Is because daddy said "No." a moral reason?

Autumnleaf said:

The reason why it is bad and causes problems is because God the Father said so in the Bible.

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Interesting causality you claim there.

It is sound reasoning..... For a 2 year old.

Autumnleaf said:

Many people get into the whys of the consequences behind various things that are defined in the Bible as sin. They rant and rave and try to bring in others to their point of view, when the simplest answer to their problem is, 'The reason why it is bad and causes problems is because God the Father said so in the Bible. Is that a good enough moral reason or should we have to understand what buses will hit us when we don't look both ways when it comes to sin in our lives?

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Your pet dog doesn't jump onto the chesterfield because you told him not to. He doesn't need to understand why, just that master said so.

That is no basis for a system of morality, and why I think secular morality is superior. How can you solve any moral dilemma when you don't understand what makes an action moral or immoral?

keith99 said:

It is sound reasoning..... For a 2 year old.

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Yet a significant percentage of Americans think it should be as the foundation of the American legal system. Scary.

Autumnleaf said:

They rant and rave and try to bring in others to their point of view, when the simplest answer to their problem is, 'The reason why it is bad and causes problems is because God the Father said so in the Bible.

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Straw man. Very rarely do I hear a Christian say "God thinks this is wrong, but I disagree." Rather, many Christians believe that God was misrepresented by the humans who wrote the Bible. Fundamentalism is just one type of Christianity. The majority do not believe that the Bible is perfect, or at least they feel that it's not straightforward and that it can be interpreted in different ways. God =/= Bible.

It's pretty childish reasoning.

My parents did their best to explain things to me, to make sure I understood WHY something was wrong. Demanding obedience without comprehension is how you treat an animal when you're it's master.

So what's your god? Father, or Master?

Autumnleaf said:

Is because daddy said "No." a moral reason?

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In itself?

No.

It generally works for small children, who lack the comprehension to understand the situation they may be in, but that is a temporary measure and no more a good idea for adults than is having adults wear nappies rather than know how to use a loo.

A better measure is "because greatgrandfather, grandfather and father said no", as that implies the values are time-tested and generally beneficial to survival - which is always a good start.

Autumnleaf said:

Many people get into the whys of the consequences behind various things that are defined in the Bible as sin. They rant and rave and try to bring in others to their point of view, when the simplest answer to their problem is, 'The reason why it is bad and causes problems is because God the Father said so in the Bible. Is that a good enough moral reason or should we have to understand what buses will hit us when we don't look both ways when it comes to sin in our lives?

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I would put it this way.

God (or parents) say no to protect their children from harm.

Implicit in the 'command' is that we don't fully comprehend the danger that God or parent is protecting us from.

It becomes a moral issue only when we willfully disobey the command. Now it is no longer the physical danger that God or parent is primarily concerned with, but the mental and moral danger of disobedience of the lawful orders of legitimate authority.

Such warnings and prohibitions are intended to keep us alive and well until we do understand their purpose, at which time most realize that God and parent were acting in our best interest out of love for us. One of the happiest moments in a parent's life is when their children acknowledge and even express gratitude for the protection that was often painfully inflicted upon them.

I fully agree with you. Our dads said no because they care for us. God cares for us and frowns upon things that can hinder our health or that could endanger our lives. The Holy Spirit also has something to do with this as well IMO.

Do we always have to know or understand the reason why something is wrong/bad? Is it even possible to always know/understand?

I think thats a good question

DMX said:

Do we always have to know or understand the reason why something is wrong/bad? Is it even possible to always know/understand?

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No.

Society needs for the ignorant and foolish to obey the knowledgable and wise until the ignorant and foolish become knowledgable and wise.

However, the knowledgable and wise themselves do need to understand the reason why something is wrong, otherwise its the blind leading the blind.

Hammster said:

Sometimes "because I said so" is enough. I say that because I want to teach my children to obey not only my authority, but any authority they might be under. As I'm not a cruel dad, they learn that there is a good reason, even if I don't always let them know what it is.

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That's because they don't understand everything. Adults may think they do, but they don't always. I'm glad my dad raised me like That. Why? Why? Why? Because I say so. Now I understand Why he did that, lol.

keith99 said:

It is sound reasoning..... For a 2 year old.

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Concerning non 2-year olds, it may also be sound reasoning for someone who doesn't want to take responsibility for their actions. It's also a way to pass the buck, or point the finger, IOW. "They told me to do it, so I did it without question."

Hammster said:

Sometimes "because I said so" is enough. I say that because I want to teach my children to obey not only my authority, but any authority they might be under. As I'm not a cruel dad, they learn that there is a good reason, even if I don't always let them know what it is.

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I would never teach my children blind obedience.

Inkfingers said:

However, the knowledgable and wise themselves do need to understand the reason why something is wrong, otherwise its the blind leading the blind.

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Making parenting decisions on intuition or gut feelings isn't all bad. I once stopped my five year old from going with some other children that I did not know into the home of one of them to play. He was downcast for a few moments until they all returned to play outside. I had a bad feeling about one of the older kids. My son quickly forgot that he had been left out, but he was safe and I was happy.

The shoe can also go on the other foot as well. Parents make decisions concerning their brats in order to protect other children from them.