The Bitter Harvest of Ethical Relativism

Reading:   Judges 17-18

Without leadership man tends to gravitate toward that which best fulfills the needs of the day...

JUDGES 17:6

6    In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes. 

To deem something "right in [your] own eyes" there must be a set of parameters in place to buoy your system of belief.  If you are raised in a family of thieves it would be difficult to find fault in the profession that has sustained so many and yet to steal from family would be a heinous trespass.  The same is true for any fish-out-of-water scenario where one must discover the parameters of existence, within a new system of life, to survive.  What may have been wrong in the known culture might be perfectly acceptable in the new one - usually dictated by authority and popular trends.

A good example would be the cinema in America verses cinema in most Western European cultures.  Nudity and sex elicite ratings for mature audiences in America whereas the same films in Europe would be deemed much less morally troublesome.  Violence, bloodshed and gore are deemed morally reprehensible in Europe, receiving much more restrictive ratings, while the same films in America barely garner a PG rating. 

Okay, I wandered off subject (verse) a bit but I think I can bring it around if you're patient...

In the current reading we are prefaced by the above verse describing existence as being without a king.  The people found comfort in various types of idol worship and each man did as he perceived to be right despite the history and lessons of countless honored ancestors.  The actions and numerous deaths that occur in the subsequent chapters stem from the lack of direction, a squabbling of idolatry, and a lack of core family values.  Neal A. Maxwell said,

The gospel's illumination provides so much greater perspective for us concerning the role of the family. 

Before citing some challenges to family life, consider, first...how living without God in the world brings a functional lack of consistent perspective. If there were no eternal truths, to what principles would mortals look for guidance? If not accountable to God, to whom are we ultimately accountable? Furthermore, if nothing is ever really wrong, then no one is ever really responsible. If there are no fixed boundaries, then there cannot be any excesses. Why should we be surprised, then, at so many disturbing outcomes, including the lack of community, when every man does that which is "right in his own eyes" (Judg. 17:6; Judg. 21:25) and seeks not the righteousness of the Lord but instead walks "in his own way"? (D&C 1:16). 

Reflect, for instance, on how inoperative the Ten Commandments are in many lives. Today, killing, stealing, and bearing false witness still carry some social stigma and legal sanction, but sanction is effectively gone regarding sexual immorality, the Sabbath day, honoring fathers and mothers, and the taking of the name of the Lord in vain. Some of this decline represents the bitter harvest of ethical relativism, the philosophy of choice of many, reflecting no fixed, divine truths but merely the mores of the moment. No wonder Ortega y Gasset wisely warned, "If truth does not exist, relativism cannot take itself seriously." (The Modern Theme (New York: Harper & Row, 1961), as quoted in Duncan Williams, Trousered Apes (New Rochelle, N.Y.: Arlington House, 1971), p. 69.)  

~Take Especial Care of Your Family, April General Conference, 1994 

Trousered Apes sounds like an interesting read (adding it to my wishlist).  Anyway, truth is definitely a key to relativism because it solidifies, when proven, the strength of one belief and, by relation, justifies connections and actions that adhere to that belief.  Let me try to explain...someone who lives in a desert might have a belief in snow because of television, movies, the Internet, and even eye witness accounts from acquaintances but until that individual actually experiences snow, sees it,  touches it, smells it, tastes it, and hears its muting affect, it remains just a belief, blind faith.  After the experience, then, by the laws of relativism, the desert dweller can now find truth in snowballs, snowmen, ice caves, blizzards, etc.

Maxwell explained that "the mores of the moment" tend to dictate what is ethical by scale.  The decrease in family values and the less-then stringent approach to the Ten Commandments are a relative reaction to the current trends of culture and authority.  These trends fluctuate greatly from region to region and culture to culture.  

Family and faith in God are the only true avenues of hope.

Okay, I realize this particular blog may take some additional time and effort to fully magnify and explain but trust me, in my head it sounds great and makes total sense...

~Kipling