There are many times in life where we're confronted with moral dilemmas. It seems like all of our options are bad–even sinful. But are they really? What are we supposed to do in these situations? How can we solve the dilemma?
For example, suppose your child is desperately sick and the only cure is one that was derived from unborn babies who were killed for medical research. Can you use the vaccine to save your child's life? Does doing so mean you're cooperating with the culture of death?
And if you use the cure, does that make you a moral hypocrite? How can we assess charges of hypocrisy?
These are among the questions we explore in this week's episode of the Jimmy Akin Podcast!
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SHOW NOTES:
JIMMY AKIN PODCAST EPISODE 021 (11/20/11)
* DARRIN ASKS ABOUT MORAL DILEMMAS, EMBRYONIC STEM CELL RESEARCH, & HYPOCRISY
1 Cor. 10:13: "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."
Instruction Dignitas Personae (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith), section 35.
"Nothing is more unjust, however common, than to charge with hypocrisy him that expresses zeal for those virtues which he neglects to practice; since he may be sincerely convinced of the advantages of conquering his passions, without having yet obtained the victory, as a man may be confident of the advantages of a voyage, or a journey, without having courage or industry to undertake it, and may honestly recommend to others, those attempts which he neglects himself" (Samuel Johnson, The Rambler No. 14).
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/Joh1Ram.html
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Peter Kreeft’s Making Choices dovetails nicely with this podcast.
Hey Jimmy,
Add “jimmyskins” to your meta keywords. I accidentally searched for that instead of jimmyakins 😛
Seems like a pretty simple thing to answer…
For example, suppose sinners in need of salvation could only attain it from the Sacrifice of God’s Son on the cross through His unjust crucifixion? Are we then cooperating with those who falsely accused Him, rejected Him and wanted Him dead?
A lot of medical research today that we take for granted could be attributed to finding its beginnings in monstrous medical practices of carving up live sentenced men, or to take it into other areas, does a man living in America today act hypocritically or unjustly because he is living on land that was arugably taken away from the native inhabitants through unjust and evil methods? If a man who was sterile and wanted a child could not bear one with his wife, and should his wife have unfortunately been raped and got pregnant, and should he have chosen to raise that child as his own, would this mean he has cooperated with rape and unjustly raises that child with love?
Good things bourne from past misdeeds do not devalue that which is currently good, and do not justify that which was wrong. Ends do not justify the means. But if the ends are here whether we desired those means or not, you are not faulted for using them or making lemonade when life gives you lemons. God does not do evil, but can bring about good from evil. Oh happy fault, oh necessary sin of Adam, that gave us so great a redeemer…
Using a vaccine obtained from embryonic stem cell research would only be forbidden if such a vaccine required more embryos to be killed to obtain it. In which case you are murdering another for the sake of someone else. But if it was research that killed embryos that derived a vaccine and that vaccine can now in and of itself be created without any further wrongdoing, then the vaccine is fine, however the initial means that discovered it would be condemned, and the practice of such research should be ended permanently and never encouraged.
‘Desert Island Medical example’:
Well, amputation…, for example. If someone hurts a limb and it goes into gangrene, you will have to amputate it.
And you do not need even need to be on a desert island for this example… just any place lacking painkillers and/or anesthetics.
“Using a vaccine obtained from embryonic stem cell research would only be forbidden if such a vaccine required more embryos to be killed to obtain it. ”
That is not so easy Johnno.
Using the vaccine might be seen as condoning embrionic stem cell research even if the production of such vaccine did not require any more abortions.
If indeed the use of such vaccine stimulates abortion indirectly, then it is wrong.