What is Normal, Cultural, or Abnormal,
and What is Right, Good, Best, Wrong, Bad, or Amoral?
“Normal” is average; a pattern or trait taken to
be typical in the behavior of a social group (Webster’s New
Collegiate Dictionary by A. Merriam Webster).
¨ is conforming to or constituting an accepted standard,
model, or pattern; usual; typical (Collier’s Dictionary by William
Halsey – ed.).
¨ is conforming to the standard, regular, or average for a
particular type or group (New Webster’s Dictionary and Thesaurus of the
English Language).
“Cultural” is the customary, commonly practiced,
usual beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or
social group (Webster’s).
¨ is relating to the sum total of the beliefs,
accomplishments, and behavior patterns of a group of people, acquired by
members of the group through social learning and transmitted from one
generation to another (Collier’s).
¨ is relating to the social and religious structures and
intellectual and artistic manifestations, etc. that characterize a society (New
Webster’s).
“Abnormal”
is deviating from the normal or average (Webster’s).
¨ is deviating markedly from the normal, usual, or average (Collier’s).
¨ is different from the norm or average; unusual; not normal
(New Webster’s).
“Right”
is being in accordance with what is just, good, or proper; conforming to facts
or truth; correct (Webster’s).
¨ is in accordance with that which is regarded as just,
moral, or good (Collier’s).
¨ is obeying the moral law; correct; conforming with the
moral law (New Webster’s).
¨ is consistent with the nature, ways, and will of God (An
Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words by Drs. Vine, Unger, and White,
Jr.).
“Good”
is conforming to the moral order of the universe (Webster’s).
¨ is characterized by or possessing moral excellence;
virtuous (Collier’s).
¨ is morally honorable, pleasing to God; ethically right;
upright (An Expository Dictionary…).
“Best”
is excelling all others; the greatest degree of good or excellence (Webster’s).
¨ is the most excellent way; of the highest quality or
excellence; superior to all others (Collier’s).
¨ is the most excellent way; most advantageous (New
Webster’s).
“Wrong” is the principles, practices, or
conduct contrary to goodness, law, or the moral standard; sinful; not according
to truth or facts (Webster’s).
¨ is not in accordance with that which is regarded as moral,
just, or good; not true or correct (Collier’s).
¨ is not in accordance with moral standards; not morally
right (New Webster’s).
¨ is evil; unrighteous; a condition of not being right with
God according to the standard of His holiness and righteousness (An
Expository Dictionary…).
“Amoral”
is being neither moral nor immoral (Webster’s; Collier’s;
New Webster’s).
ARE THE FOLLOWING THINGS NORMAL,
CULTURAL, ABNORMAL, RIGHT, GOOD, BEST, WRONG, BAD, OR AMORAL? AND DOES YOUR
ANSWER DEPEND ON ANY OF THE FOLLOWING FACTORS:VILLAGE,
CITY, STATE, COUNTRY, YEAR, SEASON, DAY, RACE, NATIONALITY, AGE, GENDER,
SCHOOL, CHURCH, OCCASION, DESTINATION, OR SOMETHING ELSE?
Ø
to
bleach or dye your hair?
Ø
to have long hair, short hair, crew-cut, Afro,
faded-cut, bald cut, pony tailed, curly, permed, bowl
cut, Mohawk, greased down, dry look, sprayed up or down, pig tails, or
something else?
Ø
for a church building to be made of brick, wood,
stone, mud, bamboo, or something else, with stained glass, clear glass, or no
glass windows, with a cross and steeple on top or no cross or no steeple, in
the form of a big building, a person’s home or apartment, a rented store-front
or gym, a hut, a basement, or in something else?
Ø
to live
in a castle, mansion, ranch home, bungalow, high-rise, hut, cave, apartment,
duplex, tree house, cardboard box, on a sidewalk, under a bridge, in an igloo,
barn, cottage, cabin, or something else?
Ø
to
pierce your ears and wear earrings?
Ø
to wear
a fat or skinny tie or no tie to work?
Ø
for males to go to school wearing bell-bottoms,
flared pants, jeans, straight-legged pants, cords, shorts, a kilt, robe, baggy
pants, loin-cloth, or something else?
Ø
for males
to wear any of the above to church?
Ø
for a
female to go to school wearing a long dress, knee-length dress, mini-skirt,
shorts, jeans, grass skirt, long pants, gown, robe, or something else?
Ø
for
females to wear any of the above to church?
Ø
to visit a friend by walking, tricycle, bicycle,
motorcycle, car, truck, horse, donkey, elephant, boat, canoe, submarine, horse
and buggy, hot-air balloon, plane, jet, bus, taxi, limousine, helicopter,
train, or something else?
Ø
while out
in public, to wear a hat, cap, hood, turban, scarf, veil, nothing, or something
else?
Ø
while out
in public, to wear dress shoes, gym shoes, boots, sandals, moccasins, go
barefoot, or something else?
Ø
to eat
monkeys, snakes, and/or caterpillars for meals?
Ø
for a
groom to get married in a tuxedo, sport coat, robe, loin-cloth, or something
else?
q
Is it normal
for drivers in
Why (
If you do obey the speed limits, do the drivers behind you on a
one-lane road look at you as being abnormal and even get mad at you?
How does that make you feel, and why?
And what do you do, and why?
q
Is it normal
for men to lust for/after good-looking women?
If so, does that make it right (if
the woman is not your wife)? Why
(Matt.
Do other guys think you’re abnormal or possibly homosexual when you don’t
lustfully look at attractive women?
If so, how does that make you feel, and why?
And what do you do when this happens, and why?
q
Is it normal
for people to truly believe the gospel of Jesus Christ (1 Cor.
Why (1 Jn.
q
Is it normal
for people to sin (Gen. 6:5; 8:21; Psa.
58:3; Rom. 3:12, 23; 5:12; 6:6, 17, 20; 8:6-8; Eph. 2:1-3; 1 Jn. 1:8, 10)?
If so, does that make it right?
Why (Gen. 6:6; Ex. 20:3-17; Rom.
Do you or others you know try to justify your/their sin by saying, “Well,
nobody’s perfect!”?
How do you feel when people make this kind of rationalized excuse, and
why?
q
Did Jesus’
family think that Jesus was normal for having a discipleship ministry that kept
Him really busy (Mk.
But was Jesus in the right? Why
(Jn.
Should we Christians
today be involved in building up and training believers into Christ-like
maturity, even if our families view it as abnormal? Why (Eph.
If your family thinks
that you’re abnormal or insane for being busy in a biblical, teaching-training
ministry, how does that make you feel, and why?
Do we see Christians building up believers into Christ-like maturity in
the early Church (Paul with Timothy –
Acts 16:1-5; 2 Tim.
And what do you do when people make negative comments about you wasting
your life pursuing this, and why?
q
Is it normal
for Christians to get married? If
so, does that necessarily mean it’s best to do?
Why (1 Cor. 7:7, 8, 26-29, 38;
Matt.
If you’re not married and 25-years-old or older, do people think you’re
abnormal or possibly homosexual?
If so, how does that make you feel, and why?
How do you handle people’s comments about their saying you’re abnormal,
and why that response?
q
Is
aggressive/initiative evangelism a normal goal believers
in
Why (Eph. 4:11, 12 with 2 Tim. 4:5;
Phil. 4:9 with 1:7, 12; Phil. 2:2 with 1:27; Acts 10:42, 43 with Matt. 28:19,
20)?
Was evangelism the
normal activity for first-century believers (Acts
1:8, 2:22-24, 32, 3:12, 18, 19; 4:8-12, 5:29-32; 6:7-9, 14; 8:1, 4, 5, 12, 35,
40; 9:20, 22, 11:19, 20; 13:46, 47, 49; 14:7, 15, 21; 16:10, 29-31; 18:24, 25,
28; 19:10; Phil. 1:14; 4:2, 3; Gal. 2:9; Col. 1:4-7; 2 Cor. 1:19, 1 Thes. 1:1,
5, 8; 2:9)?
Do other people think
you’re abnormal or a religious fanatic because you regularly take the
initiative to witness to strangers and acquaintances alike? If so, how do their negative
comments make you feel, and why?
And what do you do when
people make such comments about you, and why?
q
Is it
abnormal for believers in
If so, does that make it bad or wrong to suffer for your faith? Why (Phil.
Was it abnormal to
suffer in the first-century for this (Acts
4:3; 5:17, 18; 7:59, 60; 8:1; 9:1; 12:1, 2; 13:50; 14:19; 16:19, 22-24; 2 Cor.
11:23-25; Heb. 10:32-34; Rev. 1:9; 2:8-10)? Or,
will it be in the future (Rev. 6:9-11,
How do you feel when you
suffer because of your Christianity, doing or saying what’s right, and why?
q
Is it
abnormal for Christians in
If so, does that make it wrong to do? Why
(Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor.
Do other people think you’re abnormal or a cult because your church meets in an apartment or home?
How do you feel when people make negative comments about you doing so,
and why?
q
Is it normal
for single women in
If so, does that make right? Why
(Jas.
q
Is it normal
for teenagers in
If so, does that make it right? Why
(Eph.
q
Is it normal
for grocery shoppers in
If so, does this make it right? Why
(Eph.
Do people think you’re
abnormal or crazy for thinking it’s stealing to taste a couple of grapes before
deciding whether you want to buy them? If
so, how do you feel when people think this of you, and why?
q
Is it normal
for people to lie when they are in a potentially stressful, embarrassing, or
damaging situation?
If so, does that make it right to do? Why
(Col. 3:9; Prov.
Do people think you’re
abnormal because you won’t lie to get them out of a bad situation or cover for
some wrong they did, or to protect your family or yourself from some
embarrassing situation?
How do you feel when
people think this of you, and why?
q
Is it normal
for people to get angry when circumstances don’t go the way they want?
If so, does that make anger right (if
injustice or slandering God is not the issue)? Why (Eph.
Do people think you’re
abnormal for not getting angry when someone does you wrong, calls you a bad
name, or circumstances don’t go the way they know you’d like them to go? If so, how do you
feel about how they view you, and why?
q
Is it normal
for 19-year-olds, who come from a middle or upper class family, to attend a
secular college or university?
If so, does that make it
right or best for Christian 19-year-olds to do? Why
(Rom. 14:7, 8; 1 Cor. 6:19, 20; 2 Cor.
5:15; Prov. 23:4; 1 Tim. 6:6-10; Matt. 6:19-21; 22:36-38 with 1 Jn. 5:3; Titus
2:12; 1 Cor. 3:19; 1 Tim. 6:20, 21; Col. 3:1, 2; Phil. 4:8 with Psa. 119:160
and Jn. 17:17)?
Do people think you’re
abnormal or crazy for not going to college to seek a degree (if you’re not)?
How do their thoughts/comments about you make you feel, and why?
q
Is it
abnormal for capable adults to not work at a salaried job or be self-employed?
If so, does that make it
wrong or bad to either live by faith in God’s provision for you or to be
financially sponsored by other people, if you are a full-time missionary (evangelizing and spiritually building up
and training Christians)?
Why (1 Cor. 9:4, 6-14; 3 Jn. 1:5-8; Matt. 10:9, 10)?
Do people think you’re
abnormal, crazy, or a lazy bum for not working at a paid job (if you’re a full-time missionary)?
If so, how do you feel about how they view you, and why?
q
Is it
abnormal for a 12-year-old boy to stay behind alone in a city different from
where he lives and to not notify his parents when they are leaving that city to
return home many miles away on foot or donkey? But
was it right for Jesus to do?
Why (Lk.
Do your parents think
you’re abnormal or insensitive to them because you’re not around them when they
expect you to be, but it’s for the reason that you are doing God’s will? If so, how does
this make you feel, and why?
q
Did many of
the Jews think that Jesus was abnormal because of the truths He taught (Jn. 10:7-21)?
But was Jesus right, and
did He speak the truth (1 Pet.
How do you feel when
people think you’re insane or abnormal because you speak what the Bible
teaches, and why?
q
Is it
abnormal for a person to just drop his career and/or leave his family in order
to follow a traveling spiritual leader who wants to disciple/train that person? If so, were Peter,
Andrew, James, John, and Matthew right in doing so?
Why (Jn.
Are we to also follow
Christ in being fishers of men (doing
evangelism)? Why
(Eph.
Did Timothy drop
everything to follow a traveling spiritual leader, Paul, who wanted to teach
and train him (Acts 16:1-4; 2 Tim.
If a spiritual and
trained, Christian leader challenged you to follow him to be taught and trained
by him to be Christ-like so that you could be a better fisher of men (evangelizer), would you leave your
career, family, and schooling in order to follow him, even if other people
thought you were abnormal for doing so?
Why (Matt.
How do/would you feel when people think you’re abnormal or crazy for not
pursuing a salaried career and/or for leaving your family and/or schooling to
be taught and trained to be Christ-like, which includes learning how to
evangelize, and why?
q
Did the
Roman governor Festus think that Paul was abnormal because Paul spoke the
gospel to him (Acts 26:24)?
But was Paul right about all that he spoke in 26:1-24? (see Isa. 11; 53;
54; Acts 9:1-29; 13:1-47)
Do people, including any
civil authorities, think that you are abnormal or out of your mind because you
speak the gospel of Jesus Christ with them? But
are you right?
Why (1 Cor. 15:1-4; Matt. 28:19, 20; Phil. 2:2 with
q
Is it normal
for people to get impatient when they want something immediately, but don’t get
it, or when they are in a hurry and various hindrances
or people get in their way that slow them down or make them late?
If so, does that make being impatient right? Why (Eph.
4:1, 2; 1 Thes.
q
Is it
abnormal to go on evangelistic/missionary trips for an extended period of time
and not take any food, money, or extra clothes?
But is it right if God/Jesus tells you to do so (Lk. 9:1-4; 10:1-9)? Why
(Matt.
Are you willing to do that which other people think is abnormal, but
which God tells you to do in the Bible? Why?
Would that include obeying what your spiritual leader tells you to do (assuming he doesn’t tell you to commit a
sin)?
Why (Heb.