{"id":155,"date":"2019-11-17T15:34:52","date_gmt":"2019-11-17T22:34:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/randomchristianity.com\/?p=155"},"modified":"2019-11-17T15:34:52","modified_gmt":"2019-11-17T22:34:52","slug":"loyalty-is-not-a-virtue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reclaiming-sunday.com\/index.php\/2019\/11\/17\/loyalty-is-not-a-virtue\/","title":{"rendered":"Loyalty is [not] a Virtue"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/reclaiming-sunday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/puppet-on-a-string-e1574031787580.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-162\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Loyalty<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>On the surface, loyalty denotes a keen sense of integrity\nand significance of self-sacrificing commitment. There is no doubt that when\npursued in respect to efforts that serve to elevate authentic virtue, loyalty delivers\npositive intrinsic returns and social repute. But, what is the result of ill-placed\nloyalty? When can an ethically intended practice become unethical? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Loyalty is expressed in various ways. \u201cLoyal\u201d describes\nrelationships to people, commitments, and organizations. We earn rewards with a\nloyalty card, devote loyalty to a cause, and proclaim the unwavering commitment\nof loyalty. We express it through everything from marriage vows to sports\njerseys, supermarkets to church memberships. We celebrate loyalty with rewarded\nairline miles, years of service to an organization, pledging our allegiance to\na country, and every time we attend a wedding anniversary party. Irrespective\nof where our loyalties lie, we regard loyalty as a moral virtue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In attempt to define loyalty as virtuous, I sought various resources and portions of scripture. Here is what I found describing virtue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Virtue<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/virtue\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Defined by Merriam-Webster (opens in a new tab)\">Defined by Merriam-Webster<\/a> as, a: conformity to a standard of right, b: a particular moral excellence. <\/li><li>Acclaimed by Paul as \u201cthings\u201d possessing truth, nobility, justice, purity, loveliness, and of good report; being praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8).<\/li><li>Directed by Peter to be diligently added to faith, along with knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love (1 Peter 1:5-7).<\/li><li>May include the fruits of the Spirit as described by Paul, \u201cLove, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control\u201d (Galatians 5:22-23a)<\/li><li>Depicted by Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount as poor in spirit, mourning, a desire for justice, meekness, humility, peacemaking, and compassion (Matthew 5:1-12)<\/li><li>Described by one evangelical writer as, \u201ca trait or disposition of character that leads to good behavior\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christiancrier\/2015\/08\/19\/what-does-virtue-mean-a-biblical-definition-of-virtue-or-virtuous\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Wellman, 2015 (opens in a new tab)\">Wellman, 2015<\/a>).<\/li><li>Identified by the Vatican in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vatican.va\/archive\/ccc_css\/archive\/catechism\/p3s1c1a7.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Catechism of the Catholic Church (opens in a new tab)\">Catechism of the Catholic Church<\/a> as, \u201da habitual and firm disposition to do the good. The virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and spiritual powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions.\u201d<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>What stands out? Yep, loyalty is not identified as a virtue. Several other identifiable moral practices are noted, but loyalty did not make the cut. We could debate as to why. We could argue that perseverance denotes the same character as loyalty- but then realize that loyalty is simply an offshoot of perseverance. Perhaps loyalty is an act secondary to the primary traits of virtue. At times, loyalty can be applied to a focus undeserving of our efforts. Or maybe, loyalty (when continued for the sake of commitment to loyalty) can obligate a person to disregard best practice or moral regard to sound judgment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here, it is good to note that the biblical descriptions of virtue represent qualities to notice, consider, seek, and mimic. In this regard, scripture seems to indicate that virtue serves as a moral compass on the <a href=\"https:\/\/randomchristianity.com\/2019\/10\/30\/trajectory-heeds-the-end-goal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"trajectory to True North (opens in a new tab)\">trajectory to True North<\/a>. Once we vow loyalty to any entity, political party, sect, denomination, Country, etc. &#8211; we are agreeing to move forward in that relationship in regard to the goals and purpose of that particular program. We either submit Godly traits to a cause likely to pervert our moral endeavor, or we succumb to unjust acts in the name of a higher standard- misrepresenting that standard. In short, we justify unethical conduct by proclaiming righteous loyalty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/plato.stanford.edu\/entries\/loyalty\/#LoyaVirt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (opens in a new tab)\">The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy<\/a> offers this; Loyalty denotes, \u201ca perseverance in an association to which a person has become intrinsically committed as a matter of his or her identity.\u201d We can begin to understand that when we pledge loyalty to anyone or thing beyond God, the stakes of our commitment can quickly become problematic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is no wonder that so many churches, politicians,\nfinancial groups, organizations, and individuals ask for our loyalty. They know\nonce they have our loyalty (membership, pledge, vote, contract), we will say or\ndo anything to refrain from a perceived betrayal or being regarded as disloyal\nor unfaithful. They expect outward expressions of our loyalty while\nprostituting our intrinsic virtue. This is in stark contrast to an\nintrinsically expressed manifestation of virtue stemming from the direction of\nthe Holy Spirit.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Be sure to understand that we should not refrain from\nloyalty. As previously suggested, loyalty, when derived intrinsically in\nalignment with the Holy Spirit, promotes moral endurance. When we aim to pursue\na commitment, it should be in alignment with shared virtue, without force of\nhand, and should ultimately draw us closer to God. This is why the covenant of\nmarriage includes God as an equal partner. When we strive to pursue commitment\nto a spouse without God, we cannot help but be unequally yoked since our unchecked\nintrinsic values often do not remain the same for long (even if they matched or\nat least complimented each other at the time we said our vows). If both\npartners\u2019 values align with The Holy Spirit, the chances of a successful\nmarriage increases substantially. It is much easier to maintain loyalty when\neach party shares a trajectory. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When we attempt loyalty to institutions that demand performance, although it may serve to benefit both parties, we are setting ourselves up for all but guaranteed failure. Our commitment breeds a hemorrhaging of misplaced virtue, especially when the alternate party ransoms their performance for a measure of ours. Once our commitment of loyalty comes into question, we then suffer cognitive dissonance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cognitive Dissonance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Cognitive dissonance, coined by Psychologist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Leon-Festinger\/Cognitive-dissonance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Leon Festinger (opens in a new tab)\">Leon Festinger<\/a>, occurs in response to a discrepancy of internal consistency. Our intrinsic motivation to maintain behavior that reflects our values becomes provoked when we are asked to perform to an expectation in contrast with our beliefs. To relieve the discomfort of cognitive dissonance, we are forced to disregard or realign allegiance. Given we are materialistic beings, it is likely we will choose to perform for immediate social praise when reminded of our duty to a vow of loyalty- no matter that in our effort to maintain loyalty, we disregard authentic and higher-order virtue. And just like that, we spend years at a church that recognizes attendance while dismissing social welfare to immigrants; we pay fees to a credit card that rewards airline miles, we reelect a President who disregards the very core of the teachings Christ mandated as a prerequisite to a full and forgiven life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is chilling vulnerability in the statement, \u201cwhen an\norganization wants you to do right, it asks for your integrity; when it wants\nyou to do wrong, it demands your loyalty\u201d (Stanford.edu).&nbsp; When our loyalty to loyalty exceeds loyalty\nto holy virtue, we compromise our relationship with the One from whom \u201cgood,\nvirtue\u201d originates. A life of authentic faith cannot be obtained through a\ncommitment or loyalty to anyone or thing outside of the One who created us and\nknows us best. It is through our commitment to higher-order faith we are\nprovided the tenacity to make good on loyalties worth pursuing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is no virtue in loyalty to unhealthy commitments that ultimately mock the intended purpose of righteous action. The question is, will we stand up for moral virtue when a \u201ctrusted\u201d entity threatens to question where our loyalties lie. I pray we choose to reflect Christ- even at the momentary cost of social infraction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Serenity_Prayer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Serenity Prayer (opens in a new tab)\">Serenity Prayer<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>God, give me the grace to accept with serenity<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The things that cannot be changed, <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Courage to change the things<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Which should be changed, <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And the Wisdom to distinguish<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The one from the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Living one day at a time,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Enjoying one moment at a time,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Taking, as Jesus did,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This sinful world as it is,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not as I would have it,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trusting that You will make all things right,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If I surrender to Your will,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And supremely happy with You forever in the next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Amen  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Loyalty On the surface, loyalty denotes a keen sense of integrity and significance of self-sacrificing commitment. There is no doubt that when pursued in respect to efforts that serve to elevate authentic virtue, loyalty delivers positive intrinsic returns and social&#8230; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/reclaiming-sunday.com\/index.php\/2019\/11\/17\/loyalty-is-not-a-virtue\/\">Continue Reading &rarr;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":162,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/reclaiming-sunday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/reclaiming-sunday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/reclaiming-sunday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reclaiming-sunday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reclaiming-sunday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=155"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/reclaiming-sunday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reclaiming-sunday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/reclaiming-sunday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reclaiming-sunday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reclaiming-sunday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}