This post is not quite as organized as I’d like it to be, but I also don’t want to wait more than a week to post it if that’s how long it takes for this to look nice and polished. Ergo, I share it in its half-baked state.
I will momentarily hold you in suspense as for why I’m
posting this post. I want to begin with Scripture, specifically as it pertains
to the title: questions of basis for judging what is right vs what is wrong as
it pertains to human morality. Especially when it relates to something largely
outside the Bible.
First, a reminder that God is the ultimate judge on what is right
and what is wrong:
I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line; hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place. Isaiah 28:17, NIV
7 Thus He showed me: Behold, the Lord stood on a wall made with a plumb line, with a plumb line in His hand. 8 And the Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?”
And I said, “A plumb line.”
Then the Lord said: “Behold, I am setting a plumb line In the midst of My people Israel; I will not pass by them anymore. 9 The high places of Isaac shall be desolate, And the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste. I will rise with the sword against the house of Jeroboam.”
Now, some of you may be wondering: what is a plumb line?
Below is an entry from the online dictionary:
noun
a cord with a lead bob attached to one end, used to determine perpendicularity, the depth of water, etc. Compare plumb (def. 1).
Some of you may also ask what a plumb is, since the
definition for “plumb line” does not seem to make a whole lot of sense without it.
Below is an entry from the online dictionary on the word “plumb”:
noun
a small mass of lead or other heavy material, as that suspended by a line and used to measure the depth of water or to ascertain a vertical line. Compare plumb line.
adjective Also plum .
true according to a plumb line perpendicular.
Informal. downright or absolute.
adverb Also plum .
in a perpendicular or vertical direction.
exactly, precisely, or directly.
Informal. completely or absolutely:She was plumb mad. You're plumb right.
verb (used with object)
to test or adjust by a plumb line.
to make vertical.
Shipbuilding. horn (def. 32).
to sound with or as with a plumb line.
to measure (depth) by sounding.
to examine closely in order to discover or understand:to plumb someone's thoughts.
to seal with lead.
to weight with lead.
to provide (a house, building, apartment, etc.) with plumbing.
verb (used without object)
to work as a plumber.
The above definitions for “plumb line” and “plumb” may have
been a little more than what you were expecting, but I like to provide context.
I don’t like the reader to be lost in the dust as it pertains to understanding
what I’m saying here.
As I was saying, as our world continues to change, particularly in how we judge one another’s actions seems to continue changing both rapidly and drastically, I thought it important to note a few key points. First, it seems that our idea of right and wrong has changed drastically over the last twenty to thirty years. Back then, it was considered that racism was right and homosexuality was wrong. Now, it is being considered that racism is wrong but homosexuality is right. The vast majority of bluster and hubris related to these topics, among countless others, is rooted largely in feelings and sentiment. If something feels right, it therefore must be right; if something feels wrong, it therefore must be wrong.
On these grounds, we need a plumb line. That’s why in my posts,
as much as possible, I keep preaching the Bible. It’s because only the Bible can
be an accurate plumb line, independent of our feelings and sentiments which change
from generation to generation like the wind. Only the Bible, and its author,
the God of the Bible and in the Bible (remember: all those human “authors” took
dictation from God Himself. They didn’t randomly decide to sit down and pull something out of
their butt to write about God) can be trusted to articulate thoroughly what is right
and what is wrong, even when thoughts and feelings and popular sentiment
change. And for the record, both racism and homosexuality are wrong. But I digress.
The big news this week was that in baseball, David Ortiz was
elected to the Hall of Fame, while Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were denied
entry on their tenth and final time on the ballot. Bonds and Clemens were the
two best players during what has been referred to as the “Steroid Era.” The two
men set records for hitting and pitching, respectively, two of which were
records related to home runs hit. I still remember the day the Mitchell Report
came out in 2007: both men, according to the report, were allegedly found
guilty of steroid use. Bonds had already been suspected; Clemens came as a
complete surprise to all. Nonetheless, 2007 was the last year either man played
the sport, capping what were long careers for each (Bonds played 22 seasons;
Clemens played 24 seasons).
For many years, I was staunchly opposed to either man, among
many others from that era, being elected to the Hall of Fame. I was taught from
a young age that, on principle, cheating was wrong. It didn’t matter what the
circumstances were, what the methods were, or what the results were: whatever
you do, you do it honestly and learn to live with the results. Generally
speaking, I still try to live by that, although this way of living involves
Jesus a lot more now than it did then.
One thing I did notice that seemed off about the judging
process even then, was that at one point, the US government tried to throw
Clemens in jail because, according to Mitchell’s report, he used steroids. I
applauded then, and still applaud today, Clemens’ “not guilty” verdict. I’ll
admit, I thought (and still think) that he was in fact guilty, but, I thought that trying to throw him in jail was too
extreme. I figured, yes, Clemens still needed to be punished not only for his
actions but also his persistent denials (even well after the truth was
exposed), but as far as I was concerned, keeping him out of the Hall of Fame
was punishment enough. The guy took steroids to improve his performance, stats,
longevity, etc.; he didn’t rob a bank or commit murder, after all.
Recently, this article got my
attention. The author took a strong stance against the baseball writers’ association’s
repeated decisions to not elect Bonds or Clemens, calling it a “failure” if neither
man was elected this time, which I still disagree with. The author’s primary
point is that the point of the Hall of Fame is to tell the story of each era of
the sport. On this point, I can compromise. What was being called into question
was and is the Hall of Fame’s position regarding playing “morality police,” which
I think is more than fair to seriously examine every now and then.
If I had a vote, and I were voting in a vacuum of
relativism, I would completely overlook any transgressions that any player had,
whether it was Ty Cobb’s racism, or Pete Rose’s gambling, or Barry Bonds’
steroid use. If the point of the Hall of Fame is truly to tell a story of the
game, and the only way to truly tell the story is to include all the greats,
then the only thing that would determine eligibility is a standard strictly based
on in-game impact, with very specific parameters set in stone.
However, if I had a vote, and I was voting with Biblical
principles at the forefront, I would keep everyone who cheated out. I think
that as long as Ty Cobb wasn’t found guilty of gambling or performance-enhancing
drug use, or even sign-stealing, I would keep him in. It wouldn’t matter whether
I liked the person or not. If a person’s play warranted enshrinement, he would
get in, as long as he didn't cheat.
After all, the Bible, which is the plumb line, does have
something to say about cheating: (aside from adultery)
You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ” Mark 10:19, NKJV
You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’” Mark 10:19, NIV
You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” Mark 10:19, New Revised Standard Version
(bold emphases mine)
Like I’ve mentioned in previous posts about other athletes
in other sports, Bonds and Clemens need Jesus. So does Ortiz, who made it into
baseball’s Hall of Fame. In the end, God is a much better judge than any of us
can ever hope to be, but through His Word we can learn how to judge according
to His principles instead of our own feelings and sentiments.
On a lighter note, please peruse from this website a lesson on cheating and how to handle things when someone else cheats (for kids and for playing games).