This morning’s Wilmington New Journal Susan Stamper Brown wrote, in a top-of-the-page op-ed piece entitled “Will 2013 Be the Year We Slow the Moral Decline”:
“Conservatives have allowed Progressives to hijack the conversation about our founding principles. Liberals have replaced morality with moral relativism in an attempt to justify their own moral ineptitude.”
Her letter made me so angry that I fired off the following rejoinder to the News Journal:
Susan Stamper’s opinions . . . in the Dec. 29th News Journal mustn’t go unanswered. Readers need to beware taking the railing of extremists as an adequate representation for an entire religious tradition (in this case, Christianity). It irks me that the ilk of Ms. Stamper claim to be the sole guardians of America’s morality, and that people of faith must agree with their judgments, or else be labeled miscreants and reprobates, and blamed for dragging our culture into the mire. America is a land of many faiths, and religious activists justifiably espouse differing views on various issues. A willingness to entertain differing opinions is not a marker for apostasy nor moral ineptitude, but rather, for compassion and courage in a body politic becoming increasingly extreme.
The marvel of the presence of Ms. Brown’s article is that the politically “Leftist” Daily Journal printed it at all. TC Davis makes a good point about America being a land of “many faiths…on various issues”. He is right that differing opinions do not indicate “moral ineptitude”.
The Universal Principles of conduct (embodied best in the 10 Commandments) are standards on which Western Civilization was founded (see “How Should We Then Live” by Dr. Francis Schaeffer). Our laws are rooted in those 10 Commandments. The general populace of America chooses to elect leaders that disregard responsible money management. One can not borrow one’s way out of debt. The general populace of America – when polled – shows more than 80% disapproval of Congress’ performance. Nevertheless, the general populace voted over 95% of Congress back into office.
On that basis, I believe Ms. Brown’s observation about a decline of some kind has strong support. Moral (or financial) relativism is self defeating.