Alrighty, let’s continue our mini-lesson from yesterday on the three main philosophies that undergird every society in the world.
They are…
1) Guilt and Innocence
2) Power and Fear
3) Shame and Honor
I finished off yesterday with a little quiz asking you to tell me which of the following countries fall under which category:
America
Israel
Japan
China
North Korea
Pakistan
Iran
Now you know what blew me away?
Most folks consider America’s underlying civil philosophy to be “Power & Fear.”
I was like, what?!
Are you kidding me?
America is the most litigious society in the world.
Just look at our political debates.
More often than not, the topics revolve around legal rights versus wrongs.
So, there’s no doubt America falls under the “Guilt & Innocence” category.
The same goes for a good portion of the Western world, including Australia
But I gotta say, America is quite extreme when it comes to how rigid its government is in enforcing its laws.
Especially with Trump now in office.
I mean, look at his stance on border control and immigration.
Maybe that’s why a lot of folks associate America with being a “Fear & Power” regime.
Surprisingly, the Soviet Union would also fall under the Guilt & Innocence category.
So basically, if a country ticks off the following points, then you can be pretty confident you’re dealing with a Guilt & Innocence platform.
POINT 1:The laws are absolute, and the punishments are consistent as a consequence of breaking those laws.
POINT 2: Decisions are made based on a clear idea of what is right and wrong.
POINT 3: The overriding societal philosophy is that nobody is above the law.
Now, having said all that, recognize that some nations are more corrupt than others.
And some nations are more flexible when enforcing their laws.
So don’t be black-and-white when categorizing nations.
We’re talking about the dominant philosophy in any given nation or society.
Richard Nixon is a perfect example.
He was once the President of the United States.
Then Watergate exposed his abuse of power, and he became a symbol of political corruption.
At one time, society saw him as innocent.
Now, society sees him as guilty.
And that change in status turned him into a social outcast.
So you’re probably thinking, duh.
Ain’t that how everybody thinks?
Every society has its own ideas about right and wrong, guilt and innocence.
Sure, those ideas may differ from one society to another, but everybody has them.
Actually, no.
That assumption is precisely why you misunderstand Scripture on so many levels.
And that’s your takeaway for today.
Until you recognize the foundational philosophy you hold that guides your sense of right and wrong…
Not only will you have difficulty empathizing with people from other cultures.
Your understanding of Scripture will be quite limited.
Ya feel me?
Done.
Next time, we explore the next philosophy.
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