Disagreement:
1. Disagreement
does not prove relativism:
We do not see
all things the same way. There are small and great disagreements.
Different groups come to different conclusions based on the same
facts. This does not mean both groups are right. If disagreement
justified relativism then there could never be any objective right
or wrong. Genocide, murder and robbery are conflicts of “Valid” but
opposing views. The nation which slaughters and kills minorities is
no more guilty then a lion killing a lamb. The rapist is nothing
less then the strong taking advantage of the weaker. We would have
to conclude the serial murderer just had a difference of opinion
with the people he killed. He wanted them to die and they didn’t
want to die. Who is right and wrong? There death is nothing more
then a dog killing some game chickens.
2. Disagreement
disproves relativism:
Disagreement
demonstrates that relativism is false. Since relativism is based on
the idea that there are no absolutes of right and wrong.
Disagreement needs at least two opposing opinions. Both feeling they
are in the right, otherwise there would be no disagreement.
Disagreement itself invalidates Relativism because disagreement
requires someone to “be right”. Relativism would dictate that no
party is right because all in essence is only relative. Therefore,
there could never be disagreement since all is relative.
3. Consequences
of Moral Relativism:
Moral
Relativism rejects all moral judgments. Statements such as,
-
killing
people for fun is wrong;
-
Stealing
from people is a sin;
-
Feeding the
homeless is good;
are reduced to
nothing more then preference claims. All these statements are based
on objective moral norms. The words; wrong, sin and good imply there
exists an objective moral standard. Relativism denies any such
standard.
Sometimes the
Relativist might argue that the standard is a “Cultural or Social”
standard, this then becomes the basis of moral rightness and
wrongness. This merely replaces one cultural standard with another
cultural standard. In Mexico before the arrival of Cortez,
child-sacrifice and cannibalism was a standard Aztec practice.
Cortez witnessed these events firsthand, and with the force of the
sword suppressed these Aztec practices. According to moral
relativism, who was Immoral, the Aztecs or the Spaniards? Moral
relativism would equate child-sacrifice and cannibalistic Aztec
cultural as a non-consequential event.
This would also
apply to individual morality. A modern day cannibal such as Jeffrey
Dahmer is no less guilty or innocent then his Aztec predecessors.
Every person actions would justify their morality all moral
judgments are negated. In the moral relativist universe the killing
of the Jews is nothing more or less then a Lion killing a lamb.
Tolerance
-
Tolerance
supports objective morality.
If everybody
ought to be tolerant, then tolerance becomes an objective “Moral
Norm”. Therefore, Moral Relativism is false. Tolerance also
presupposes that there is something good about being tolerant.
-
Relativism
is a closed-minded and intolerant position
Relativism
dogmatically asserts there is no moral truth. Tolerance is position
that we should be open-minded to the positions of others. Since
there is no moral truth, why should anybody be open-minded?
The whole reason of being open-minded is the possibility that
somebody has something true to say. Relativism assumes that there is
no truth therefore there is no reason to be open-minded.
Therefore, relativism becomes a closed-minded system intolerant of
those who claim to have “Truth”
-
Relativism
is judgmental, exclusivist and partisan.
This might sound
strange since Relativism claims that it is non-judgmental, all
accepting and unbiased about moral beliefs.
-
The
relativist claims that if you believe in objective moral
truth you are wrong, therefore it is judgmental.
-
Relativism excludes those who claim to have objective moral
truth, therefore exclusive.
-
Because
relativism is exclusive, all non-relativists are
automatically not members of the “Correct thinking” party,
and therefore partisan.
-
Tolerance is
either barbaric or self-refuting.
Relativists want
tolerance because with the diversity of moral and cultural
traditions. However, Tolerance means also to accept those who
disagree with you. For example, that would mean that if a Neo-Nazi
philosophy became a prevalent viewpoint, this should be tolerated.
In addition, if the same group wanted to kill everybody who
disagreed with them, tolerance should remain. Once the “Tolerant”
reject the position of Neo-Nazi party they become intolerant and
self-refuting. Tolerance means you accept everybody, including
those who are barbaric or you become intolerant and self-refuting.
Self Refuting Statement:
When a statement fails to satisfy itself
(to conform to its own criteria of validity or acceptability), it is
self-refuting…Consider some examples. “I cannot say a word in
English” is self-refuting when uttered in English. “I don not exist”
is self-refuting, for one must exist to utter it
…. JP Morleand, Scaling the Secular City
The Christian Response:
In order to help
the relativist understand the “Christian position” we must first
make the position relative to the listener. First, we should
recognize that without the existence of God, “The Cause of the
Universe”, there are no moral absolutes. The universe is one
accident that came out of nowhere into existence sometime in the
past. This is the heart of materialism, all is matter and that all.
There is no
morality; no higher order of humans, animals or insects all are
meaningless Is there anything wrong with the Lion killing the lamb
or, the Great White shark eating a seal?
Even the most
avowed PETA member (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)
would say no it’s a part of the natural order. Think for a moment
if there was no God, using the same logic what is the difference
between say a strong people, a Lion People killing and destroying a
Lamb people. If there is no God, couldn’t we logically conclude its
just the natural order demonstrated in nature.
However, if God
does exist, then moral absolutes exist. For example;
You are invited
to a house for a party, when you enter the house you become the
guest of the owner. As a guest, you have privileges; you are
allowed to eat freely of the food available, sit in the chairs
provided, talk with other guests; use the restroom, play the piano
and have a good time. However, since you are an invited guest and
not the owner you have restrictions. You cannot paint the walls,
break the windows, be disrespectful and harmful to other guest or
the owner or destroy property. As long as you abide by the terms of
being a guest, you are free to stay at the party. Living in the
world, we are guests of God.
We
are in the world, the one who owns the world has the right to
determine what the rules are in the property that is His. The owner
of the house can tear down walls, break his windows, smash the
furniture, but the guest does not have the same privilege. God has
the right to determine what is acceptable and not acceptable. God
has revealed what is acceptable through individuals, recorded in His
word the Bible.
The
question of what is Truth? Who is God? Why the Bible? Are separate
issues. But we must agree that “If there is a God and He did make
the World, then He has the right to establish what is right and
wrong”, and if there is no God, then we are free to do what we want.
We are nothing more then accidents and we are on an equal footing
with animals and insects. One day we will cease to exist, like a
leaf that falls from the tree and decays in the earth.
Scripture: The
Ten Commandments are an example of God telling his guests what is
acceptable.
1And
God spoke all these words, saying:
2
“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of
Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3
“You shall have no other gods before Me.
4
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of
anything that is in heaven above, or that is in
the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
5you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I,
the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of
the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations
of those who hate Me, 6but showing mercy to thousands, to
those who love Me and keep My commandments.
7
“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the
LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
8
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9Six days you
shall labor and do all your work, 10but the seventh day
is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall
do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male
servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger
who is within your gates. 11For in six days
the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is
in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the
Sabbath day and hallowed it.
12
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon
the land which the LORD your God is giving you.
13
“You shall not murder.
14
“You shall not commit adultery.
15
“You shall not steal.
16
“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your
neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor
his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your
neighbor’s.”
Exodus 20:1-17
Dialogue
between a Christian and a Moral Relativist
Scene: Joe and
Mike are two high school friends. Who meet 10 years after High
School; in those 10 years, Joe comes to a personal relationship with
Jesus Christ and changes his life to conform to a Christian
worldview. Mike remembers the old Joe who loved to go out and
party, dance and have a good time with the girls. After not seeing
each other for a number of years, they run into each other at a
mutual friend’s house. While sitting down on the couch they hear the
news the Massachusetts Supreme Court has just removed the ban on
same-sex marriage in Massachusetts. Joe Christian, upon hearing the
news acts disgusted and makes a comment that begins the following
exchange.
Mike Skeptic:
What
is wrong Joe?
Joe Christian:
This
country is in trouble when judges don’t see the difference between
marriage of heterosexuals and homosexuals.
Mike Skeptic:
Well Joe we live in a different age, we are seeing civil rights
extended to groups who have been prevented from being part of
society we are becoming more tolerant of other view points.
Joe:
Mike, What the
basis of right and wrong?
Mike:
As long as you don’t hurt people, everything is ok.
Joe:
So is there anywhere you draw a line of what right or wrong?
Mike:
Joe, As long as you have two consenting adults, there should be no
limits.
Joe:
What about Prostitution? Shouldn’t polygamy also be legal since
they would also be consenting adults?
Mike:
You ask a lot of questions! I don’t see a problem with
prostitution. As far as marriage between two people we need to keep
some order in our society. And culture really determines what is
right and wrong. If the majority of the people in this country
don’t see a problem then its ok with me.
Joe:
So do you think the culture and society determine what is right and
wrong?
Mike:
We live in a pluralistic society and morality is relative, that’s
just the way it is Joe.
Joe;
What if the majority of the people in the
United States
thought Hitler was right, and they wanted to kill the Jews? Would
they be right or wrong?
Mike:
Joe, don’t be silly we are not talking about Nazi Germany, we are
talking about the United States.
Joe:
Mike, the United States was founded on a Judea-Christian worldview,
with moral absolutes of “Right and Wrong” if morality is just
relative, does it matter what’s right or wrong? Can we condemn
Hitler’s Germany and say he was wrong in what he did? Don’t we
sound intolerant and judgmental if we reject Hitler’s view because
they disagree with ours?
Mike:
He was wrong because he hurt people
Joe:
So if you are saying there is wrong then there must also be right,
right? Are you now saying morality is not relative? That as long as
you do not hurt people everything is ok.
Mike:
Yes, that my position as long as you don’t hurt people, everything
is ok
Joe:
What is the basis of your Morality? Who or What says you should not
hurt your fellow man?
Mike:
Well society says it
Joe:
Doesn’t society always change? Won’t they change again?
Mike:
Have you become religious on me?
Joe:
If God made the world, doesn’t he have the right to set the rules?
Mike:
Who says there is a God? In addition, who says what the truth is?
Joe:
Well I asking myself that very question 7 years ago and I found God
out who God and that the Bible is His Word.