Whatever happened to the day when a man’s word was his bond? Whatever happened to the time when the truth was the truth and a lie was a lie and there was no confusion in differentiating between the two? Whatever happened to the days of absolutes?
The philosophical thinking that governs the social interactions between human beings in our society has shifted dramatically since the beginning to the last century. At the beginning of the 20th century, in the United States, most people functioned according to basic Judeo-Christian principles and common logic. Now, this is not to say that everybody was a Christian or an upright moral person. But, there were certain values and ideas, steeped in the Judeo-Christian tradition that even non-Christians honored. Among these principles was the idea that there was such a thing as absolute truth. For example, if “A” was true and “B” was the exact opposite of “A,” then logic dictated that “B” could not be identical to “A” and hence, if “A” was indeed true, than logic and common sense dictated that “B” was false!
But, somewhere after the bitter reality of two World Wars, we sunk beneath the plane of moral absolutes and common logic. We now live in a time when truth has been transformed from something that was once absolute into something that is now relative! (By using the term: “relative” I mean something, of which the validity of is depended upon unsure and changing factors) The standard of behavior is no longer a clear-cut “black and white” issue, but has been smeared into a non-distinctive gray! For many, the truth is no longer a matter of fact, but merely a matter of popular public opinion! Moral character and integrity has been traded off for political, social and economic expediency. Today, it is considered more proper to be “politically correct” than just simply correct!
A generation ago, the virgin was normal, while the girl who had “been around” was shunned. Today, the girl who has “been around” is glamorized, while the girl (or boy) who is sexually pure is considered to be abnormal! There once was a time when homosexuality was thought to be sin, (by the way, God still calls it sin!) now it is just another of many alternative lifestyles! With the majority of society, drowning in the dark seas of relativism, those who believe in absolutes appear as lighted buoys, illuminating a channel of moral integrity that leads to the firm shore of absolute truth! But the sad reality is that instead of being attracted to the truth as moth are attracted to a light, men love darkness rather than light, so they run from the light into even greater darkness! What is truth? God’s Word is truth! Man may change; but the truth remains the same! If you want to have a firm foothold in a crumbling world, may I suggest that you plant your feet on the Rock! On Christ the Solid and Absolute Rock you can stand, all other ground is sinking sand! All other ground is sinking, shifting, transitory, relative, politically-correct, popular-opinionated sand!