For many, personal morality is something left unexamined except in difficult situations which runs contrary to Socrates great admonition. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD.” This examination is healthy but a worthy discipline for every human being. My moral philosophy is derived from a creator God revealed through the person of Jesus Christ as revealed in the Bible.
This moral philosophy must begin with the nature of myself and all mankind. Humans are created with the imago dei, or image of God, which will have profound impact as I will demonstrate soon. Unfortunately this imago dei is corrupted and leaves mankind dead and incapable of action that leads to God or actions that yield eternal benefit. This is not to say that man is incapable of actions recognized as “good.” It is due to this image that even fallen man is capable of amazing and good acts. This problem is solved through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus. To use an analogy, I am not sick and in need of a doctor, or lacking skill and in need of a coach, but rather I was dead and in need of a savior. This transaction, initiated and provided by God, transformed me from the inside out. Simply put I am now free to live for God in the world being transformed day by day to become more like Christ.
This has profound implications for applying this ethic in the organizational realm of the Army. Behaviors spring first and foremost from my identity and ongoing transformation. First among these is the view that all mankind also possess the imago dei. If soldiers, civilians on the battlefield, and enemy combatants all are made in the image of God then my treatment of each with reflect this fact and will necessarily be...
... middle of paper ...
...le necessarily brigs a refinement in thoughts and actions. All of these actions serve to reinforce my personal virtue which in turn equips me to be a better chaplain for the command and the soldiers I serve.
My Christian moral philosophy is the unifying worldview that shapes both my character and behavior in public and private. This unifying theme allows me to live within the full meaning of integrity. As St. Augustine said, “Pride goes before destruction, and before honor is humility” so I strive continually to work this out on a daily basis in humility.
Works Cited
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2001). (Is 1:18). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2001). (1 Ti 4:7–8). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
Augustine Of Hippo (2013-07-03). City of God (Kindle Location 9575). Fig. Kindle Edition.
In A Tactical Ethic, Moral Conduct in the Insurgent Battlespace, author Dick Couch addresses what he believes to be an underlying problem, most typical of small units, of wanton ethical and moral behavior partly stemming from the negative “ethical climate and moral culture” of today’s America (Couch, D., 2010, p. 15). In chapter one, he reveals what A Tactical Ethic will hope to accomplish; that is identify the current ethics of today’s military warriors, highlight what is lacking, and make suggestions about what can be done to make better the ethical behavior of those on the battlefield and in garrison. He touches on some historic anecdotes to highlight the need for high ethics amongst today’s military warriors as well as briefly mentions
...ties of the people he serves and continues to develop himself in service of others. As a professional, a soldier lives these words through action.
3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division must face reality. “The kill company” scandal has seriously damaged the image of the US Army, which in turn has challenged the trust the Nation places in its armed forces. More concretely, these events highlighted the need for strengthening the Rakkasans’ ethics standards. Soldiers are not warriors; they are ethical warriors, whose identity relies on two inseparable pillars: ethics principles and operational efficiency. The Army core values reflect this ethical identity and the duties that come with it. Understanding that warriors need solid ethical references, the Brigade will demonstrate commitment to the Army values, invest in ethics education, and engage leadership.
A profession must have the trust of the people it serves. This is gained through the use of an Ethic that is generated and policed by the profession itself. The Center for Army Profes...
Morality is based on spiritual and personal beliefs and on accepted standards for the respect of others.
In conclusion, a satisfactory moral theory may develop from many different views. For Rachels’ view it was a matter of modesty, reason, desert, motives, consequences, community and justice and fairness. Although I agreed partially with Rachels view, overall I believe a satisfactory moral theory would be treating people the way we wish to be treated, thinking of what results from our doings, as well as living according to the best
As human beings, we all have our own values, beliefs and attitudes that we have developed throughout the course of our lives. Our family, friends, community and the experiences we have had all contribute to our sense of who we are and how we view the world. There are many aspects that differentiate humans from one another. Beauty, outward appearance, wealth, health, nationality, race, native language, and knowledge are all examples of characteristics that differentiate us from one another. These differences may even allow us to lose or excessively develop our self-esteem. Despite these differences, what we have in common is that we are all humans who seek one purpose: to find success in our lives. To reach success and happiness in life is the common goal of all of us. We each strive hard to become satisfied with our lives and satisfied with ourselves. Reaching perfection and completion is the unquestionable desire of mankind. The concept of success can be defined through our personal view towards life. It is this view, or our personal beliefs/tenets that can show us our path to suc...
In our lives, people generally do as they want or believe is right, to produce what they think will create satisfaction and happiness. I think that each situation we face in live doesn’t have to be constricted to one moral theory. In order to make good decisions, I believe an intelligent being would weigh all possibilities in a given situation. These moral theories should be combined when dealing with problems. The issue with these moral theories separately, is that it confines us to only one way of thinking. We must consider outcomes, stick to our duties, and trust that our own virtues will allow us to make the best decisions.
I believe Wirzba’s claim to be very accurate. If we cannot learn from our actions and how they affect ourselves, others, and the places we inhabit, then we cannot entitle ourselves to be moral beings. We must strive to learn to appreciate everything around us and treat it respectfully. When we experience fruitful outcomes, we then gain knowledge of how to act as moral beings and perform actions that are ethical.
Understanding this concept could be difficult if one does not realize what it means to have good morals. Morality is the distinction of knowing between right and wrong, good and bad. This judgment happens in everyday activities and can be as small as a little white lie or as big as killing someone. Studies show different ways of one’s morality forming. One way, researchers believe, is from one’s religion and what one believes in. If one is a Christian then they would learn from what God says is right or wrong in The Bible. If one is Islamic, one would believe what Allah says is right and wrong and what is in The Qur’an. One might also learn what is right from wrong from...
To begin, ADRP 1 states the individual ethic begins by creating, and sustaining a professional identity as a member of the Army team, which in turn, enhances the moral fiber of the entire enterprise. Next, the Army Ethic White Paper reminds its Soldiers that as Army professionals they perform their duty according to a common ethic , eluding to the deontological precepts of this philosophy. Moreover, the white paper states, that as the Army prepares to operate in complex environments, it must anticipate the unique ethical challenges of the future, and remain committed to developing Army professionals of character, competence, and commitment. Next in importance, the joint nature of future conflict requires a common framework for ethical conduct, just as joint doctrine provides for operations and planning. Due to the exceptional importance of understanding this concept, the Army Ethic illustrates the following:
Personal ethics play a crucial role in the life of everyone around us and it represents specific features and characteristics that have been formed through our family and society. Our personal ethics are influenced by cultural, beliefs, morals, and spiritual values. These decisions can have positive or negative impacts on society. In our daily lives, each and every person is responsible for making decisions that can influence those around us, such as people we work with, our family, and even those we go to school with. The focus of this paper is to identify my personal ethical values, indicate the primary influences, values that guided my decision, and the progress of my ethical goals.
"The core of a soldier is moral discipline. It is intertwined with the discipline of physical and mental achievement. Total discipline overcomes adversity, and physical stamina draws on an inner strength that says drive on." - Former Sergeant Major of the Army William G. Bainbridge
Focusing only on the hard cases makes moral theology to become an abstract phenomenon detached from the social experience of individuals living under different social context. From the author’s perspective, morality should be “an everyday practice… the practice of appraising ourselves and others against notions of the good, or the right, or the fitting” (p. 7). For moral theology to shape everyday ethics, it needs to engage with the human element—understand what it means to be human, it can only do so in the realm of social anthropology. Moral theology failure to engage in the mundane is what turned it into a confession of sins profession. With confession, Christian ethics essentially became more about punishment, depending on the severity of the sin committed, than on
Do you ever wonder why you are put into situations that you don’t know how to deal with? Would it disappear if you just closed your eyes to the many lights that life produces? Well most cases it doesn’t, the light is shining in your eyes like the sun and you have to deal with it. Sometimes I wonder why I act the way I do, and why I have to deal with situations that aren’t always the most comforting. You think you have something, but you realize that you have nothing on that one piece of life’s puzzle. When you sit down to think in silence about the world revolving around you, you realize that piece is near you. However, it is not close enough to grab with your hand or heart. You want to react with your mind, but your heart seers you in other directions that you weren’t ready for. When you think that you have found that perfect piece to complete the puzzle, you second-guess yourself about it. Is it really the prefect piece that will make the puzzle stronger, or are there other pieces that are better? Your mind runs faster than you can handle and it makes you think about the other pieces in the puzzle. Are the other pieces going to slowly come apart too or are they glued together and stable? You wonder that maybe-other pieces the perfect ones either, which gives you even more questions. Then you look at every piece individually and see how those pieces make you happy or sad.