"Moral Relativism" is at Two Thirds among Gen Z
Among those 13-18 years old when asked "Can people of many religions go to heaven" the answer is yes, 66%. This in spite of a passage in the Bible where Jesus was supposed to have said, "..except through me.." (Jesus and Donald Trump seem like the same full-of-themselves people).
What is the problem here? Is it that young people have never heard Christianity is the only true religion, or, have heard it and think it is bull shoot? For sure it is the latter.
It is the latter because the majority of citizens in the U.S. have at least some critical thinking skills. They are used to taking what advertisers and politicians say with a grain of salt. Over time Christianity has become just another of these.
Really what I'd like to know is how their parents react to these Gen Z views? My guess is that most parents will say, "That makes sense." They say this because it is what they themselves have always thought. But, unlike Gen Z, the parents never felt free to express doubts. Today it is acceptable and that is what we are seeing.
In the comments of the link are laments from those in the faith. "Gen Z does not have any 'values.'" Or, "Gen Z is a generation that does not know right from wrong." This is the mistake conservative branches of Christianity have made, its followers think they have the ultimate "truth" about morality and right and wrong. Most of my grandchildren are in Gen Z. I think they mostly have no interest in or little knowledge of religion. Yet, they, like their contemporaries, have good instincts as to right and wrong. That Christianity provides some better guidance to morality is complete balderdash.
Each new poll of young people shows an increase in rejection of Christian institutions and the dogma that goes with these institutions. They ain't buyin' it. They know homosexuals, trans, Hindu, Muslim and other young people from other countries who are good people. It causes them to revolt against public condemnation of their friends by religious leaders.
In a short while it appears our country will join several ones in Europe polling majority not Christian. Then the only important task remaining will be to trim down the number of Bible thumpers in elected offices.
your headline suggested that you were about to publish a post on moral relativism. however, upon reading your it in full, I saw nothing about moral relativism as such: Christian bashing and Trump bashing instead. that said, allow me to comment briefly on moral relativism, an ideology or a mindset which has come to dominate moral discourse in many quarters today. how often have we heard sentiments such as morality is a matter of "feeling" about right and wrong? or morality is culturally conditioned: different cultures have different moralities, therefore ours in not unique? morality changes over time, that was then, this is now? you have your morality, I have mine, end of the discussion?
ReplyDeleteyet we throw around moral absolutes like confetti. it is absolutely wrong for priests to abuse children. it is absolutely wrong to "discriminate" against homosexuals. social justice is an absolute moral imperative. and so and so on.
so we are moral absolutists in some respects and thorough going moral relativists in other respects. can't have it both ways. at least not without tying one's self into a knot. or without violating that foundation of rational thinking, namely the principle of non-contradiction. either there are moral absolutes or there are not. if not, then most everything is OK. go figure.
tsm -- "...I saw nothing about moral relativism as such..."
ReplyDeleteThe term moral relativism was assigned used in the link. It was assigned young people because of their responses to polling questions. That does not mean they actually have no absolutes. They merely don't use the faith or the Bible to establish what their absolutes are.
yes of course. but that doesn't address my point/question. besides many of the Z's are no doubt moral relativists in the sense in which have used the term.
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