Theory vs. Reality
Christianity and moral relativism have diametrically opposite ideas about the origins of moral values and the nature of truth, and so a lot of things can be written about how different they are and how much in opposition to each other they are from a theoretical and analytical standpoints. However, as with many things, the most important and relevant question for most people is how much does a particular set of ideas and beliefs effect their everyday lives in the real world.
Unlike some worldviews (i.e. worldview - a system of a set of beliefs about the world and living), Christianity and moral relativism have had, and continue to have, very real effects in the real world, and not just on a small minority of people, but considering the fact that the vast majority of people in the world either hold on to moral relativism or a spiritual belief system that declares that God determines moral values and that truth is objective (Christianity being the one having the largest number of adopters), the effects of both of these worldviews is very much felt in the daily lives of most people living in the world today.
As examples of this, in the following paragraphs
is written about an incident that author has experienced, and also an
issue of public concern, both of which the author has taken some time
to reflect upon.
The Surprise
One day while being out in public I noticed a guy wearing a fairly old pair of jeans and a jacket with a hoode, who was sitting not too far away from me. The weather was a liilecool but not much, so I was wondering why the person was wearing the hoodie – unless maybe it was just a fashion statement. After a few minutes the person proceeded to take off the hoodie. To my surprise,, the hoodie revealed a head of long blond heir in a ponytail, and the guy actually turned out to be an attractive twenty something young woman. I conntinued to look at her for a little while, and I also noticed that she seemed to be taking a bit, but nobody else was near her. So, I kept looking for a telephone headset or something like that but didn't see anything. After continuing to listen to her and watch her and her actions for a little while longer, i came to the conclusion that she quite probably had some sort of mental difficulty. I thought that thats too bad, that its unfortunate for anyone to have to have a mental condition of course, but I though especially someone in the prime season of their life. In the end, after a few more minutes she just got up and walked away, and I just sat there hoping that she would somehow get the help that she seemed to need.
However that lead me to wonder what really are the chances that she does. I came up with two potential yet reasonably possible and realistic general scenarios.
Scenario 1: If in the future she somehow met a (non-nominal) Christian and they noticed that she probably had a mental difficulty, then according to Bible teachings to take care of the needy and those in trouble, and to love thy neighbor as thy self, then they should (and hopefully probably would): 1) if they knew of a mental health clinic(s). social services center, or shelter give her that information and recommend that maybe she could go there and they would be able to help her with some things, and maybe even accompany her there, or 2) They would also talk to her from the attitude of trying to communicate with her and maybe befriend her if seems appropriate, out of care for her and her situration, or 3) Give her some food or money or other vital things she might need, without strings attached, with the hope that at some time in the futiure she will be able to receive some sort of assistance.
Scenario 2: If in the future she somehow met a holder of moral relativism and they noticed that she probably had a mental difficulty, according to the fact that for moral relativism each person can legitimately determine their own set of values of good nd acceptable behaver; they may 1) try to talk with and help the person in a manner(s) similar to the aforementioned Christian, or 2) Think that the person is crazy, and not want to have anything to do with her and walk away, or 3) notice her condition and that she is an attractive woman, so try to talk with her from the perspective of trying to ultimately take some sort of advantage of her condition; this may include the introduction of some sort of drugs into her situation, or other harmful actions, such as those related to human trafficking. In other there is a very real possibility that her situation may become even more dire.
So, for this young woman, the worldview held by
the person/people that she meets in the future will probably have a
strong influence on her well being and her future prospects for her
getting better and living a good and productive life.
Revolving Inmates
When people commit serious crimes and get caught they usually end up in prison. Incidentally, the United States has the largest percentage of its population incarcerated than any developed nation. Even if minor drug crime offenders are excluded the percentage is still relatively high. The percentage of serious offenders who go to prison, get out, then commit a crime and then are thrown back into prison (i.e. the recidivism rate) is also high. What can possibly explain this? Though economics may at least sometimes be a part of the problem, it does not seem to be primarily a economic issue as many people who consider themselves to be liberals maintain. After all, at the very minimum the united states has a relatively generous, though not hardly perfect, social welfare system when compared to most countries of the world. Also, though there are issues of income inequality, resource inequality, and racial discrimination for society to deal with, there is still overall a good amount of opportunity for a person to advance their position in life, and there are countless examples of people rising up from poverty and harsh social-economic situations (including those in other countries), to lead successful lives.
Underlying Issue
The underlying issue seems to be one of worldview. A large majority of prisoners hold onto moral relativism in some form, thus their standards, values and perception of good and bad, the overall social system and their position in it, and their life expectations and goals, are rooted in their holding of moral relativism. Thus, their set of values is largely shaped by the world, popular culture, and the environment they live in; a world and culture which tends to focus on the love of material things and the obtaining of them and of pleasure, as well as the attaining of notoriety, the main determiner of values of right wrong, good and bad. It also sometimes elevates the value of such things over the value of personal well being, and sometimes even over human life.
Thus holding such values leads many people to commit crimes, and if they ar caught they end up in jail. Jail typically does not change inmates worldview , thus when many leave jaial, they usually have the same worldview, and so immediately or eventually have similar behaviors as before jail, commit the same or other crimes, and end up in jail again.
Consequently the idea that just giving someone a job after they get out of jail will cause them to no longer commit crimes is errant in most cases; since they still have their same worldview, and a person’s worldview tends to strongly influence their behavior, they may still engage in some sort of illegal activities (to the injury of themselves and also possibly their employer) at some point after their release. Also if they for some reason lose their job, the temptation of returning to illegal activities may be very strong. Relatedly, it has been reported that a good many people from Western nations who have gone in the last number of years to join terrorist organizations have come from the middle and upper classes, thus again it does not seem to be primarily an issue of economics.
A Change For The Better
Therefore, it would seem to reason that if some how while in jail prisoners are able to change there worldview, the one that ends up leading them into and back into jail, and to another one that does not do so, then the circle of inmate incarceration can largely be broken and former inmates go on to have good and productive lives.
This may seem only theoretical exercise, but this is exactly what happens with a Christian ministry named Prison Fellowship, as well as some other prominent Christian prison ministries. They encourage and help inmates to learn about and to adopt the the Christian worldview, and this causes inmates to see themselves and their place in the world differently, and have a better view of themselves and their capability to better themselves. The results, has been very good. For example, the graduates of the Prison Fellowship program have a much lower recidivism rate than that of the general prison population (for exact information see their website).
A Win-Win
Thus by them changing their worldview from moral
relativism to Christianity, from subjective moral values and truth,
to God originated objective moral values and truth, inmates gain
improvements in their own lives, and a better chance at a productive
future, and society becomes that much safer by having more people who
contribute to society and less people who commit crimes to obtain
what they consider important and valuable.
In Summary
Worldviews may seem like just theoretical things, but practically speaking they have large effects the lives (both earthly, and according to the Christian worldview, eternal) of people, societies and nations. This is why it is important for people to examine and consider different worldviews and what they say, and then decide which worldview they choose to adopt (i.e. hopefully the Christian worldview). A lot depends on it; for the person, and for society.
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