I want to think that I am morally secure enough to stand up for my beliefs in the face of many consequences.
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