Gilberto, At 10:29 PM 1/26/2005, you wrote: >>Could you give examples of each to explain how they are different?<<
Justice is a virtue. It is defined (structurized) by Baha'u'llah, in one sense, as upheld by reward and punishment: "O people of God! That which traineth the world is Justice, for it is upheld by two pillars, reward and punishment. These two pillars are the sources of life to the world. Inasmuch as for each day there is a new problem and for every problem an expedient solution, such affairs should be referred to the Ministers of the House of Justice that they may act according to the needs and requirements of the time." -- Baha'u'llah, "Bisharat," Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p.27 Situations may arise in the moral contexts of different societies which require specific solutions; and the virtue of justice needs to be related to each socially constructed moral code. Social norms and values in the U.S. have historically been structurized around particular species of racism, sexism, and classism. Therefore, the virtue of justice would be tailored or applied differently to meet the requirements, and to solve the problems, of U.S. society than, I don't know, maybe of Peruvian society. >>I think one should be sensitive to the customs of the people around you. >>That's just adab. If belching in public and slurping your soup loudly is >>acceptable in a certain environment, go for it. If it isn't, you should >>refrain. But this isn't a moral issue.<< But it *is* a moral issue (a folkway), as morality is generally defined in sociology. That is why I am making a distinction between morality (values and norms) and virtues (spiritual qualities taught by particular Prophets). >>I don't think I have a aone-size-fits-all approach to behavior. I think there >>are different levels. I definitely agree that there is an aspect of human >>behavior and codes of acceptibility which fluctuates from time to time. But I >>would think that there is some core which has to do with basic moral >>principles and which has a divine origin.<< If there is such a core, I would leave it up to God. I assume that God can change any possible "core" as He wills. From my perspective, I just look to what Baha'u'llah reveals. >>So for example, the ultimate principle could be something like concern for >>the sanctity of human life and safety.<< Concern for the sanctity of life is just a name or signifier. One would need to look to the meaning behind that name, as taught by a given Prophet, and attempt to determine the meaning behind it. Regards, Mark A. Foster • http://markfoster.net • [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Sacred cows make the tastiest hamburger." ---- Abbie Hoffman __________________________________________________ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:archive@mail-archive.com To unsubscribe, send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, use subscribe bahai-st in the message body to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:bahai-st@list.jccc.edu Web - http://list.jccc.edu/read/?forum=bahai-st News - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st Public - http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.net New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.edu
