Moral Absolutes or Moral Relativism?

Dr. Keith A. Ogden

Whatever happened to the day when a man’s word was his bond? Whatever happened to the time when the truth was the truth and a lie was a lie and there was no confusion in differentiating between the two? Whatever happened to the days of absolutes?

The philosophical thinking that governs the social interactions between human beings in our society has shifted dramatically since the beginning to the last century. There was a time that most people functioned according to basic Judeo-Christian principles and common logic. This is not to say that everybody was a Christian or an upright moral person, but, there were certain values and ideas, steeped in the Judeo-Christian tradition that even non-Christians honored.

Among these principles was the idea that there was such a thing as
absolute truth. For example, if “A” was true and “B” was the exact
opposite of “A,” then logic dictated that “B” could not be identical to
“A” and hence, “B” was false! But, somewhere after the bitter reality
of whatever went wrong, America has sunk beneath the plane of moral
absolutes and common logic.

We now live in a time when truth has been transformed from
something that was once absolute into something that is relative. (By
using the term “relative” I mean something of which the validity
depends upon unsure and changing factors). The standard of behavior is
no longer a clear-cut black-and-white issue, but has been smeared into
a non-distinctive gray. For many, the truth is no longer a matter of
fact, but merely a matter of popular public opinion. Moral character
and integrity have been traded off for political, social, and economic
expediency.

As I look at the news and read the local newspaper, it’s very
depressing to see what’s happening in and around us. Moral values used
to be a topic around the dinner table. Now, people are always scheming,
trying to get ahead in life without ever seeing the consequences around
the curve.

There was a time when a person who was a virgin was normal,
while the girl who had “been around” was shunned. Today, the girl who
is experience is glamorized, while the girl (or boy) who is sexually
pure is considered to be abnormal. Our young girls are opening their
legs to pregnancy without counting the cost and what it takes to care
and provide for that precious innocent child. Our young boys are
running around impregnating our little girls with their permission;
without considering that one day, they too, will reap what they sow.

No one seems to have remorse for doing wrong anymore until they
get caught. There once was a time when homosexuality was thought to be
sin, along with fornication and adultery, etc., (by the way, God still
calls it sin — read your Bible!); now it is just another of many
alternative lifestyles; with all the gender-confused people in the
world from California to Vermont — and from Vermont to Asheville.

With the majority of society drowning in the dark seas of
relativism, those who will believe in absolutes shall appear as lighted
buoys, illuminating a channel of moral integrity that leads to the firm
shore of absolute truth! What is truth? God’s Word is truth! Man may
change; but the truth remains the same! Please take heed of the message
— it is God’s will that all men be saved. Surrender you life to Him
today. God loves you… Romans 10:9 (NIV) records, “That if you confess
with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God
raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

If you want to have a firm foothold in a crumbling world, may I
suggest that you plant your feet on the Rock! On Christ the Solid and
Absolute Rock you can stand, all other ground is sinking sand! All
other ground is sinking, shifting, and transitory relative sand! Give
your life to Him today — live for Him today!