Let me just get to the point quickly on the nature of this RHM BLOG today! I’, talking about doctors and other caregivers who are both unethical and unprofessional! Believe me that all covers a lot of ground and no matter how you look at it, unprofessional, uncaring doctors (and others) who rip off the patient, client or whomever is a huge disgrace to us all and not an uncommon problem today!
This morning on my FACEBOOK post I posed a question asking my friends; “Have you ever been taken advantage of by an unethical or unprofessional doctor or caregiver?”
Several folks responded with their own personal negative experiences of doctors who were cruel, unscrupulous and incredibly unprofessional. My respondents made it quite clear that they had been taken advantage of, disrespected and even placed in harms way as the result of uncaring “healers” and I use that word “healers” with tongue in cheek! Consider a lady whose neurosurgeon treated her badly, a man whose wife was dying of cancer and basically told, “why bother with more treatment?” a woman whose chiropractor took advantage of her and more.
Bad doctors in a world of truly messed up ethics and so much more! Where is all of this lousy treatment and utter disrespect coming from?
Have you ever heard the term “ethical relativism?” “Ethical Relativism” encompasses a number of different beliefs, but they all agree that there are no universal, permanent criteria to determine what may or may not be an ethical act. God granted no divine command, and human nature displays no common law. Consequences have no bearing because each person or society may interpret the “rightness” of each consequence differently.
Ethical relativism teaches that a society’s ethics evolve over time and change to fit circumstances. Ethics refers to a corporate determination of what is right or appropriate versus what is wrong or inappropriate. This is as opposed to morals, which refers to an individual’s determination of right and wrong. Morality and ethics do not always align; someone may consider it morally wrong to eat meat but also believe it is unethical for a government to force others to be vegetarian. Or a parent may agree with the state’s law that prohibits underage drinking but may allow his own child to take a sip of champagne at a family function.
There are several facets of ethical relativism, which states that universal truth is either a myth or impossible to determine, but at the same time admits that ethical behavior does exist. The various views within ethical relativism stem from different opinions on whether ethics are based on culture, careful analysis of the world, or personal opinion. Pragmatism is the belief that the “rightness” of an action is determined by the practical consequences of that action. Pragmatism asks the question “Does it work?”
Ethics without a firm foundation are useless for anything other than reflecting the beliefs of a particular people group at a certain time. God calls us to know the truth (John 8:32) and worship Him in truth (John 4:24). It is foolish to base choices of right and wrong only on pragmatism. The easiest way to do something may be efficient and therefore pragmatic, but the easiest way may not be the best way. Also, trying to determine morality based on consequences is unwise. For one thing, we cannot foresee all the results of an action; we can only guess. Only God knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). For another thing, some good actions may have a bad result, and vice versa. What of the bank robber who is never caught? Is his crime “right” because he experienced the “good result” of becoming rich? Or what of the fireman who dies rescuing a child? Is his sacrifice “wrong” because it had the “impractical” result of his death? Consequences do not define truth; Scripture does.
Moral relativism basically says that the morality of an act depends entirely on the opinion of the acting agent. So, each individual has the right to determine morality for himself. Of course, with seven billion opinions as to what is “moral,” morality quickly loses its significance altogether.
Proverbs 16:25 says, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Moral relativism—the way that seems right to a man—leads to death.
But believers, need wisdom (Proverbs 3:13). Grounding ethics in God’s Word will ensure their relevance beyond the lifespan of the host culture. Ethics should be more than an indicator of a society’s present personality. They should reflect God’s eternal wisdom in guiding how we can live together and honor Him. Ethics based on human wisdom is foolish, fickle, and fleeting (Proverbs 14:12). When humanity fell, the standards by which we live also fell. We “exchanged the truth of God for a lie” (Romans 1:25). But God’s Word doesn’t change (1 Peter 1:24-25).
So, my question for us today, What informs your moral and ethical compass? In other words, where did you learn what is ethically and morally proper? How should you and I respond to unethical and unprofessional doctors and caregivers? Seriously, I would like to hear your thoughts and comments on the topic. Should we confront them, avoid them, sue them? What’s your thoughts? Feel free to comment.