Christian "Para-Morality"

In the July 19th broadcast of Unbelievable?, the atheist spokesman, Rory Fenton remarked that as a "Catholic-atheist," he had grown up in the tradition, but rejected it in his perception that the moral code of the Church had not advanced itself beyond the mores that any secular man would embrace.  His lapse into atheism wasn't to live an exotic wild life of pleasure.  His demeanor was that of an extremely principled person.  Bravo for his ethos, but he remarks on an inaccuracy concerning the Christian faith.

Christianity doesn't promote a specific moral code, not even the Mosaic ordinance of the Old Testament.  Not that a Christian is not cognizant of the Ten Commandments.  They would cite each commandment, arguing only over the numeration of the specific commandment (e.g., the commandment against murder being the Sixth Commandment for my Reformed friends has always been the Fifth Commandment to Lutherans as I and Catholics as well).  They would agree on the importance of the Laws of Moses in daily affairs, but differentiate about the ultimate need of them in matters of salvation.

Christianity is compelled by the single commandment of Christ, to love one another (as impossible a moral code to preserve).  Thus Christianity is not about commitment to established codes, but motivation to properly apply the divine will.  It deals with matters of conscience, and requests thoughtful introspection to all applications.  Moses is indispensable, only the ultimate consequences of failure is dispensed (the faith in Christ, thus there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus).

This is what is maddening to those outside the faith, who deem this faith worthy of criticism.  In white vs. black assessments (this wrong, that right), we may fail to present a system of consistency.  Take, for example, war.  One Christian may be the perfect pacifist.  Another may recognize the matter of defense of self of defense of the weak and defenseless.  One may seek contribution to the war effort as a medic, a soldier, or an anti-war activist.  All impelled by Christ's command to love.  All making a conscientious choice in the matter and at peace with their view of war (irony intentional).    This makes any perception of a truly Christian ethos difficult.  Snickers of presumed hypocrisy are invoked, all due to a failure to understand Christ's Gospel message.

Christ did not descend to offer us new inscribed slabs of stone.  He rose up on a cross to foil the results of Moses' Ten, the guilt and consciousness of sin, its just retribution for failed morals (a truly universal moral status), and to promote a faith-life in which morals no longer are compulsory but a pleasant response of gratitude for something as simple and simply impossible as forgiveness.

And that removes that subtle cause of morality, retribution for failure to abide by the subtle codes that align us all.  Modern morality fails to understand it, or have it at all.