I was thinking about where I derive my values from, compared to where I derived my values from 15 years ago. The answer was revealing of a serious issue affecting the social fabric of our country today.
Namely said, most people, when asked, probably couldn’t tell you where and how they devised or received their moral positions.
100 years ago, you might have received the same answer across a wide spectrum of society, people saying that they derived their morals from religion or church. But what about today? Where did you first receive your current value system?
If you can’t answer the question, or no answer appears obvious, perhaps you have absorbed your values subconsciously through the media, through Hollywood cinema and network television shows. Perhaps leftist politicians and civil rights leaders have heavily influenced you. Perhaps not.
Either way, the thought occurred to me that most people are probably not aware of the evolution of metaphysics and the philosophy of religion that has taken place over the last few hundred years. Maybe they are not aware that religion is treated as an academic and scientific discipline by a majority of religious and biblical scholars. Most are well-versed in philosophy, Greek mythology and the humanities. Peer-reviewed journals thrive. Degrees in these fields are are of estimable value. The work is painstaking and rigorous.
Religion is literally an academic, scientific and philosophical discipline. It is not merely a coven of bearded men in long robes smoking pipes in a musty parlor.
And this brings us to the modern-day dilemma. There is a vast moral repository of learning about religion and morality stretching back thousands of years. One thinker has built upon the ideas and work of forebears in generation after generation. There was, for example, Abraham, then Moses, then John the Baptist, then Jesus, then Saul of Tarsus.
And yet people today do not go this valuable store of wisdom for their moral values, but instead turn to politicians, scientists, educators, journalists and celebrities.
I’m also not sure that the average American is aware of the multitude of organizations whose sole objective is to contact and establish relationships with movie studios and media giants, with the express stated intention on influencing their programming. For example, there are more than a few gay-rights organizations that have regular meetings and close, working relationships with top Hollywood and television producers and executives, urging them to include gay family units and characters on their shows and in their movies.
These organized influencers understand that the best way to normalize the acceptance of alternative lifestyles is to repeatedly expose the viewing public to these artificial demonstrations which are played out by actors on the screen.
But back to the point, imagine turning to Barack Obama for moral direction, instead of Pope John Paul. Imagine turning to Taylor Swift for moral instruction instead of Saint Augustine…
This seems foolhardy, absurd on the face of it. But this is where we stand today.
Perhaps, on the edge of a moral apocalypse that the human race is never going to recover from.