At the turn
of the last century, a philosophy came into vogue in American colleges, which
simply stated that there were no absolutes-everything was relative. This idea
of Relativism, also titled ‘Situation Ethics’ has developed a strong foothold
in American thought over the past century. It is not uncommon to hear people
referring to following their own ‘moral compass’ or to see people behaving in
ways that go against God’s rules and not seeing their actions as wrong.
As with any
false philosophy, Relativism gained ground by eroding the truth in small
steps. An early example would be the
theory of Evolution, which tore down an absolute-only God can give life- and
replaced it with a variable-somehow (and no one to this day knows exactly how)
life evolved from nonliving matter. This step eventually led to the toppling of
another absolute- life is sacred and murder is wrong,-and replaced it with the
idea that sometimes it was okay to terminate an innocent life. The boundaries
for when and how this can be done are still under debate; after all, with no
absolutes there is no solid answer to be found.
The extent
to which this idea has permeated through society, and the identity of its
author dawned upon me after reading a news story. While the story in itself was
interesting, the implication given was sickening. The story highlighted the
fact that some people are born “intersex” meaning having both male and female
organs. Naturally, a course of logic follows that if some people are both male
and female, then gender identity is not set in stone, but variable.
Like every
good lie, this story has a kernel of truth. There are some people that are
“intersex” by birth. However, this is not a ‘normal’ variation of the genetic
code, but rather a mutation of the DNA caused by the curse. It isn’t a gray
area between male and female-it’s a tragedy that is typically discovered and
surgically remedied shortly after birth.
It surprised
me when I realized that there was now a ‘gray area’ in almost every area of
life. We have ‘little white lies’ that aren’t really wrong to tell, teenagers
‘experiment’ with drugs and sex, but it’s just ‘normal adolescent behavior’,
not really sin. Just about everyone can find an accepted way to justify their
actions. After all, if everyone is led by their own moral compass, who has the
right to judge when someone’s moral compass doesn’t point the same way as
theirs? What makes society’s rules right?
If our world
were to completely subscribe to this theory (and for the most part we have), no
one’s actions are definitely right or wrong, a person has no racial identity,
and they may not be definitely male or female! It’s all a little confusing, isn’t it? If everything
has a gray area, and there are no absolutes, we have nothing on which to judge
our actions, or the actions of others. We don’t even know for certain who or
what we are!
Thankfully,
whether we will admit it and obey it or not, there is a standard. It’s called the
Bible, and it will tell us exactly who and what we are, and what we are to do.
It will also tell us who the author of confusion is-and the reasoning behind
it.
The Bible
says that “God is not the author of confusion.” (I Corinthians 14:33). If God
doesn’t create confusion, who does? The devil, or Satan. He is always the
opposite of God. He is a liar and the father of it (John 8:44). Lies cause
confusion. They are at the root of every ‘gray area’ of relativism. The simple
truth is that Satan hates God, and everything He made-including us. He wants to
kill mankind, and take us to Hell so he can torment us forever. That same verse
in John states that he was a murderer from the beginning.
As I
realized the idea that was being emphasized in the news story I mentioned, I
also realized why this idea of relativism was being presented so often and so
strongly: it is part of Satan’s plan to steal God’s glory and destroy mankind.
When mankind does not have a standard for right and wrong, they have no
realization of sin, and they do not see their need for the Savior. That means
they will not accept Christ, and will go to Hell, just like the devil wants. In
addition, mankind was created to glorify, serve, and fellowship with God. When
people deny God as Creator, and serve themselves, Satan gets God’s glory, just
like he’s wanted since he was cast out of Heaven.
I have two
main reasons for writing this article. Number one, if someone reading this
happens to subscribe to the idea of relativism, I hope this article has pointed
out the faults and consequences of this theory. It’s a lie of the Devil
intended to destroy mankind both physically and spiritually. DON’T BELIEVE IT!
As far as I
know, most of the people that read my blogs are friends of mine who have the
same values as I do. I hope this article points out the fact that the false
ideas and theories that float around in this world didn’t make themselves. I
think too often we as Christians convince our neighbors we are nuts because we
are always talking about ‘they’ and ‘them’, typically referring to the
government, or people in general that hate our beliefs and want to destroy the
gospel. While I have no doubts that the government, Hollywood, and many other
groups hate us and hate God, I hope this article reminds you that ‘they’ are
not our real enemy. ‘They’ hate us because they hate God and are blinded by
Satan, who hates them as much as he hates us. While it is important to realize
that there are ideas out there that are after our hearts and minds and the
hearts and minds of our children and loved ones, I think that sometimes we need
to back up so we can see the forest (Satan’s plan) and not just the trees (the
people he uses to carry out that plan). Also, let’s remember: God knows all
about Satan’s plans, and He’s won the war. We do not need to get so distracted
fighting people that we let Satan win the battle for our families and
neighbors. Let’s not get so wrapped up in what the devil is doing that we
forget to praise God for what he has done.
amen! they want to throw out the Bible and make their own rules, insisting that people just know what is right and wrong, but without an absolute, such as God, there can be no right or wrong, it IS all relative. This also means that we as a society cannot sit in judgment of any other society -- such as most of the world condemning how women are treated in arab countries. without the Bible there are no absolutes and the arabs have every right to persecute their women and we have no right to step in and make them change. they want to be free of having to answer to God, but still insist on some of the "rules" He gave us that are good. It can't be done. In for a penny, in for a pound.
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