I had a conversation with a friend the other day and found our topic of discussion to be quite frustrating in that I found it difficult to explain my position using logic, common sense and reeason. The more I study and learn the more difficult I find it to converse with someone who believes what they believe without having to use logic.
I am not trying to imply that anyone is stupid here, far from it, it just made me think about how our communication skills and language have changed, becoming more "relative" over the years and how much more difficult, if things continue to change as they have, it will be in the future.
The conversation as I remember began with why we feel so differently about issues and how it came to be that way. I asked him "If you do not believe in God, how do you define your boundaries of what is right and wrong?" He said that he believes in a "collective universal conscience."
I asked him where it came from and how he knows it exists and all he could tell me is that "it just does, it has always existed" I never got the chance to ask him how he knew it always existed or how to identify what this "collective conscience" is and when he or it is being used but he did give me an example. He said "it is like killing people, people just know that it is wrong..." My answer was "does everyone know it's wrong?
I shared with him my perspective in that I found this "collective universal conscience" to be illogical, unclear,unfounded and unproven.
I also shared with him that, as a Christian, our foundations and limitations of right and wrong are found throughout scripture, like the 10 commandments. I also shared that his collective conscience was something that may have been misunderstood for what may have been a biblical foundation, after all do the 10 commandments not make absolute sense, logically and uphold common sense ideals? Afterall, aren't thou shall not murder, steal, covet, bear false witness etc, the only way to treat others with the upmost respect? Our founders of this country spoke often about these issues.
The conversation shifted gears when I had mentioned that I was meeting with the school board about some of the innacuracies my children were being taught in school when I had mentioned to him that as parents "we have the right and moral obligation to educate and grow up the way in which we feel is best, to quote one of many scriptures: "Teach them the way and when they are older they will not depart from it". It is the duty of the parents. Government apparently doesn't believe in the "free will" ideology either because of their continued denial of rights to the parents.
I was shocked to find his answer when he stated that "Parents do not have the right to brainwash their children-they should have free will". "They should have the right to make decisions and do as they please, to make their own decisions" If this is so should adults claim free will too? If it becomes my free will to teach my children who then is supposed to tell me when my free will stops and my childs free will begins?
It has been several days since this conversation and it has affected me greatly. My heart is heavy and the lack of ability to have him see that his perspective is based only on "feelings without the use of logic, reason or common sense was discouraging. How can people go through life, making decisions based on nothing but feelings? Is truth, logic, common sense, reason no longer important?
Many individuals that I speak to are well educated in so many areas and appear so bright, how is it that they cannot see it? Or do they not want to see it?
Scripture reads:
2Peter 3:5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old..."
If "collective conscience " and people are "inherently good"are what people believe to be true Then why do people kill, steal, covet, bear false witness, commit adultery,abuse their children, corrupt governments, create computer viruses, hack computers,create spam, control others and when given a choice would rather commit sins than do good? So why is it that we need contracts for monetary transactions, have to read small print or listen to advertisements where the advertiser reads his disclosure statements and waivers at warp speed when 50 years ago all of this was simply done with a handshake?
The bible tells us, as Christians, that "we are all but sinners, there is not one good,no not one". By Gods word and the statistics of the world outside which one makes more sense?
If "free will" is what we believe and think is best for our society maybe we should look at the stats of the murder rate, abortion rate, premartial sex, disease, broken families, corruption, rape, greed in addition to the moral relativism of law that will make it impossible to adequately punish offenders and actually may confuse the victim from the perpatrator or to decipher the truth from a lie.
If free will is what we believe how will you explain that committing murder is wrong when the person commiting it will consider it a violation of his free will?
Should I allow my children to break into a home, restaurant? Should I let them loose with spray paint cans on the exterior of your car? What do the laws of collective conscience say about that?
Psalms 11:3 If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?
Has anyone ever wondered if this "free will" mentality is what may be part of the problem we face in this world today?
It is clear that we live in a much different world today than we did before 1962 when bibles were removed from schools. We were a nation of citizens who had respect for eachother and the law.You could leave your home without locking your door and leave your keys in your car.
Talking out of turn and chewing gum in class were replaced with date rape drugs and school shootings. In high school we showed our principal our new gun purchased at the local 5 and dime that we kept in our car to a complete school lock down and zero tolerance for our second amendmant right guaranteed by our Constitution?
Collective conscience? people are inherently good? Free will?
or
Sinners denying God seeking after the lusts of the flesh and their temporal interests without need for accountability?
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