Who is God to you and what is the purpose of life as for living ethically? These ‘big picture questions’, as Mattison noted, is something that everyone questions regardless of their religious backgrounds (pp 226). Also, one may want to question, if the Bible can be used as an ethical guide in latter? However, if the purpose of life were to live happy while helping others, one would have to agree that the Bible does share some important ethical values that can be practiced in latter. Therefore, some information from the Bible can still be used as an ethical guide as it teaches one: to not be possessive, to value family, and to love the needy.
Can owning a luxury good make one possessive? Per Mattison, “Stinginess is using one’s resources poorly by refusing to help others when one can” (pp 61). Hypothetically, if a stranger needed to use a phone to call for a ride, and asked a stranger to lend his or her iPhone to him or her, this situation can lead to the iPhone owner being selfish. Thus, one would care about the iPhone being stolen versus the stranger not getting a ride home. For example, take the story of Lazarus and the rich man from the Bible; Lazarus was a poor man, who would wait for leftovers from the rich man’s home, but never received any food. In the Bible, it teaches one to not get
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As Mattison noted, in every encounter, Jesus taught his followers by his actions to not reject the poor, the sick, or sinners, but, instead, enrich their lives (pp 283-284). For example, a latter day organization that helps the needy would be The American Red Cross. When disaster relief is needed in the area, one of the sponsors is the American Red Cross that helps with food donation and shelter for the homeless. As noted on the American Red Cross website, “ Volunteers carry out 90% of the humanitarian work of the Red Cross” (American Red