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What are the core qualities of a modern-day knight that we should teach our children and reinforce in society? A great place to start is with integrity. Integrity is the practice of being honest and showing a consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and values. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions. The practice of this quality is missing in too many areas of our global society.

 

Integrity must be practiced and repeated in a disciplined, accurate, and precise way. Accuracy and precision are defined as two measures of observational error. Accuracy is how close a given set of measurements are to their true value, while precision is how close the measurements are to each other. In other words, precision is a description of random errors, a measure of statistical variability.

 

You must know what the absolute true value is in order to achieve accuracy and precision in any area, including morality. Philosophy tries to find true value based on logical reasoning rather than scientific fact, so it can’t be used to find true value. Unfortunately, some of the facts arrived at through studies concerning nature, causes, or principles of reality, knowledge, or values, are purely based on reasoning that isn’t logical, or backed by scientific evidence.

 

So, where do we get our true values from? Does an absolute true value exist? Truth cannot be relative or contradicting, and too often is rejected for emotional reasons alone. The Law of Non-Contradiction is one of the basic laws in classical logic. It states that something cannot be both true and not true at the same time when addressing the same context; so a true value cannot be based upon feelings or opinions.

 

If absolute true values and defined moral standards exist, who set these standards? The third anthropic argument supporting God’s existence states: If God does exist, then objective moral values and duties do exist and they can be observed. That feeling of guilt or outrage we experience after observing a violation of truth or morality is something built into us by God. The Bible has been used to establish laws and moral standards for centuries. Knights also used its precepts for measuring candidate worthiness.

 

The following list of standards are qualities our children should be taught from childhood, modeled by parents, and expected as common practice. All modern-day knights are disciplined and skilled in each area. The Bible references used are taken from the New King James Version (NKJV) printed by Thomas Nelson Publishing:

 

Honesty: We are not to steal, lie, cheat, or be a false witness against anyone. Honesty or truthfulness is a facet of moral character that connotes positive and virtuous attributes such as integrity, truthfulness, and straightforwardness, including straightforwardness of conduct. Honesty also involves being trustworthy, loyal, fair, and sincere. “For the Eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His Ears are open to their prayers.”[1]

 

Morality: This is a body of standards or principles derived from a code of conduct between those that are distinguished as proper and those that are improper. Biblically inspired morality and purity preserves the integrity of the family and our society. We are not to murder, commit adultery, or covet another person’s spouse or any of their personal possessions.

 

Purity: You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. God does not have a last name called dam it, and Jesus Christ refers to the Son of God and is not used as an exclamative phrase. We are to remove and not utter foul and unclean language. Our hearts should be mindful of being pure. Dress tastefully and modestly using clothing made for your gender. “Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.”[2]

 

Honor: You shall have no other gods before our Creator. That includes money, a sports team, a career, or anything else that competes. We are to honor our father and mother as well as our spouses. Parents aren’t to exasperate their children. We are to honor the governmental authorities that God established to govern in a manner that should not violate His laws. If the laws violate God’s standards, they should be resisted. “Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life."[3]

 

Wisdom: You can give knowledge to someone but you can’t make them think. We are to “incline our ear to wisdom and our heart to understanding.”[4] Wisdom is critical thinking combined with knowledge that’s focused on the absolute truth of a matter - “Keeping sound wisdom and discretion.”[5] Wisdom is the relentless and consistent pursuit of knowledge over a lifetime. It is the instruction of justice, judgment, and equity. Wisdom is built over time on both the bedrock of knowledge gained, together with our personal observations and experiences.  “For whoever finds me finds life, And obtains favor from the Lord;”[6]

 

Courage: Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the result of acting despite being afraid. A great example is the battle between David and Goliath. Young David, a shepherd boy, was facing the formidable warrior Goliath, who was a 9’6” giant who he defeated.[7] Sometimes your giant will be standing up for what is right in the face of persecution. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”[8] Other giants may be something or someone that threatens your family or community. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." [9]

 

Strength: The capacity to resist strain, stress, or an attack. To be impregnable and durable. To possess the fortitude to do what’s right even when it is difficult. Having strength encompasses the physical, mental, spiritual, and moral areas of a person. Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth”[10]. Meekness is defined as power under control. Strength must be maintained and nurtured throughout our lifetimes.

 

Passion: This strong and powerful force of love, hate, sexual desire, anger, or other emotion, and must be controlled. With discipline, it can be directed in a powerful and effective way. It is used to display your feelings, defending a cause you believe in, defining a need or desire, or as a driving force to accomplish a goal.

 

Compassion: “Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.”[11] Compassion motivates people to go out of their way to relieve the physical, mental, or emotional pains of others and themselves. Compassion motivates us to help and be sensitive to the suffering of others where fairness, justice, and interdependence have been violated. “Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.”[12]

 

Leadership: Leadership is a practical skill that encompasses the ability of an individual, group, or organization to influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. Leadership is a gift that is combined with the other skills we have already addressed. and is heavily influenced by moral and ethical judgment. The word "leadership" is often contested or qualified based upon outcomes that are good or evil, right, or wrong, success or failure.

 

Hard Work: Possessing the drive and tenacity to strive for achieving a stated goal with care and excellence. It produces character, motivates individuals, and is used to overcome hardships. High achievements are the result of this valuable and admirable ethic.  

 

Reverence: This is an act of showing respect. It can take the form of a bow or curtsy, or giving thanks to God as you express the profound awe of a sunset. Be thankful for what you have. Obey God, and leave all the consequences to Him. If you are following His guidelines and will, you will be blessed in what you do.

 

Justice: In its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon concepts of moral correctness. It is critical that justice is exercised based on strong ethics, rational thinking, law, religion, equity, and fairness.

 

These combined knightly attributes comprise the core of the strong personal character our prospective partner must possess. They should also be exhibited by our leaders, and taught, practiced, and refined by each of us daily. The following section highlights these principles in action.     

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[1] 1 Peter 3:12

[2] Matthew 5:8

[3] Proverbs 4:23

[4] Proverbs 2:2

[5] Proverbs 3:21

[6] Proverbs 8:35

[7] 1 Samuel 17:1 (6 cubits [18” ea.] and a span (a measure of the outstretched thumb to little finger)

[8] Matthew 5:10

[9] Joshua 1:9

[10] Matthew 5:5

[11] Matthew 5:7

[12] Mathew 5:9

 

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