Moral relativism does not provide us with a standard to judge the actions of other cultures, leaving us with no intelligible difference between the good or evil actions of other cultures or individuals. If moral relativism is true, we cannot judge other cultures as morally wrong.

A moral relativist might respond by saying that the world would be a better place without its Bonnie and Clydes, Manson’s followers, and the Nazis, but we cannot say that these groups were “wrong” for doing what they did because, as one moral relativist, Gilbert Harman has written, “they are beyond the reach of the relevant moral considerations.” In other words, since they are outside of the group that we have formed, we cannot place our judgment upon them. What was wrong for the world might have been right for the Nazis and we have no place to say otherwise. They can only be judged by their own version of morality which, by the way, made their actions perfectly legitimate. There exists no ultimate standard with which to judge them by. Any collection of individuals can, at will, determine what is and what is not moral.

If such a belief was actualized in the real world, however, human civilization would be destroyed. There would no longer be any moral reason to stop the Hitlers or the Mansons or even the Bonnies or Clydes of the world from completing their evil missions. Thus, the group of commuters had as much of a right to urge the suicidal woman to her death as Hitler had to murder countless numbers of Jews.

On the other end of the spectrum, there would also be no reason to praise social do-gooders like Mother Teresa. Since there are no “bad” acts, there are also no acts that are inherently “good.” Under the guidelines of ethical relativism, Mother Teresa is Hitler’s moral equal. Both are “right.” However, when attempting to define a system of morality, surely one can do better than to create a system that shows no difference between an individual that most of the world has viewed as “good” (Mother Teresa) and another individual that most of the world has viewed as bad (Hitler). Moral relativism’s lack of discernment between these two extremes disqualifies it as a practical—and therefore acceptable—system of morality.

Artie Auer, who was professor of atmospheric science at the University of Wyoming for 22 years said:

Climate change will be considered a joke in five years time.

Read More.

[bibleblock]Heb 12:15-16[/bibleblock]

This passage tells us that worship is not to be limited to just a worship service. Although corporate worship is a biblical Christian activity, we must remember that worship is not limited to Sunday mornings. We are to continually worship God. It is also important to remember that the Bible lists many ways which God is to be worshipped. All of these activities please God and, since God has wired us all differently, it is acceptable for us all to favor different methods of worship. Some of us may feel that we are fully worshiping God when in the middle of a highly charismatic worship service while others feel that they are giving more to God by worshipping in quiet solitude. Some might feel that they are worshipping God through dance and song. Others, who may not have been blessed with rhythm or the gift of a good voice, may feel they are worshipping God through prayer and study. All of these are biblical models and just because someone has a worship style different than our own does not mean that they are not successfully worshiping God.

In an Assemblies of God Pentecostal church that I attended in the past, it was believed that one was not worshipping God unless he was dancing frantically and speaking in tongues because this, they believed, was how the true believer empowered by the Holy Spirit worshipped. If anyone was not worshipping in this manner there were silent doubts concerning that person’s salvation. It felt more like a show for people to make these human beliefs go away than true adoration of the Lord.

The important thing to remember in spiritual formation and worship is that, although there are biblical models for worship, there are a lot of them and all of them do not apply to every believer in the same ways and in the same degrees. God lets each believer know how He wants to be worshipped by that individual and this is between God and the Christian. Although frameworks can be good at helping someone realize worship styles that might not have been known or tried before that could be a way that God wants that believer to praise Him, we should be careful to not dogmatically assert that every Christian must favor a specific worship style.

Francis Beckwith, who has made a comment on this blog, has been interviewed by Christianity Today.

I am a bit late to post on this, but I’ve been amazed by the hatred surrounding the death of Dr. Jerry Falwell. Take, for example, the comments that are appearing on an article on Foxnews.com.

A couple of the quotes are:

Farwell [sic] will be remembered as the pompous, arrogant person that he was. — Paul (Grand Rapids, MI)

He will be remembered only in the short term. His legacy will be one of intolerance and bigotry. — MM

In wondering what these people were talking about I looked up a couple of definitions:

ar·ro·gant (ār’ə-gənt)
adj.

• Having or displaying a sense of overbearing self-worth or self-importance.
• Marked by or arising from a feeling or assumption of one’s superiority toward others: an arrogant contempt for the weak.

arrogant. Dictionary.com. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/arrogant (accessed: May 17, 2007).

in·tol·er·ant (ĭn-tŏl’ər-ənt)
adj. Not tolerant, especially:

• a. Unwilling to tolerate differences in opinions, practices, or beliefs, especially religious beliefs.

intolerant. Dictionary.com. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/intolerant (accessed: May 17, 2007).

Isn’t it ironic that those who accuse others of being either arrogant or intolerant express those traits themselves?