Mushy Morality
7-Jun-12
There’s been much in the news lately about President Obama’s recent comments in favor of gay marriage. While this is no surprise given the Democratic party’s affinity for the divisiveness of the homosexual agenda, it is a sign of a larger issue in our society –confusion of what’s right and wrong. Liberals would have you believe such a shift is about “civil rights” and being “progressive”; Conservatives say it’s not a “right” but a behavioral choice and the moral fabric of society is unraveling. How do you know what’s right?
This assumes you can know such a thing. Some say you can’t and each person should figure out what’s right for themselves; Others say there’s a universal standard of morality like the Bible. Interestingly, there’ve been other news stories lately about child molesters or the Secret Service prostitution scandal which most everyone agrees are wrong –at least for now. If we don’t have a firm grasp of right and wrong, at what point will those things become acceptable?
As a Christian and conservative, there are three things that disturb me about such moral debates: When supposed Christians misrepresent Christianity as accepting of all behavior; When others malign the Christian view as “hateful”; And when some so-called Christians give them reason to do so. But the fact remains that the Christ of Christianity is committed to truth in any and all situations –even when it’s not popular, even when it’s hard and even when His followers aren’t. Here are some things to consider when seeking to understand the Christian view:
All people have value to God (Rom 5.6-8). We are to love all people, even enemies (Mt 5.44). Love sometimes means confronting sinful behavior (Pr 27.5-6). God defines morality and sin violates His character (Ps 51.1-19). Sin is eventually destructive (Gal 6.8). We all sin (1 Jn 1.8). God’s justice must punish sin (Heb 4.13, 9.27-28). God made a way for us to be saved through Christ (Jn 3.16-18) and have power to overcome sin (Rom 8.2 –Plug verse references into www.biblegateway.com to see them).
Since God made us and cares about us, He explains what’s right and wrong to spare us much grief. And if you wade past the political correctness and rhetoric engorging today’s moral issues, you’ll find that reality is very much in agreement with God’s morality. For instance, a 2010 CDC report shows a staggeringly disproportionate rate of HIV and STD’s among gay men. And while proponents blame “intolerance” for exceptionally high occurrences of drug abuse, depression and suicide; multiple international studies show the same spiritual fallout in countries that are accepting. Which is truly hateful: to point this out or ignore it?
And for those who don’t care about the human beings struggling with these real feelings, society will pay in municipal costs, healthcare premiums and decency. All this to say that letting go of God’s morality is destructive and destabilizing to individuals as well as societies. President Washington understood this when he said “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness”.
Having an understanding of God’s morality is foundational for any free and stable society or person. If our current President’s morality is “evolving” on such basic moral issues, what’s next? Without God’s moral truth, what determines right and wrong? Political or personal gain? Government? What other problems are we experiencing because we’ve forgotten God?
This assumes you can know such a thing. Some say you can’t and each person should figure out what’s right for themselves; Others say there’s a universal standard of morality like the Bible. Interestingly, there’ve been other news stories lately about child molesters or the Secret Service prostitution scandal which most everyone agrees are wrong –at least for now. If we don’t have a firm grasp of right and wrong, at what point will those things become acceptable?
As a Christian and conservative, there are three things that disturb me about such moral debates: When supposed Christians misrepresent Christianity as accepting of all behavior; When others malign the Christian view as “hateful”; And when some so-called Christians give them reason to do so. But the fact remains that the Christ of Christianity is committed to truth in any and all situations –even when it’s not popular, even when it’s hard and even when His followers aren’t. Here are some things to consider when seeking to understand the Christian view:
All people have value to God (Rom 5.6-8). We are to love all people, even enemies (Mt 5.44). Love sometimes means confronting sinful behavior (Pr 27.5-6). God defines morality and sin violates His character (Ps 51.1-19). Sin is eventually destructive (Gal 6.8). We all sin (1 Jn 1.8). God’s justice must punish sin (Heb 4.13, 9.27-28). God made a way for us to be saved through Christ (Jn 3.16-18) and have power to overcome sin (Rom 8.2 –Plug verse references into www.biblegateway.com to see them).
Since God made us and cares about us, He explains what’s right and wrong to spare us much grief. And if you wade past the political correctness and rhetoric engorging today’s moral issues, you’ll find that reality is very much in agreement with God’s morality. For instance, a 2010 CDC report shows a staggeringly disproportionate rate of HIV and STD’s among gay men. And while proponents blame “intolerance” for exceptionally high occurrences of drug abuse, depression and suicide; multiple international studies show the same spiritual fallout in countries that are accepting. Which is truly hateful: to point this out or ignore it?
And for those who don’t care about the human beings struggling with these real feelings, society will pay in municipal costs, healthcare premiums and decency. All this to say that letting go of God’s morality is destructive and destabilizing to individuals as well as societies. President Washington understood this when he said “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness”.
Having an understanding of God’s morality is foundational for any free and stable society or person. If our current President’s morality is “evolving” on such basic moral issues, what’s next? Without God’s moral truth, what determines right and wrong? Political or personal gain? Government? What other problems are we experiencing because we’ve forgotten God?