Morality is Expensive
At a glance, do you agree with the title of this article? Do you think that morality is expensive? Before you read further, think for a minute about if you agree or disagree with this statement. This is an opinion and one that recent events have solidified for me, but if you do not agree with this initial idea that morality is expensive, you may not find anything fruitful, helpful, or kind in the paragraphs below.
The first problem is that calling something expensive requires a judgment. When I think about what makes something expensive, it’s not just about money. Something being costly could cost you time, money, relationships, or other sacrifices. There are many things that may require sacrifice. Choosing to make a sacrifice requires being privileged enough to do so. A simple example using grocery shopping and the environment: If you can afford to be selective about how sustainable packaging is on your food at the grocery store because you’re trying to reduce plastic waste, support companies who are investing in sustainable and reusable options, what a wonderful way to care for God’s creation. If you can barely afford to purchase food and cannot be picky about packaging, choosing not to eat is not a reasonable, Christ-centered, or righteous sacrifice. Making a sacrifice as a moral decision requires being in a privileged enough position to do so. It's part of why Christ pushes so hard to remind the disciples not to judge each other but be supportive. Everyone is on their own faith journey. Everyone has their own ethics, hardline understanding of what would push them to break the societal rules in favor of their ethics and integrity, and challenges that may prevent them from living strictly inline with what you view to be morality.
And that’s where we run into the second problem with this statement. Different people have different understandings of what morality is. The basics of the Christian ethic revolve around two pieces of Scripture: the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes. These are the guidelines that most directly point us to what morality and ethics look like for Christ followers. Unfortunately, many people interpret these things differently. For some, it is a strict interpretation of Levitical law that explains to them what righteousness looks like, but it does seem like Christ points back to these commandments as the law rather than any of the other societal or cultural norms of the time. We see this when Christ says that there are two main commandments: love God with all your heart, mind, body, and soul and love your neighbor as yourself. The Ten Commandments can be broken up into these two. The Beatitudes feed into them as well. If you are a peacemaker, if you are someone who hungers and thirsts for righteousness, you are likely to be someone who lives in a way that doesn’t stand for injustice, fights against evil and corruption, and generally does good for all of God’s children. In short, someone who has morals.
Where this gets even trickier is our current social-political climate. Any action or inaction can easily be interpreted as bad or good. It is a culture war, with morality suffering the most in late-stage capitalism. If they’re all bad in some way, does it really matter where you shop? Yes. Every dollar spent is a mission statement, so how you spend your dollars matters.
Since companies now share internal policies with the outside world, it is easier than ever to know if you are using your funds to support something that you disagree with. I find myself making increasing sacrifices to attempt to align with my morals and values. There are companies who do or say things that I find so antithetical to Christ’s teachings that I find I cannot no longer support them. But I also know that these are decisions I have made for myself and not at all the standards I hold anyone else to. For this very reason, I will not be sharing my list at this time. (Yes, sharing my list could increase my personal boycotts power, but it could also feel condemning for anyone who does not have the privilege of making a different choice.) You’d think that boycotts would make my life more complicated and costly because it does, but I think my biggest take away is that when I buy things in a way I find reflects my understanding of what Christian morals and values looks like, when I shop with integrity, when I purchase ethically, it is much more liberating than oppressing.
Which leads to the last bit of sacrifice. When I have looked at a company and determined they do not mesh with my values, how do I continue a friendship, relationship, or interaction amicably with someone who does? I’m not in the habit of calling anything someone else does a sin because that is not my judgment to make. I can decide if something is criminal because there are laws. But I cannot know what is in someone’s heart and if what they are doing is a sin. Also, I don’t usually know someone’s financial position. My judgment does not help someone who is struggling to buy groceries. But that makes it all that much more important that if you are someone who is in a position to do so, that oh so privileged position, that you use the power given to you to choose righteousness. To be moved by the Holy Spirit and take your business elsewhere. To put in the time, do the work, and research a bit to make sure that companies who regularly get your money are ones that align with Christ’s teachings.
Friends, morality is expensive, but the greatest potential loss comes if we become so self-righteous in seeking our own personal righteousness that we miss what Christ is calling us to do: love God and love our neighbor. Be prudent with your funds and seek God’s glory with every purchase you make. That is something that everyone who follows Christ can do.
