Witnesses.pptx

KNOWING JESUS THROUGH HIS WITNESSES

A witness is one present in an event, one who personally sees or perceive something taking place. He/she is a beholder spectator or eyewitness. He/she testifies to what was seen, heard or otherwise observed (Black’s Law Dictionary). Furthermore, a witness tells what he/she knows to be true. He/she gives testimony to the truth. John the Baptist qualifies for such a witness: “ I have seen and testify that this is the Son of God” (John 1:34). The other witnesses to Jesus’ words and works were the disciples and the many other women and men who were little known but declared their faith in Jesus. They confessed him as Christ. They, too, were credible witnesses to the ministry, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus.

SACRED SCRIPTURES John 1:35-39

“The next day John was there with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus walking by, he said, “Look, the lamb of God!” When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi, (which means teacher), where are You staying? Come, He replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where He was staying, and spent that day with Him. It was about the tenth hour” (about four o’ clock in the afternoon).

SACRED SCRIPTURES John 15: 12-17

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from the Father. You did not chose me but I choose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.”

In the synoptic Gospel Jesus chose twelve apostles (Matt 10:1-15; Mk 6: 7-13 and Lk 6:12-16, 9:1-6) who were bound to be with him at any time of the day and night in order to reveal himself to them and to teach them how it is to live as sons and daughters of a God who is their Father and who invites them to be members of His Kingdom. Jesus’ aim in calling the twelve as disciples and designating them as apostles (from Greek word apostolos, one who is sent) were: That they may know God and God’s dream of sharing the divine life with humans in the coming of the kingdom of God; That they may know and love him intimately as their teacher and friend; That he might send them out to preach and carry on his work; and That they would be the Spirit’s means for others to come to know Jesus. Nevertheless, those who followed and confessed Jesus were not only the twelve apostles. There are still many others who are described in the gospels as witnesses of Jesus. Like describes seventy (or seventy-two) others whom Jesus sent before him (Lk 10:1-12).

In the later years, millions of people were able to know and believe in Jesus Christ through the message and report of the apostles who were given the task of being witnesses to testify to the truth about Him. As He sent them into the world, Jesus said:

“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Jn 20:21 Likewise, in the account in the Acts of the Apostles when Jesus ascended to heaven, he said:

“…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

There are also many women disciples who are explicitly named by the evangelists who provided for the needs of Jesus and his companions, like Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna and many others (Lk 8:1-3). Moreover, the gospels tell us of other women disciples who proclaimed Jesus to her whole community like: The Samaritan Woman (Jn 4:4-32) Martha and Mary, his women friends who proclaimed their faith and trust in Jesus (Jn 11:1-27) The unnamed women from Galilee who remained faithful to him even until the cross when the rest of the twelve left him behind when Jesus was caught (Mk 15:40-41) Those women who came anoint him and became the first witnesses of the resurrection (Mk. 16:1-8; Mt. 28:1-10; Lk 24:1-12, Jn 20:1-18) with Mary Magdalene as the most prominent one for she is hailed as the Apostle to the Apostles (the one who was sent to the Apostles in Jn 20:17). There were also little and unknown people who gave witness to Jesus such as the blind men (Mt. 20:29-34), the centurion at the foot of the cross (Mk 15:39), the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Lk 24:13-35) and many others.

Privacy Is it legitimate for media to collect information about politicians’ private lives to expose purported immoral (but not illegal) behavior? Do politicians have no ethical right to privacy? (Even if they have little legal right.) The Gary Hart incident set a new ethical standard, but two thirds of Americans thought he was treated in an unethical manner by the media. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmKFLVcagSg]

Privacy Why do we value privacy?

It’s a modern development—Colonial America had a different perception of need for privacy: drinking, eating, sleeping facilities were shared at inns. It’s a mass media development—as mass media grew, privacy become more difficult to protect.

Privacy Privacy is a matter of personal autonomy: we have power over our own lives when personal information is kept private. When the media invade our privacy, they damage our right to control what others know about us.

Privacy In addition to the idea of personal control, we wish to control our privacy to keep use from ridicule. Society is not tolerant of some behavior it deems deviant.

Gays, atheists, Muslims are among groups whose members may wish to keep their status secret.

Privacy Privacy gives us the opportunity to control our reputations. Most of us do care what others think. Knowledge, again, is power, and most people wish to avoid publicizing behavior society might not approve of.

Privacy Our right to privacy helps us to regulate the degree to which we interact with others. You don’t have to be friendly if you don’t want to. Laws against trespassing recognize our right to peace and quiet.

Privacy Yet we are social beings as well as private individuals.

The right to privacy conflicts with other rights, such as truth or justice. And against our natural curiosity.

Privacy Truth and others basic virtues may date to antiquity. Privacy, as we noted, does not. Aristotle and Plato never mentioned it. People were expected to be involved in public affairs. A “private person” was not a good citizen.

Privacy The idea of privacy did gain respect in England, as landlords found retreat from the world in their manors. The idea of religious privacy became a founding principle of Colonial America: privacy of one’s conscience.

Privacy The press before the 1830s had little interest in personal matters. News was built on ideas, commentary and opinion. The idea of celebrity didn’t exist. No one cared about personal behavior.

Privacy The growth of urban America and mass media created crowded cities with little physical privacy. The media adapted by offering material appealing no longer to the intellectual “elite” readers, but to “the masses.” The publications which still appeal to the elite today, such as Harpers or Atlantic magazines, have a small readership.

Privacy Newspaper content attracting a larger audience appealed to the emotions, to sensationalism: the foibles and antics of public and private people. The rich and famous. The sex and scandals. The old elite loathed the stuff. And were often the victims.

Privacy As privacy became more and more something the media hoped to reduce, it became more and more of value. The ethical question became intrusion versus newsworthiness. Legally privacy was not addressed until the beginning of the 20th century.

Privacy Privacy laws today rest on these concepts most applicable to the media: Intrusion. Private facts. Appropriation.

Privacy The law seems to indicate media people have an ethical duty to respect privacy, unless the person has decided to relinquish that privacy. But law is not ethics, and media people have wide latitude to gather information under U.S. law.

Privacy Those who enter the public arena may be held to public scrutiny. But is it ethical to consider all private aspects to be fair game? We may consider a standard that the revelation relate to the person’s public performance or image. This may be difficult: Is the president’s religion, for example, a matter worth considering as fitness for public office? What about his marital status? His extramarital behavior?

Privacy The private sexual activities of a celebrity or politician is certainly something a lot of people would like to read about. But does that constitute “the people’s right to know?”

Privacy So what is newsworthy?

Is public curiosity a good ethical standard? The law has said any activity that takes place in a public place can be reported. But we all can think of private moments that may take place in public places. Is it ethical to photograph such behavior?

Privacy Consider such private moments, nudity, or emotion. What does ethics say about public decency? If we consider media people to be representatives of the public, don’t we have the same ethical responsibilities as the public? Or do we have a special right as professional journalists?

Privacy What if the photo were newsworthy. The images below are famous; the first of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing won a Pulitzer prize. The second from 2006 is from the Abu Ghraib prison series showing apparent torture of prisoners by U.S. troops.

Privacy

Privacy Is the naming of a rape victim a matter of public interest?

Are names of people convicted of DUIs public interest? Are names of people in divorces and bankruptcies public interest?

What about names of people who are caught with prostitutes? What about names of the prostitutes? All these are difficult ethical questions media people consider.

Privacy Other special considerations journalists must consider:

Publicity of a contagious disease. For example, publicity of HIV or AIDS victim—at what point should it be made public? The mayor? The president? Do we note a physical disability or mental illness? These still stigmatize the victim.

Privacy Do media publicize homosexuality? Gay people still face stigma in society. In a Washington case, eight people died in a fire at a gay nightclub. They had been watching gay X-rated films. Some of the victims had wives. Should names be published? Washington Post did not. Washington Star did.

Privacy Traditionally rape victim names have not been published in the United States, unless also murdered. Some journalists argue this is outdated, the idea that “a woman must be protected.”

They note in all court cases the accusers and accused must be known. Others say it would further traumatize the victim, and make her less likely to come forward.

Privacy The media have generally not published names of juvenile offenders. But the Supreme Court ruled in 1979 that they did have the right to. Those against publication argue it impedes rehabilitation. Others argue it’s a matter of public importance, and juveniles should not be shielded from the consequences of crime.

Privacy Suicide: the idea that people have the right to die with dignity has kept media often from publishing the cause of death in many cases. But is this something the public has the right to know? Would such publication reduce the stigma of suicide, encourage people to get help?

Privacy How should media collect information?

Is it ethically legitimate to have secret cameras record people’s activities on public property? Most of us have accepted that. Some journalists have argued that secretly tape recording someone is no worse than a reporter holding a notebook, if they know they’re talking to a reporter.

Privacy What ethical responsibility do reporters have in accidents and tragedies? Is it okay to interview victims? Is it okay to interview victim’s parents? Is it okay to photograph victims in anguish?

Privacy What about “ambush” interviews? That is, catching people off guard on the street and peppering the person with questions? What about paparazzi-style photos of celebrities? Is it ethical to use a telephoto lens to capture a celebrity on a faraway public beach?

Privacy Ethical codes tend to say little specific about privacy, something that might help us to answer these questions. Values to consider when weighting privacy issues include:

Privacy Respect for persons. If you believe individuals deserve some level of respect, you can’t just argue “people’s right to know.” Social utility. What is important for the public to know, and what is sensationalism? Justice, one of Ross’s duties: “What people deserve.” How much privacy does a person deserve in a particular circumstance?

Privacy Nevertheless, the search for answers to the question of privacy is one of the most challenging questions faced by people in all areas of professional media. Often the herd mentality takes over, and journalists regret their choices later. Competition and money become powerful motivators. But ethical standards ask us to stop and consider beyond those issues of the moment.

Privacy A case study from 1987 provides a shocking example of a decision journalists must make. The state treasurer of Pennsylvania, Robert Dwyer, was convicted of taking a bribe.

He called a news conference, again declared his innocence. Then he did something else in front of the cameras. He put a gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger.

Privacy There was no question this man was a public official, and so had no legal rights to privacy, even in suicide. But what ethical right did the media have to broadcast this?

Privacy In fact, response was varied. The majority stopped short of showing the suicide. A minority showed the whole tape. Right to privacy seems to have become less and less possible, however, with the internet. If you really want to see something, you can find it. That said, this is an ethics class for people whose job will be to gatekeep the media. We should not control the internet. Or should we?