The Relationship Between Consciousness And Biblical Ethics

The only beings that the Bible describes humans as having moral obligations towards are divine entities (that the Bible prescribes certain behaviors towards Yahweh and Jesus is obvious), other humans, and animals.  All three of these categories, though they include beings that are metaphysically distinct from each other in nature, share one commonality: all of the beings contained in each are conscious [1].

All moral commands in Scripture reduce down to having a right relationship with conscious beings.  For instance, you cannot rape a non-conscious thing, because there is no will to violate or force.  You cannot murder a non-conscious thing, because there is no sentience to kill.  You cannot steal from a non-conscious thing, because there is no possession of property.  You cannot emotionally abuse a non-conscious thing, because there is no sentience to harm with words or deeds.

What about the ceremonial rules in Mosaic Law?  For instance, what about the dietary restrictions on eating certain kinds of foods, or the laws about handling certain diseases?  Even these involve having a right relationship with God, because the reason for their inclusion in God's moral revelation was that God required obedience.  They were not about justly treating humans and animals, but had to do with rightly relating to Yahweh, who is defined in the New Testament as a consciousness without a body (John 4:24).

All cultures have some values that overlap, even if only on a very remote level, with the ethical demands found in the Bible.  Which of the Bible's values a culture agrees with depends on its time, geography, politics, and a host of other factors.  Because of this, anyone can read the Bible and find some sort of ethical teaching or principle that matches one that is encouraged in their own society.  Modern Western culture emphasizes the rights of sentient beings, which is, though not often directly recognized as such, a thoroughly Biblical idea.  For instance, the Bible affirms repeatedly that humans and animals are not to be mistreated.

That the Bible does prescribe select forms of execution and flogging should not be ignored.  Where the Bible deviates from Western culture is on the issue of which forms of pain are just or morally permissible, as well as the issue of which contexts make the infliction of certain pains or death on sentient beings just.  But the Bible has always taught a relationship between consciousness and ethics!  Ethical obligations, being rooted in God's nature, always relate to sentience in some way.

[1].  Of course, I cannot know if any consciousness other than my own exists.  I am describing concepts, not making a declaration about the verifiability of the metaphysical existence of other minds, human or animal.