Generally, moral and ethical teachings are grounded in a commonsense consensus about the behaviors needful to the survival and flourishing of a particular group. Holy Men might invest the teachings with divine authority — as in the case of the Ten Commandments, say — but they always are rooted in the lived experience of the community in which they arise; this explains why the rules vary so widely throughout the world.
Most ethical complexities arise from the competing needs of different groups to which an individual belongs, and this week has put two good examples of that on display.
The first is the case of Grace Community Church, in California. There, members insisted upon attending church in defiance of a reasonable lockdown order prohibiting large assemblies. Certainly, they committed an offense against the well being of the communities in which they live; almost certainly, some of those church attendees were infected with the Covic-19 virus, and they will go on to infect others. Their attendance will directly affect the health of some of the people they encounter, and will affect the economy of the state writ large, influencing the financial well being of people they will never encounter at all.
How do they justify their conduct?
“Major public events that were planned for 2021 are already being canceled, signaling that officials are preparing to keep restrictions in place into next year and beyond. That forces churches to choose between the clear command of our Lord and the government officials. Therefore, following the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, we gladly choose to obey Him.”
Now, the 1st-Century Christian church was a cult, and the New Testament is the literature of a cult, and if you belong to that cult the decision of the church makes sense — because, like every other cult that has ever fouled the earth, Christianity teaches that all conflicts must resolve in favor of the church.
“You are not the husband you should be unless Jesus is more important to you than your wife.” “You are not the parent you should be unless Jesus is more important to you than your children.” “You are not the wife and mother you should be unless Jesus is more important to you than your husband and children.” Everybody has sat in church and heard these teachings at some time or another, and that is the teaching of a cult — and that is the teaching that puts Grace Community Church at odds with its neighbors.
A second, more humble example involves Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask, who declined to participate in the post-season playoffs. “I want to be with my teammates competing, but at this moment, there are things more important than hockey in my life, and that is being with my family.”
Rask’s teammates probably feel betrayed by him, left hanging when they need him; his family is probably grateful he is acting to minimize the risk of contracting Covid-19. Once again, the ethical choice hinges on deciding which tribe’s needs to give priority.
It’s a lot more common to have difficulty deciding which tribe to serve than to have difficulty deciding what is right behavior from the perspective of that tribe.