Back to the Relative
OK, I said I would give my take on this whole moral relativism thing so here it is. I have heard some say that you can interpret the Bible to have different meanings. So somewhere along the line things got blurred and out of focus. God's word is taken to interpretation. Right and wrong gets fuzzy until we have found ourselves in a situation where we can't decipher between what is right based on God's word and what is wrong based on how we interpret God's word.
What's right for me may not be right for someone else. Let's look at Hitler. He thought that killing all of the Jew's was the right thing to do. Indem ich die Juden töte, kämpfe ich um den Herrn. Do you know what that means? "By killing the Jews, I fight for the Lord." Those very words came out of Hitler's own mouth.
Moral relativism is tolerance and tolerance is for those who believe in nothing. Am I being intolerant? YES! Because God's word is absolute truth. Commmen sense should tell us that we live by absolutes every day. My name is Larry. It was Larry yesterday and it will be Larry tomorrow, and the day after. Columbus is East of Springfield. I know this because it is on the map. It's not going to change.
And Jesus said unto his disciples, "Go into all the world, teaching all men to live any way they want, and urging each to find his own path to God. Let not any one of you make someone feel inferior or victimized because of their beliefs. Above all, be tolerasnt. Verily, verily I say unto you that what you believe and how you live do not matter, so long as you are sincere." Taken from "Be intolerant, Because Some Things Are Just Stupid." by Ryan Dobson.
I'll end with this: Moral relativism doesnt work, at least not in my eyes. It is a broken belief that contradicts itself at every turn. It just doesn't hold up to the commen sense of everyday life. And if the structure of a belief system doesn't hold up...it might come crashing down on your head. That is a simple man's viewppoint. Take it or leave it.
What's right for me may not be right for someone else. Let's look at Hitler. He thought that killing all of the Jew's was the right thing to do. Indem ich die Juden töte, kämpfe ich um den Herrn. Do you know what that means? "By killing the Jews, I fight for the Lord." Those very words came out of Hitler's own mouth.
Moral relativism is tolerance and tolerance is for those who believe in nothing. Am I being intolerant? YES! Because God's word is absolute truth. Commmen sense should tell us that we live by absolutes every day. My name is Larry. It was Larry yesterday and it will be Larry tomorrow, and the day after. Columbus is East of Springfield. I know this because it is on the map. It's not going to change.
And Jesus said unto his disciples, "Go into all the world, teaching all men to live any way they want, and urging each to find his own path to God. Let not any one of you make someone feel inferior or victimized because of their beliefs. Above all, be tolerasnt. Verily, verily I say unto you that what you believe and how you live do not matter, so long as you are sincere." Taken from "Be intolerant, Because Some Things Are Just Stupid." by Ryan Dobson.
I'll end with this: Moral relativism doesnt work, at least not in my eyes. It is a broken belief that contradicts itself at every turn. It just doesn't hold up to the commen sense of everyday life. And if the structure of a belief system doesn't hold up...it might come crashing down on your head. That is a simple man's viewppoint. Take it or leave it.
Although there are some things are are up to ones personal belief.... drinking, smoking, and other things. But throughtout the entire Bible there are the underlining truths that God has set for us. And deviance from those, even if they are "justified" by someones own beliefs.
Plus if "Your not offending somebody then your don't believe what you preach"
Posted by
PapaBob |
3:23 PM
My "quad's" discussion last night revolved a little around this. Esspecially in regards to personal holiness. Someone who is pursuing holiness will gradually become more exocentric, meaning they view everything around them as more important than themselves. Legalistic issues of smoking, drinking, etc. will become more of an issue of, "how do my actions directly influence those around me" rather than "what can I get away with and still be a moral person". Essentially, spiritual maturity means becoming more aware of those around you than you are of yourself. Moral relativism is based soley on the individual. Philippians 2 is very much a key passage of scripture that confirms this.
Posted by
Joel |
7:26 AM
I do believe that God can teach different people different things through the same verse but that does not take away from the absolute truth the Bible teaches. I am also angered by those who decide to interpret a verse to support their agenda (*cough* baptists) and take verses out of context. So yeah, amen Larry.
This wuld make a good sermon...
Posted by
prozaciswack |
3:10 PM
Nathan,
For what it is worth other groups(*cough* pentacostals & charismatics) have been just as guilty (if not more so in some cases) to misconstruing the context of the Bible for doctrinal agendas.
No side is 100% correct. All denominations are to some degree flawed from the start because they are founded upon man's interpretation of scripture. I'm not advocating Baptists are scott free, by no means so. However, I think it would be highly one-sided to say they are the only offenders, because you have a personal bias from your college experience.
The key is to remember WHO the CENTER is. If the center ceases to be Jesus Christ, Him crucified and resurrected, and it becomes something like "drinking & smoking", "speaking in tongues", "predestination", "free will", "eternal security" or any other "pet" doctrine that humans find themselves disputing, we are in the wrong. Yes some of these things must be sorted out, but only by the prompting and leading of the Holy Spirit and only secondary to basis for our belief in the first place - Jesus Christ.
Okay my rant is over...
Posted by
Joel |
6:28 AM
I agree with Joel to an extent. The center is fully on Christ and if we focus on other things then we are out of balance. So many denominations are in the wrong with their doctrines... yes baptists, but what about penecostals who will speak in tounges without the REQUIRED interpreter? But you will retort with "thats why we encourage others to pray outloud so they might interpret what the tounges are saying"....
But might I also quote the scripture that says do not fight over such trivial things and focus on the one blessed truth that Christ dies for our sins and rose again.
Out of this we see how true holy actions work, how the Holy Spirit flows, how miracles and healings are done... but more importantly how to love. Love is the most important commandment and out of it comes all other "christian acts" henceforth, love is what makes us a christian.
Posted by
PapaBob |
10:52 AM
Great responses! Thanks to all who commented on this post. It takes all kinds to get the work done, but it only takes one God to lead us all...
Posted by
Larry |
8:56 AM