Moral Relativism

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Moral Relativism

• Philosophy Series

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Introduction

• In this age, we have lost the confidence that
  statements of fact can ever be anything more than
  just opinions. The word "truth" now means true
  for me.
• Whether we realize it or not, this concept -
  Moral relativism - is the air we breathe, the
  background noise in our culture today. In this
  sort of cultural climate the only heresy is
  telling someone else that they are wrong.
  Tolerance has become the ultimate virtue, not
  "truth".
• According to the Barna Research Group, 81 of
  young Americans have adopted a view that "all
  truth is relative to the individual and his/her
  circumstances".1

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Moral Relativism

• Definition

• We can all decide what is right for ourselves.
  You decide what's right for you, and I'll decide
  what's right for me. Moral relativism says, "It's
  true for me, if I believe it.
• Moral relativism asserts that morality is not
  based on any absolute standard. Rather, ethical
  truths depend on variables such as the
  situation, culture, one's feelings, etc.
• Moral Relativism says that there is more than one
  right answer or way. More than one absolute
  truth.
• Truth is not objective or universal but relative
  to the specific group, culture, time.

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Moral Relativism

• Definition

• there is no universal moral standard by which to
  judge others, we ought to tolerate the behavior
  of others even when it runs counter to our
  personal or cultural moral standards.

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Moral Relativism

• Definition

• Pleasure as Ethics
• When morality is reduced to personal taste,
  people exchange the moral question, what is good?
  For the pleasure question, what feels good?
• Instead of morality constraining pleasure (I want
  to do that but I really should not), the pleasure
  defines morality (I want to do that and I am
  going to find a way to rationalize it).
• William McGuffey, author of the McGuffey's
  Readers, which were the mainstay of America's
  public school system from 1836 till the 1920's,
  wrote "Erase all thought and fear of God from a
  community, and selfishness and sensuality would
  absorb the whole man." Where do you think the
  world is heading today?

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Tenets of Moral Relativism

• What do you think? True or False?

• The claim to objective, absolute, universal
  knowledge leads to intolerance.
• The sincerity of religious believers means they
  cannot be wrong.
• Having individual rights means I can determine my
  own truth.
• Humility requires relativism otherwise dogmatism
  and bigotry.
• Relativism leads to tolerance.

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Moral Relativism

• Tolerance

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Moral Relativism

• Tolerance

• The main argument relativists appeal to is that
  of tolerance. They claim that telling someone
  their morality is wrong is intolerant, and
  relativism tolerates all views.
• First of all, evil should never be tolerated.
  Should we tolerate a rapist's view that women are
  objects of gratification to be abused?
• Second, it is self-defeating because relativists
  do not tolerate intolerance or absolutism.
• Third, relativism cannot explain why anyone
  should be tolerant in the first place. The very
  fact that we should tolerate people (even when we
  disagree) is based on the absolute moral rule
  that we should always treat people fairlybut
  that is absolutism again! In fact, without
  universal moral principles there can be no
  goodness.

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Moral Relativism

• There is an inherent logical fallacy in it, any
  guess ?

• How can there be a way to determine if absolutism
  is wrong if everything is relative!?
• If tolerance is the right thing to do because
  everything is relative then there is a logical
  contradiction inherent in this because that would
  propose the right moral schemethe one we all
  ought to follow Tolerance. But this itself is
  absolutism.

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Moral Relativism what does this have to do with
me?

• It comes down to how we view the world, our
  WORLD VIEW
• Essentially, moral relativism says that anything
  goes, because life is ultimately without meaning.
  Words like "ought" and "should" are rendered
  meaningless. In this way, moral relativism makes
  the claim that it is morally neutral. 
• In a 2002 column from Fox News analyst Bill
  O'Reilly, who asked "Why is it wrong to be
  right?" In his article, O'Reilly cites recent
  Zogby poll findings regarding what is being
  taught in American universities. Studies indicate
  75 of American college professors currently
  teach that there is no such thing as right and
  wrong. Rather, they treat the questions of good
  and evil as relative to "individual values and
  cultural diversity." The problem with this,
  according to O'Reilly, is that "they see the
  world not as it is, but as they want it to be.
  And annoying questions about moral absolutes and
  unacceptable behavior are usually left
  unanswered."

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Moral Relativism - Where Do You Stand?
To determine for yourself which position to hold
where morality is concerned, you must first
determine what you believe about the origin of
life. Do you believe life evolved or do you
believe life was created? Evolution and moral
relativism go hand-in-hand, for evolution teaches
that life is accidental, without meaning or
purpose. 
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Moral Absolutism

• Absolutism claims that morality relies on
  universal principles (natural law, conscience).
  Christian absolutists believe that God is the
  ultimate source of our common morality, and that
  truth, therefore, is unchanging as He is.
• The Golden Rule, where did it originate?
• C.S. Lewis points to the nature of most quarrels
  as a clue to what we truly believe. Inherent in
  those quarrels is a concept of fairness, as in
  "how would you like it if someone did that to
  you?" When we make that statement, we are
  appealing "to some kind of standard of behavior
  we expect" the other person to know about.
  Where do you think that standard originates?
• even so-called relativists reject relativism in
  most cases. They would not say that a murderer or
  rapist is free from guilt so long as he did not
  violate his own standards.
• Going above tolerance, doing whats good and
  right
• Bishop Abraam of Fayoum and Giza
• Love of enemies - Even gave to the hostile Arabs
  in the region.

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Absolute Truth
The premise of this world is that there is no God
If there is no God, there is no Absolute
Truth. If there is no God, there is only the
individual. Each individual can, then, make up
his own truth. We want, if we may, to construct
our own reality. We don't want to be compelled to
submit to a reality that lies beyond us   We ask
Our Heavenly Father to help us overcome this
monstrous challenge that is rooting itself in the
fabric of our society. We ask Him to help us
buy the truth and do not sell it (Pro 2323) so
that we can walk in the Truth (Ps 8611, 3 John
14) for we belong to the truth" (1 John 319).
Our Father is the Truth (John 146) and our
Mother is the pillar and ground of truth. (1Tim
315).GLORY BE TO GOD FOREVER AMEN