Common sense is a helpful aid in regards to common situations. When it comes to the run-of-the-mill, everyday, common occurences, common sense can not be disregarded. Paying bills, cleaning the house, morning routines, casual conversation, basic skill sets and the like, require common sense. As far as almost everything else is concerned, I question the value with which common sense is often invested by the majority of Americans.
When it comes to colossal issues such as career development, familial care, national legislation, foreign policy, global poverty, AIDS alleviation and the like, I question the glory with which common sense is frequently exalted. Now, I believe that common sense will certainly play a role in such complicated matters. However, there is quite often this pervasive sentiment that regards common sense as akin to the woman in the book of Proverbs know as Wisdom:
“And now, O sons, listen to me:
blessed are those who keep my ways.
Hear instruction and be wise,
and do not neglect it.
Blessed is the one who listens to me,
watching daily at my gates,
waiting beside my doors.
For whoever finds me finds life
and obtains favor from the LORD,
but he who fails to find me injures himself;
all who hate me love death.”
(Proverbs 8:32-36 ESV)
Perhaps I am exaggerating a bit, but am I? How often do we hear politicians loathe over the fact that 'common sense is not so common anymore?' How often do we hear people respond to our mistakes with the 'obvious' question: 'why didn't you just use common sense?!' Certainly, there are instances when our fumbles could have been prevented by the grip of common sense. But can we say that common sense is practically synonymous with wisdom? Of course, no one overtly states such a thought, but if you pay attention, it is subtly implied.
Let's think about this for a second though. Jesus and the New Testament authors teach that the first will be last and the last will be first; the greatest is the least and the least is the greatest; the one who exalts herself will be humbled and the one who humbles himself will be exalted; the weak are the strong and the strong are the weak; the wise are the foolish and the foolish are the wise; mercy triumphs over justice. God almighty, the sovereign Creator of the universe flexes His omnipotent muscle by becoming a human being, hangs out with the social outcasts, constantly ridicules religion, lives a perfectly sinless life, dies a hellish death and then rises from the grave! Sinful humans freely inherit the divine nature (II Peter 1:4; cf. Ephesians 1) simply by grace through faith the size of a grain of sugar (or a mustard seed)! The Gospel is completely upside down, flies in the face of all that is typical and offends our common sense!
I love what Siddhārtha Gautama had to say about common sense: "Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said it. Believe nothing just because a belief is generally held. Believe nothing just because it is said in ancient books. Believe nothing just because it is said to be of divine origin. Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you yourself test and judge to be true." The Buddah was on to something with this one, I believe.
This rambling arises from my recent musings on the idea of the Just War Theory. Certainly, from a common sense perspective, the Just War Theory is perhaps one of the highest ethical ideals when it comes to the tragedies of violence and war. However, I take seriously the teachings of Jesus and I cannot help but hold up His opinion on the subject. Jesus is unambiguous, straight-forward and lucid as to what He understands as the ideal when it comes to this topic. However, it depresses me that the church has not taken this teaching seriously and has opted for common sense.
For instance, groups of Christians who claim that they take all their direction for life from the Bible have constantly deferred to common sense when it comes to this question. You will hear things like, "If someone invaded my home and sought to take my family's life, it would be unethical for me not to put a bullet through their head!" "How could we NOT charge into Germany and fight for justice during the Holocaust?!" Now, I completely understand why these questions are asked; they NEED to be asked! I applaud the sincerity of those who ask such questions, as I myself seek answers to these kinds of questions.
However, I find it ironic that those who claim the Bible as their authority immediately allow common sense to be their authority rather than Jesus. Appeals such as these to emotionally difficult situations without considering te teachings of Jesus are devoid of wisdom. Consider the issue of abortion. What if, when asked about how the unborn should be treated, we immediately asked: "What about the 13 yeard old girl who gets brutally raped by her uncle and is told by the doctor that the baby is going to have severe deformities and may cause even further complications, even potentially causing death to the baby and the mother?!" From this emotionally-charged perspective, abortion seems like an ethical ideal!
I'm currently reading Mark Juergensmeyer's "Terror In The Mind Of God," and the casual way these terrorists talk about religious violence is astounding! Common sense is at the heart of this reasoning. Rev. Michael Bray, a Christian terrorist who was responsible for abortion clinic bombings in America, is depicted in the book holding up a sign which casually asks, "Is it wrong to use force to stop the murder of innocent babies?" When common sense reigns as king, the answer is obvious, as Rev. Bray's actions display.
So I begin this series by asking the church to question common sense, especially when it comes to the Just War Theory.
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