A Jester in the King's Court

Topic: Ethical dilemmas and public restrooms

Ethical debates are fun. Everyone always throws out the “Is it a sin to lie about hiding Jews in Nazi Germany?” question or the old “Is it wrong to steal to feed your family?” query. But I think there is a greater ethical dilemma the Christian world must face. One of such profound practicality, that all churches that focus on “application” as opposed to theology ought ask it daily! This question my friends…is that of the rest room.

See, it is almost unanimously agreed upon by Christians everywhere that speeding is a sin. There are those that debate that fact, and I personally think the arguments on both side are rather compelling. On the “Speeding is a sin” side, there is the obvious statement that man is to be subject to his ruling body in all matters that do not get set at odds with God. So, if the state says “Speed Limit” breaking the limit is breaking the law, and therefore is a sin. On the other side, the argument that laws are meant for protection and safety and there are times in which going 65 miles per hour set you in a position where you are no longer safe. Personally, since I’m not convinced…I usually try not to go over 70…that way if it is a sin, it’s not a flagrant one…and as we all know…the flagrancy of sin is what makes it truly evil…(I need to form an opinion on this swiftly)

However, even though there is an almost unanimous voice calling speeding a sin, there is an even more unanimous voice that is silent on the issue of inter-gender restroom use. I thought of this ethical debate about 4 years ago. I was alone at my old church one Sunday afternoon and decided since the women’s restroom was attached to the building and not exterior as the men’s was, I would just use it. As I opened the door, I thought, “Am I lying right now? If this restroom is only for women, is my entering in it a form of claiming to be female and therefore lying about my gender?” I then thought, “Ooooorrrrrr, am I looking at what has been established as the women’s restroom, and defying the edict of those above me by using the women’s restroom?” So I have now and then kicked the idea around in my head….a man using a women’s restroom…is it a lie or an act of defiance against those that make the rules? Clearly no one has ever been sent to prison for illicit use of the opposite gender’s potty (at least not outside of Soviet Russia…I’m sure they did that sort of thing….it explains Yakov Smirnoff), but punishment isn’t the predicate that determines a thing’s wrongness.

So, while it may be tongue and cheek…as a philosopher…looking at the logic of the argument…both restroom genders and the speed limit are laws of the land…one gets you punished…the other kinda laughed at. But both entail going against an established order, or against the ruler ship of those above you…in one case its against the government, in the other a store or office…so it seems a valid analogy.

Anyway….so that’s the irresolvable ethical debate I have about bathrooms.