I do not think anyone would deny that since the 1960's there has been a gradual and steady change in our society’s morality. In 1967 or 1968 I was on a Houston television station discussing Joseph Fletcher and his book Situation Ethics and where it would take us if his ideas to take hold of the American mind. Since then, we have seen our mores, moral standards and ethics change from absolute to situational to individual. Progressives would generally see this as a good thing while conservatively minded people would see it as not good.
However, one feels about it there is no denying that our morality has drastically changed as we have moved from community consensus to the idea of personal choice. Many things which were viewed as unequivocally wrong are now being standardized. Because of my age I have personally witnessed this change. I have watched as things like sexual promiscuity, pedophilia, abortion, graphic violence, drug abuse, pornography, hate crimes and any number of other things have moved from being absolutely forbidden to being normalized and acceptable.
This is not to say that these things did not exist in the past, because they did, but rather, it is to show the way that our society has warped its definition of morality; consequently, many people have come to govern themselves by what they feel is right. We have succumbed to a gradual rejection of moral absolutism. I would suggest that is the result of changing ideas of a moral standard or authority outside ourselves. In our country that would be both a corrupting of the Judeo-Christian ethic as expressed in Scripture by Christians and an outright rejection of it by non-Christians. Together they constitute an unholy alliance.
The Judeo-Christian ethic provides the moral authority for behavior. Moral absolutism attests that every action is classified as either right or wrong. This goes against today’s views that claim that there is much so much grey area that one cannot have a one standard fits all approach to human conduct. These would say the line between good and evil is ambiguous, and the circumstances determine what is the right course of action.
For Christians and Muslims, the one thing they unequivocally agree on is that there are moral and ethical absolutes by which individuals, communities, cultures and institutions are to conduct themselves in society. For Christians moral absolutism generally rests on the belief that life is a spiritual experience. Additionally, as Christians we believe that the Bible is our sole authority for both faith and practice . . . what we believe and what we do and how we do it. God is the one who sets right and wrong, and His rules are clear. For the Muslim it is the Quran.
While Christianity and Islam are the number one and two religions in the world by size there is a third group that I will simply call unbelievers (they profess no religion). This third group represents about 16% of the world people. They deny God and in so doing have no external authority for moral behavior. Group three is growing at about the same rate a Christianity is declining.
A large and steadily rising, number of people are shifting due to a lack of belief in a God or a higher power that sets absolute morals. This mind set leads people to choose their own definition of right and wrong, and therefore, we see increases in and acceptance of many actions which were previously viewed as immoral. This defines the battle for America that we are witnessing in our day.
Those who deny God generally define right and wrong on the basis of how they feel about it at any given time. This becomes “their truth.” It is very much akin to the experience of the Jews when there were no judges in the land, and everyone did what was right in their own mind. This clear turn from moral absolutism by young people coupled with the general decline in religious peoples understanding of Scripture means that right and wrong will only continue to blur, and those previously immoral actions will continue to normalize, while those who still believe in moral absolutism will become more and more peculiar.
At this point, while faced with this moral relativism, we must right our ship. We have two options. One option is to do nothing and just continue on our present downward spiral or we can bring our ship around and sale into these perverse winds that lead to anarchy. We can continue to refuse to define right and wrong and let our society remain on the path that is running our American culture amuck. It will, like a leaky faucet continue dripping until it becomes a stream corrupting all careers and classes.
On the other hand, we can choose to change our “social” thinking to recognizing that people do not have the individual luxury of determining their own rights and wrongs. Christians need to return to a high view of Scripture as the Word of God and the authority for how we live. If we choose this option, we might see a change in the direction we are going as a people.
I do not expect the world to do anything to get us back on track because God seems to have put the responsibility on His own people. We Christians hold the key. The promise of restoration is given to God’s people not people in general. It starts in the house of the Lord. We must start the painful process of getting the world, the false preacher and teachers and the mercenaries out of the church. God has said, “If my people.” There it is, the big “If.” It might well be if and when my people "which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will heal their land."
Well, there you have it. God has told us what to do. "Choose you this day who you will serve . . . ." All that remains is to do it
You nailed it again.....Despite the naysayers, Morality , absolute or individual, sets the stage for the culture we have. And today we are reaping the years of sowing 'doing what is right in one's own life'..
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