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RIGHT.ORWRONG?
Who
Decides?
by
Keith W. Stump .
You probably have assumed it is your responsibility to decide what is right
for you. And you couldn ' t be more wrong! Here's why!
T
H E TOBACCO
industry
recently p l aced a
thought-provoking ad–
vertisement
In
maJor U.S.
magazmes.
The ad concerned the subject
of cigarette smoking. rn the ad
was a n offer for a free booklet
examining the issues involved in
the smoking c:ontroversy.
Near the end of tbe ad carne the ··
following statement:
"We offer it [the booklet] to you
in t he belief that full and free dis–
cussion of these important public
issues is in the public interest. And
that in matters of adult social cus–
toms, tbe vast majority of fair–
minded Americans honor individu–
al freedom of choice."
At the very bottom of the page,
in large bold type, was a final
admonition:
"WEIGH 80TH SIDES BEFORE
YOU TAKE SIDES."
It
is not our purpose to question
anyone's right to advertise. But it
is
our purpose to make our readers
think about what they read- to
thi nk about the big issues of life.
And this ad did touch on one of the
big issues of life.
The ad's wording stayed away
from the question of right versus
wrong. fnstead, it spoke of "taking
sides." The ad portrayed the smok–
ing-nonsmoking issue notas a ques-
J une / J uly 1982
tion of right and wrong, moral or
immoral, but simply a matter of
personal taste and choice.
What abou t it ?
Is
right and
wrong involved in the smoking
question? Or is deciding whether
or not to smoke in the same catego–
ry as deciding what to have for
breakfast or what color of shirt to
wear?
What does
the Bible
have to say
about right and wrong in this or
any other subject, and what about
" individual freedom of choice" ?
No Questi on s More Cruc i al
Everyone today has opinions. Just
name a controversia! issue: smok–
ing, abortion, premarital sex, dr.ug
use, women's rights, bomosexuali–
ty. Everyone has a view, and there
is always a human " authori ty" to
support any side of any issue.
How many times have you heard
someone say, "The way
1
see it
.
" ?
IS. . . .
It
is not surprising, therefore,
that t he Bible has much to say on
the subject of opinions and personal
choice. The important questions of
individual freedom of choice and
right versus wrong are addressed at
the
very beginning
of the Bible.
All have read or heard the story
of t he two trees in the gard en of
Eden. God placed there two sym–
bolic trees: the "tree of life" and
the "tree of knowledge of good and
evil" (Gen. 2:9) .
But have you ever stopped to
consider the great meaning of these
two trees?
God said to Adam and Eve that
t hey could freely eat of the trees in
t he
garden-including
the tree of
life-except for one tree. And of
t hat tree God
commanded
tbem
not
to eat. That was the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil (Gen.
2:16-17) .
The tree of li fe, as often
explained in tbese pages by
Plain
Truth
Editor-in-Chief Herbert W.
Armstrong, symbolized a life of
obedience to God, of obeying what
he
has declared to be right.
The t ree of the knowledge of
good and evi l, on the other hand,
symbolized man's
deciding for
himself- apart
from God- what is
right and what is wrong. That tree
typi fied man's taking to himself the
prerogative of defining good and
evil. That's why it was called the
"tree of the knowledge of good and
evil."
The first humans received
clear
instructions
from God. But notice!
God then
left it up to them
to
decide
whether
they would do what
was commanded them. He had no
intention of forcing them to obey
him. He gave themful/
freedom of
choice!
Understand this important point!
God gave Adam and Eve the liber–
ty to
choose
whether to obey or to
(Continued on page 29)
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