"'Moral values' is not
really an issue today.", is a sometimes heard sentiment. How
significant are they really in modern society? In America today don't
most people have roughly the same or similar moral values?
Aren't the "culture wars" over, as former President Obama
stated right after he was first elected, and isn't the term now just
overblown hype used by politicians, and some in the news media to
attract views or readers? Or, is there something more to it all,
something that will largely determine the future direction, shape,
and even fate, of the United States?
The Biblical Viewpoint
In the Bible
it is said that the heart of mankind is corrupt and can harbor many
evil things such as wrath, and murder (e.g. Genesis 8:21, Ephesians
2:3). It also says that in God there is no evil (1 John 1:5). In the
Bible it is also written that God is all powerful and all knowing,
and that God's thoughts and wisdom are incalculably higher than those
of mankind (e.g Issiah 55:9, 1 Corinthians 3:19-20). Of crucial
importance, the Bible also makes that point that God loves mankind
and wants the best for it; which is why God sent Jesus Christ into
the world.
God created mankind and wants mankind to honor the basic human rights and adopt the moral values He stated and that he articulated through the teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (e.g. James 1:17, Luke 5:19-25). Specifically they are; the ones directly articulated by Christ, which include those carried over from the Old Testament that all mankind are to follow (i.e. not the Old Testament laws that were directed exclusively at the Jewish people). These basic human rights and moral values are also repeated and elaborated through the writings of the New Testament apostles and disciples.
Observations and Evaluation
The moral
values that people hold usually effect every aspect of their life;
private life, work, how they enjoy themselves, political affiliation,
etc. People who believe in God according to the Bible (i.e.
Christians) believe that God is the moral lawgiver and that mankind
should follow the moral values and basic human rights that He has
established in the Bible, and that they are not to be changed or
re-cast by mankind. Also, that they are established for the good of
mankind; and as evidence of the truth of this view, according to
statistical surveys conservative Christians on average tend to be
happier, more content, and overall lead more stable lives than other
segments of the U.S. population.
People who don't fully believe in the values that God articulated according to the Bible, or who don't believe in God according to the Bible nor another of the world's major monotheistic religions, or who don't believe that that there is a God, hold moral values that are subjective in nature. A person who has a moral values system consisting of subjective moral values is holding to a values system known as "moral relativism". In summary, moral relativism means that the basis for moral values and basic human rights, instead of being an objective moral lawgiver (i.e. God), is a natural entity like a society or a government. Further, since there are different societies and governments, and also that they can change over time, there is no such thing as objective good, bad, right, nor wrong in regards to morality. Connected to this, moral relativism also says that there is no objective truth, that everyone can have their own truth.
Looking at America today, it seems that many people, and particularly those of the newer generations, do not believe that basic human rights and moral values are set (or only set) by God, or who don't believe in God, or at least not as a thinking and active entity as presented in the Bible. It also seems that a lot of these people tend to consider what is morally "good" or "right", as well as (the best) "truth", as being "something that brings a person pleasure or happiness" (or similar). All of these things are indicative of moral relativism. Also, since moral relativism does not have a solid stable foundation as does a God based values system, often people who hold to it seem to try to use certain abstract or subjective concepts as a foundation; concepts such as "diversity", "inclusion", "equality", "tolerance", and "love" (note: not all love is good). For example, they may believe that just because X is diverse / X has diversity then X is morally good. Otherwise if X is not diverse / does not have diversity, then X is morally not good, and has to change / be changed.
In the United States the number of people who hold to moral relativism seems to have greatly increased over the past thirty or so years. If the Bible is accurate in regards to the goodness and wisdom of God compared to mankind, and society departs from God's given values and turns towards moral relativism, one would expect to see all kinds of problems appearing or growing greater in society. In fact this is what has happened.
Some of the more serious of these problems:
== Celebration and promotion of materialism
==
Sexual promiscuity, and the related negative consequences for people
and society
== Sexual objectification of women, children, and
men
== Breakdown of the family unit and historically high out of
wedlock birthrate and single parent homes
== Glorification of
negative behavior
== Glorification (i.e. idolatry) of media
celebrities, science, and technology
== High and rising number
of cases of drug abuse and addiction
== Excessive violence and
sexuality promoted in the movies and other forms of media
==
Broad acceptance of dishonesty, even by public servants, and even in
discussions of important societal issues
== Non-tolerance and
demonization of religious people and their beliefs
== Rulings
and action (or inaction) on laws by judges and elected officials,
based upon their own personal preferences
== Gender confusion
==
Promotion of personal non-responsibility
Additionally, the "culture wars" taking place around various issues in American society today in reality are essentially in most cases the conflict between people who believe in objective moral values and basic human rights, and those who hold to moral relativism. Notably, the term "culture wars" itself seems to somewhat mask or be an understatement of the true ideological depth, important ramifications, and serious repercussions for the country of the clash. That is, it's not a matter of which is better, spicy South American foods or less spicy European foods, but of how people determine and view what's good, bad, and most important in life, and how to have their choices respected by society. The resolutions of these conflicts will strongly influence American society by influencing how certain people are looked upon, and what rights people are provided or deprived of.
Moving Forward
There is a very strong
basis to make the argument that the United States has gotten to its
current position as the most powerful and envied country in the world
because at its founding and throughout its history the proclamations
and values of a God who indeed is wiser than mankind and has
mankind's best interests in mind, were highly valued and very
influential. Thus, it would seem that a lot of the major societal
problems the United States has experienced over the past thirty or so
years are mostly due to people and public institutions turning away
from from those values and looking to their own wisdom, reasoning, or
desires.
It would seem to be that the recommended path for America would be to instead of continuing in its current direction, to turn back to the values that God has articulated, and based upon them and the wisdom God freely offers, try to solve the various problems the country currently has.
Unlike what is sometimes claimed by some people in the U.S., "separation of church and state" is not written in the U.S. Constitution. Likewise, in the Bible there is no separation between personal faith and conduct, and public life. The Bible says that Christians should have a clear vision of the world, and calls upon Christians to actively strive with courage and God given strength and wisdom to uphold personally, and publicly stand and be an advocate for, the values articulated by God, even if there is opposition (e.g. Acts 4:18-19). It also says that this is not just for the sake of Christians' own well being, but for the well being and longevity of the society and the country itself.
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