Have you ever argued with someone about right and wrong and, after proving your point, they responded “well, that is just your opinion.”? Perhaps you have heard, “it’s a matter of judgment” when someone cannot answer you. People often respond this way when they do not want a right and wrong hanging over their head. “You believe and do what you want and I will do the same because it makes no difference anyway.”
It is endlessly frustrating when someone responds like this over an issue you feel is important. You believe in a right and wrong and want to prove your position, but how do you convince a person who does not care? The answer is, you can’t. You cannot persuade those who dismiss evidence and logic in favor of feeling good about doing what they want without penalties. (Matt. 12:24-28)
Society has tried to make just about every evil act good by embracing situational ethics and relativism. (Isa. 5:20-21) If it makes me feel good and fulfills my wants, then it is good. On the flip side, anything restricting me or does not let me be who and what I want is bad. According to this way of thinking there is only one constant evil. If my actions harm another they are wrong. So, I am free to do as I please so long as my conduct does not hurt others.
But, who decides what hurts someone else? You have probably already guessed the answer. Each person chooses for himself unless the privileged few say otherwise. And, say otherwise they do, unless you walk in step with their views about right and wrong. The politically correct crowd has crowned themselves lords and masters over these decisions.
One example showing my point occurs in the last sentence. I use a writing program to help with my grammar and punctuation. It also points out what the designers believe to be unsuitable remarks. The program suggested I delete “lords and masters” because it is a “sexist remark”. Have we gone so far with the “feel good” mentality that perfectly good words and phrases are now taboo? We let a few elitist, who denigrate and deny God, tell us that such words as he and she, his and her, and sir and ma’am are also sexist. They say, “Do not use words or phrases that may offend someone.”
The truth is they do not care about hurting people unless it is people who side with them. Let everyone be just as vile and degenerate as they want, but do not dare criticize their actions. It is hard to find a TV show or movie where couples do not live together outside of marriage. We have become desensitized and deeds that should be condemned by all are now accepted by many. (Rom. 1:28-32)
Even if you do not criticize sin, just standing for right will sometimes get you into trouble. Not too long ago, the wife of a famous basketball player tweeted something that got many in a stir and huff. And what was her outrageous and offensive remark. “Everyone is into barely wearing clothes these days huh? Not my style. I like to keep the good stuff covered up for the one who matters.” The audacity of any wife saying she is going “to keep the good stuff covered up for the one who matters.” (Heb. 13:4)
These ideas belong to secular humanists and progressives who do not believe in God or the Bible. They want nothing to do with any restrictive measure outside themselves. One such man wrote, “We believe, however, that traditional dogmatic or authoritarian religions that place revelation, God, ritual, or creed above human needs and experience do a disservice to the human species.” (Humanist Manifesto II) A little further in the same publication we read, “Ethics is autonomous and situational needing no theological or ideological sanction.”
I doubt most know just how pervasive these views have become. They have slowly worked their way into the values and beliefs of many who do not realize what has happened. Secular Humanism has infected countless people in politics, education, business, and entertainment. It is responsible for numerous assaults on religion and God.
Even some who claim they are Christians champion many of their causes as religious humanists. Secular and religious humanists want to get rid of most moral prohibitions found in the Bible. Secular humanists say there is no God and religious humanists mitigate the only true and living God of the Bible. This last group tries to tether religion and do as you please together. This is not biblically possible for God has already set the standard for right and wrong. (2 John 9-11)
When others strongly and loudly disagree with us, we sometimes doubt and cower down. Have you ever noticed when people do not want to hear the other side they often resort to yelling and not giving you a chance to respond? Do not be afraid to stand up to sin or sinners in the right spirit. (2 Tim. 4:1-4) If we do not get the word out, who will? Stand, but stand softly and humbly, before those who do not know better. Give them a chance to hear and respond.
Christians shine as lights to a corrupt and sinful world. (Phil. 2:15) We hold forth the word of life. (Phil. 2:16) Really, our society and time are not too different from the days of Christ and the apostles. You can even go back further, to the days of Isaiah, and people were doing the same. Modernist and progressives have been around since near the beginning of time. Most people do not and have never wanted to call sin, SIN. We cannot be among them if we want to please God.
Terry Starling