Who Says? (2 min vid + text)

This is a true story:

“I could kill you while we’re sitting here.”

“But you seem like such a nice man!”

How can anyone say anything is right or wrong?

Watch our two minute video (full text & “afterword” below).

Ethics don’t come out of mid-air, even when riding on a plane. 

Subscribe to “Truth in Two” videos from Comenius (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website), spends time with Christian young people in public university (1 minute video), hosts a weekly radio program with diverse groups of guests (1 minute video), interprets culture from a Christian vantage point (1 minute video).

Picture Credit: Snappy Goat

FULL TEXT and “AFTERWORD” BELOW

Our conversation began in Charlotte, North Carolina and ended on the Indianapolis tarmac.  It happens naturally at times.  One sits beside a stranger on an airplane that becomes a friendly acquaintance 90 minutes later.  He is 26 and had just written an independent screenplay for one of the big Hollywood studios. Fyodor Dostoevsky’s famous novel The Brothers Karamazov was his inspiration for a story that would engage 21^st century characters.

The theme of the screenplay focuses on choices four brothers make about an ethical dilemma.  Four different human points of view could then be considered by the audience as an appropriate response to a question of right and wrong.

Mid-way through the 20 minute explanation of his humanistic theme, I interrupted and asked “Who says?”  Disgruntled he replied, “What do you mean, ‘Who says?'”  Focusing on his human-centered response to an ethical dilemma I pointed out that none of the characters had a basis for authority outside of themselves.

“Push comes to shove,” I continued, “I could kill you while we sit here together.  My defense for killing you would be no different than any of the characters you just explained to me.”

“But you can’t do that!” a look of shock registered on his face.  “You seem like a nice man!”  And again I asked, “Who says?”  “You see,” I continued, “You are arguing for ethical behavior based on individual morality.  There are people in this world who would kill us just because of our skin color or nationality.  That leaves me with only one question, ‘Who says?'”

My airline companion suffers from the same issue that has plagued the human race since Genesis. At the Comenius Institute we believe the answer to “Who says?” is “God says.” If there is no authority outside of ourselves, we have no one to answer to but ourselves.

For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, President of the Comenius Institute, personally seeking Truth wherever it’s found.

AFTERWORD Dostoevsky’s novel originally included a Christian as one of the brothers. The young screenwriter on the plane decided not to include the character in his screenplay. In his words, “I did not want to clutter the film.” Dostoevsky’s most famous line in his story? “If there is no God, everything is permitted.”