"When the law of God, which is the only standard of protection for society, is discarded, then by what standard do you maintain decency and order in that society? When a father rejects God's law with respect to the care of his family, what's to keep him from abandoning them? Even if he doesn't abandon them-for whatever reason-surely the next generation will act out the logical consequences of his doctrine. The second generation becomes 'twice the sons of hell.' It's not a matter of rejecting 'absolutes' versus accepting 'relativity'; it is the rejection of God's absolute standard that makes the difference. As Christians, we do not advocate 'absolutes,' as such, as the ground of our behavior, but rather the absolutes of God's law, clearly found in the Word of God, as the basis of society. Even the relativity of the unbeliever is his absolute-absolutely not God's!" (221).
Picture Credit: Clip Art
Regarding absolutes and relativity: Recently, I’ve been watching Season 1 of the HBO series “Rome,” and one of the pleasant surprises of the show has been how conscious the show’s creators seem to be of the role of religion in government. The show contrasts for us two characters: Lucius Vorenus, a legionary who served under Caesar in Gaul, and Marc Antony, Caesar’s infamous lieutenant. At one point, Antony invites Vorenus to serve as an official in Caesar’s new government. Vorenus refuses, citing his belief “in the divinity of the Republic” and its protection by the gods. Antony counters with a battery of relativistic rhetoric: the law of the Republic and the gods who protect it are negotiable. And this is just a small picture of how the two characters act in the show as a whole: Vorenus is devoted to his wife and his employers, but Antony sleeps around and joins in Caesar’s coup. It mirrors the words of Washington: that without a religious foundation for the State, people are bound to see the State as “flexible,” and will impiously manipulate it to selfish ends. Without a sense of the sacred and profane, then the people will touch anything. Without an observance of the first four Commandments, society will become just as lawless as if it had abandoned observing the other six.
ReplyDelete"Without an observance of the first four Commandments, society will become just as lawless as if it had abandoned observing the other six." Love that line, Bobby! It's an excellent point.
ReplyDeleteOnce again, La, you've put up a wonderful quote! I'm impressed that you're still getting a lot of reading done. The last week I've been rather busy and haven't had much time with the written word (except the Bible, naturally). I miss it!