The New Absolutes

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The New Absolutes
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The New Absolutes

• We are absolutists, despite any rhetoric to the
  contrary.
• These new absolutes are not simply slight
  modifications of the old truths.
• These new absolutes are worldviews in collision.

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The Rule of Relativism

• Whats true for you may not be true for me.
• Makes truth person-dependent.
• No culture is better or worse than another.
• Known as cultural relativism. No cultural
  code has special status.
• There are no objective morals, just differing
  opinions.
• The belief that truth/error, right/wrong are
  determined by the individual.

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The Rule of Relativism

• Other expressions of relativism
• Just go with the flow.
• If it feels good, do it.
• Anything goes.
• One persons art is another persons
  pornography.
• Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

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One exampleof the loss ofbiblical absolutes
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Loss of Absolutes

• Americans are making up their own rules, their
  own laws.
• Only 13 of us believe in all Ten Commandments.
• Only 40 believe in five of the Ten Commandments.

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Loss of Absolutes

• We choose which laws of God we believe in.
• There is absolutely no moral consensus in this
  country as there was in the 1950s, when all our
  institutions commanded more respect.

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Adopting New Absolutes

• Instead of abandoning absolutes, we are adopting
  new ones.
• A true relativist would not be upset when facing
  opposite views.
• They really dont have a live-and-let-live
  attitude.

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Betrayal of Behavior

• We find many examples of moral outrage.
• We also find examples of hypocrisy
• Tolerance
• Pluralism
• Multiculturalism

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Examples of Hypocrisy

• Tolerance - Those who scream for tolerance often
  restrict others through political correctness.
• Pluralism - In the name of pluralism, secularists
  are determined to push religion out of the public
  arena.
• Multiculturalism - Multiculturalists commend
  other cultures but condemn the West for its
  cultural practices.

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Human Rights Language

• People use human rights language to support
  their views
• Must be grounded in the kinds of being that we
  are.
• Must differ from civil rights which are granted
  by government.
• Must apply to all human beings.
• Must apply to all times and all places

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Worlds in Collision

• People cheat on their taxes, steal from their
  employers, live promiscuously, sell drugs.
• But they are not genuine relativists.
• They complain when someone steals from them,
  cheats on them, or destroys their kids with drugs.

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The TenNew Absolutes
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1. Freedom from Religion

• Old Religion is the backbone of American
  culture, providing the moral and spiritual light
  needed for public and private life.
• New Religion is the bane of public life, so for
  the public good it should be banned from the
  public square.

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Christianity and Culture

• Christianity went from being a minority to
  becoming a monopoly to a majority back to a
  minority.
• Gravedigger hypothesis
• Christianity (Protestant Reformation) led to the
  rise of the modern world.
• Now the modern world is digging the grave of
  Christianity.

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2. Death

• Old Human life from conception to natural death
  is sacred and worthy of protection.
• New Human life, which begins and ends when
  certain individuals or groups decide it does, is
  valuable as long as it is wanted.

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Sanctity of Life

• Christianity taught the sanctity of human life.
• Now our world judges your value on the basis of
  your quality of life.
• Abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia.

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3. Marriage

• Old The institution of marriage is God-ordained
  and occurs between a man and a woman until death
  severs the bond.
• New Marriage is a human contract made between
  any two people, and either party can terminate it
  for any reason.

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Death of Marriage

• Two leading causes for the decline of marriage
  rates in the world
• Divorce (no-fault divorce)
• Cohabitation (living together)

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4. Family

• Old The normative family is a married father
  and mother who raise one or more children.
• New Family is any grouping of two or more
  people with or without children.

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The New Family

• Change from the nuclear family to a different
  type of family structure.
• Social changes in the 21st century family
• Dual income
• Smaller families
• Non-traditional families
• Additional change same-sex marriage.

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5. Sexual Relations

• Old Sexual intercourse should be reserved for
  marriage.
• New Sexual intercourse is permissible
  regardless of marital status.

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New Sexual Rules

• Premarital sex
• Extramarital sex
• Cohabitation
• Homosexuality

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6. Sexual Deviance

• Old Same-sex and bi-sexual intercourse are
  immoral.
• New All forms and combinations of sexual
  activity are moral as long as they occur between
  consenting adults.

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7. Women

• Old Women should be protected and nurtured but
  not granted social equality.
• New Women are oppressed by men and must
  liberate themselves by controlling their own
  bodies and therefore their destinies.

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8. Racial Relations

• Old All white people are created equal and
  should be treated with dignity and respect.
• New All human beings are created equal and
  should be treated with dignity and respect, but
  people of color should receive preferential
  treatment.

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9. History

• Old Western civilization and its heritage
  should be studied and valued above others.
• New Non-Western societies and other oppressed
  peoples and their heritage should be studied and
  valued above Western civilization.

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10. Politically Correct

• Old Different perspectives should be heard and
  tolerated, but only the true and right ones
  should prevail.
• New Only those viewpoints deemed politically
  correct should be tolerated and encouraged to
  prevail.

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What Can We Do?

• Reality is on our side
• Recognize sloganeering
• Point out the hypocrisy

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