September/October 2001 Vol.4, No. 8 Contents The Coming Intervention in the Middle East by Darris McNeely Restoration by Darris McNeely A 20th Century Retrospective:The Shot Still Reverberating Around the World by Melvin Rhodes Partitioning Morality by Cecil E. Maranville In Brief... World News Review by Cecil Maranville, Melvin Rhodes, John Ross Schroeder and Jim Tuck This Is the Way... Just Outside My Window by Robin Webber Partitioning Morality "Does having an extramarital affair mean that a government official is unfit to hold office?" This and related questions have been the focus of the U.S. news media throughout the summer of 2001. Is the subject newsworthy, or is it just gossip? The debate swirling around the subject illustrates a growing phenomenon-partitioning morality. What does it portend for the future? by Cecil E. Maranville Try it with the judge How are people deciding right and wrong? It's human nature to attempt to cover and justify immoral behavior, at the same time as wanting to be well thought of. The excuse that's offered is: "Look at the good deeds that have been done, not at the few mistakes." "Yes, I told a lie-but I do not steal!" "Yes, I committed adultery-but at least, I am honest about it!" Human nature might be comical to observe, if the subject weren't so serious. We would immediately recognize the foolishness of offering such a defense in a criminal court. "Yes, your honor, I embezzled the money. And, since I am honest about my crime, I expect the court to let me go free." Why do people think that moral crimes, a.k.a. sin, should be so readily brushed aside? To listen to the reporting of the American media, you would think that morality is by majority rule. That's not to imply that everyone "shoots from the lip" on the subject of right and wrong, although many do. Many reasonable people weigh their thoughts with care before they speak-and some of them speak eloquently. But whether our arguments are brash or brilliant, can we decide for ourselves what is moral and what is not? Read the full article at www.wnponline.org/wnp/wnp0109/morality.htm Related Information on UCG Sites: Table of Contents that includes "Partitioning Morality" Other Articles by Cecil Maranville Ten commandments: _Don't Worry, You Won't Miss the Parade _Connecting the Dots _Written in Stone or on the Heart? The Controversy Over the Ten Commandments _Are Things Really Better Than We Think? _The Church of God Today _Follow Jesus Christ's Example of Commandment Keeping _What Is 'Corban'? _Promises to Abraham _The Ten Commandments: Keys in a Law of Love _How Can We Obey God's Commandments? _Jesus Christ and the Sabbath _Was God's Law Abolished in the New Testament? _The Ten Commandments in the New Testament _Practicing Giving Rather Than Getting _A Foundation for Success _What Is Our Greatest Priority? _Key to a Relationship With Our God _Grace, Faith and Law _Christ's New Commandment _A Royal Law of Love _Does the New Covenant Abolish the Commandments? _Truth as a Way of Life _What Is God Like? _Life Is a Precious Gift _True Righteousness Comes From the Heart _How Should We Treat Parents Who Are Difficult to Honor? _Chapter 3: God's Law and the New Covenant _Chapter 1: Preaching the Gospel _Must We Obey God's Commandments? _The Foundation of True Values _The Letter and the Spirit of Law _Which Commandments Did Jesus Break? _Were the Ten Commandments Known Before Mount Sinai? _Did Jesus Christ Abolish the Law? _Does It Really Matter What You Believe? _An Overview of Conditions Around the World - May/Jun 1997 _Covetousness is Idolatry _Is God's Law Bondage? _Adultery: No Longer Sinful or Shameful _How Can You Find the Right Church? _Profiles of Faith: Matthew - From Serving Mammon to Serving God _Could Jesus Christ Be Elected President? _An Overview of Conditions Around the World - Jul/Aug 2001 _Questions and Answers - Jul/Aug 2002 _The Sabbath in the Scriptures _God's Test Commandment _Is It Anti-American to Criticize the Moral Conduct of the United States? _Is the United States Still a Moral Nation? _The Spread of Freedom: Foretaste for the Entire World? _How Did Jesus Treat His Parents? _If Everyone Kept God's Commandments _Posting the Ten Commandments Is Not Enough _Written by the Finger of God _Only 17: Broken Laws--Broken Dreams _Who Determines Right From Wrong? _What's at the Heart of National Problems? Morality: _World News Review August 1998 _United States Morality - What Lies Ahead? _Fanfare for the Common Man _When the Angel Leaves the Storm, Part 2 _Dancing With Indecency _America's Culture War: Threat to Homeland Security? _Another Brick in a New World _Governments Legislating Morality _"Generation @" Needs Godly Values in Space _Modern Israel Has Sown the Wind and Will Reap the Whirlwind _Why Preach a Gospel With Urgency Today? _British Values Under Serious Threat _Creation or Evolution - Does It Really Matter What You Believe? _Consequences of Ideas _Man's Natural Hostility Toward God _Accepting Personal Responsibility _A Look at the Current State of the World _An Overview of Conditions Around the World - Nov/Dec 1996 _God's Color Guard _Society's Slide Into Immorality _A God Concerned With Man's Heart _Creation or Evolution: Did God Create Man? _Moral Leadership: Does It Really Matter? _Individual Rights Vs. Societal Rights _America's Moral Downturn: What Lies Ahead? _Morality in Government: A Worldwide Crisis _An Overview of Conditions Around the World - Jul/Aug 2000 _Right and Wrong - Who Decides? _More Disasters on the Horizon? _How Can You Counter a Degenerating Culture? _Can You Believe the Bible? (5/2002) _World News and Trends - Jan/Feb 2003 _World News and Trends - Mar/Apr 2003 _2003: The Storm Clouds Gather _How Mass Media Sells Sex _Christians in Name Only? _Can You Break the Cycle of Generational Dysfunction? _The War on Morality _Redefining Morality: Why a Torrent of Trouble Threatens to Engulf Us _How Can You Help Restore the Disappearing Family? _In the News Jan/Mar 2006 _A Moral Dilemma? _Absolute Truth: A Matter of Opinion? _Where Have All the Young Men Gone? _"Sometimes You Have to Break the Rules"? _Choosing Music and Movies _Is Everything OK? _Wanted: Morality _Absolutely No Absolutes! _Choosing to Cheat _The New World Disorder: Where Is It Taking Us? _Sounding a Warning _Redefining Hate Speech _What Is Truth? _The "Prophecy Factor" Search Our Site Key Subjects Index General Topics Index Biblical References Index Good News Magazine Index Booklets and All Literature Index Home Page of this site