Moral Compass
Overhearing conversations in the gym sauna, reading forums on line, and watching commercials on television, I have come to wonder what we value most in this society. From what I have gathered, it seems what is valued is in the superficial. I am often hearing conversations based on one’s outer appearance such as how much weight someone has lost or gained, how old or young someone looks, how someone’s hairstyle looks good or bad, and if someone had plastic surgery or not. TV, magazine, and Internet ads are mainly focused on selling products that promote the superficial aspects of life.
In a world based on morality, wouldn’t these superficial things take a backseat? In a moral world, wouldn’t advertisements or ideas promoted be based on how to enhance one’s character and take a front seat? How often do you see stories based on altruism, random acts of kindness, and giving to others? Yes, they are out there, but they are way less in comparison to the superficial messages we have readily available to us.
I blame the superficial society we have now on the media. The media promotes this and caters to our visual sense. What we see on television is the beautiful or what has been created as what we perceive as beautiful. It is harder to see the beautiful in our actions because we always look at the box first. How would a world be if we took the time to look inside the box and study it for it’s quality?
Remember the movies from eras gone by? Remember the quality involved? The stories were much more meaningful and slower paced so you could take the time to know the characters. What happened since that time period? I believe in that time period we had much more of a moral compass that was created by a belief in Judeo-Christian values which gave us a more healthy and functional society.
Religion was much more a part of everyday life then than it is now. It was a simpler time. We all followed the same rules, did the same sorts of things, and clearly knew right from wrong. Being of good moral character was highly valued and promoted. Family values came first and divorce was frowned upon. There was no in-house porn so readily available to men, tempting them to deceive their wives.
In my personal world, I refuse to watch, listen, or participate in messages that promote the superfical. I limit my TV time to barely at all, I avoid conversations by people who speak of the superficial, and I seek out quality of life forums of communication and information.
I wish there were more people that would do the same. I am worried for my son’s future with the lack of a moral compass these days. I value people like Dr. Laura Schlessinger, American talk radio show host, who promote a moral lifestyle and organizations of faith based on Christianity. I can only pray that our society will retreat back into the functional society it once was that was based on the Good, and much less on the superficial.
Posted on December 28, 2010, in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink. 10 Comments.
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I noticed a long time ago the religion is largely disconnected from morality, people do some evil things under the guise of righteousness.
There used to be less porn because it was illegal, hence morality was government enforced. There was less divorce because most women were not financially independent and could not leave a cheating or abusive husband, also legally divorce was very difficult, hence again morality was government sanctioned. Movies were less violent and sexual because of a strict production code which censored anything from sex to violence to interracial relationships.
I think we have become a more free society since the 50′s and consequentially people are free to do evil. I want to live in a moral society, but firmly believe that morality must come from the individual, not from the state, the church, or any other institution.
“I noticed a long time ago the religion is largely disconnected from morality, people do some evil things under the guise of righteousness.”
Yes, some people will do immoral things regardless of religion. But in my experience, most people will become more moral having been taught morals either through their religion or through their parents who learned from their religion. In my own experience, I follow the 10 commandments that has given me a moral foundation in which to live by. How can one deny that the following moral code doesn’t help to guide people in living a moral life?
“And God spoke all these words, saying: ‘I am the LORD your God…
ONE: ‘You shall have no other gods before Me.’
TWO: ‘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.’
THREE: ‘You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.’
FOUR: ‘Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.’
FIVE: ‘Honor your father and your mother.’
SIX: ‘You shall not murder.’
SEVEN: ‘You shall not commit adultery.’
EIGHT: ‘You shall not steal.’
NINE: ‘You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.’
TEN: ‘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.’
The 10 Commandments – Christ’s Summation in the New Testament
About 1,400 years later, the 10 Commandments were summed up in the New Testament at Matthew 22, when Jesus was confronted by the religious “experts” of the day:
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:36-40).
A reflective reading of Christ’s teaching reveals that the first four commandments given to the children of Israel are contained in the statement: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” It continues that the last six commandments are enclosed in the statement: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
How can one deny the following passage from 1 Corinthians 13 English Standard Version Bible doesn’t help to guide people to live a more moral life?
The Way of Love
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;b 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
The Bible is unquestionably full of good moral lessons, but the teachings you quote in the second post are somewhat universal. Love your neighbor as yourself is a good sentiment, but you can find similar things in other religions and in secular philosophy.
The big 10 are good moral rules to follow, though I have trouble with the last one which I don’t think anyone follows 100%.
Going back to your original post, I question the romanticized view of the 50′s and believe alot of the morality was done by force. I grew up in Soviet Russia and there was no drugs, no pornography, no sex or violence on tv, and very little crime. I wouldn’t call it a moral society though.
The church, acting as they should, serve as a guide for morality. Otherwise, man is left to his own devices, and usually that means finding the easy way out in terms or morality.
“There was no in-house porn so readily available to men, tempting them to deceive their wives. ”
This is the most traumatic experience of our times.
“I can only pray that our society will retreat back into the functional society it once was that was based on the Good, and much less on the superficial.”
Aameen.
“hence again morality was government sanctioned.”
in the united states, religion or guided morality is not government sanctioned so your experience in soviet russia of morality can’t compare to the united states. it is different. it makes sense that you feel as you do regarding morality because you grew up in a totalitarian society where morality or soviet russia’s government version of morality was forced upon you. of course that didn’t feel like it was a moral society.
thanks for such an interesting conversation. i appreciate your comments.
Do we need religion or relationship?
No one else in history equated Himself with God except Jesus Christ. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m His slave and He’s my master. Having said that, I expect that what I’m about to say will not sit well with the majority of people today. In fact, just today I personally discovered a “christian” who has no problem ignoring Christ.
The most illustrative point comes from Jesus’ Parable of the Lost Son
(often called The Prodigal Son). Jesus exposed the hard-heartedness of the Pharisees with a story about a wildly disrespectful and irresponsible son who lost everything, repentently returned to his father, was immediately and totally forgiven and accepted by his father, but whose brother was unable to forgive him. Almost no one gets this story. It’s not about the wild brother. It’s about the evil in the unloving brother’s heart. It shows us that God condemns what’s been termed “a religious spirit.”
Assuming Jesus is who I believe Him to be, then God does not want us to follow rules and do all the right things. He wants us to totally love Him without reservations. He knows that love will draw us to Him. That, in being close to Him, our lives will honor Him in our works, and in the overflowing of love we pour out on everyone around us. Love builds others up. Love forgives ALL offenses. Love sees the best. Love doesn’t give up. Love is never cruel, proud, selfish or deceptive. It encourages us to live sacrificially–and rewards us in ways beyond human understanding (or even description).
Some of my ideas come from Tim Keller’s Book, Prodigal God. I highly recommend it.
God bless each of you in 2011!
“Assuming Jesus is who I believe Him to be, then God does not want us to follow rules and do all the right things. He wants us to totally love Him without reservations. ”
Didn’t He, may Peace be upon him, say that if we love Him we must keep His commandments?Love manifests itself. Antinomianism is a backdoor for Hypocrites.
I believe that to be right M.E. that He wanted us to keep the 10 commandments and the golden rule. I would like to learn more about what Verite meant by his post. I am not sure if I understood it correctly.