Kids These Days

[Mortal Man]

"Each new generation born is in effect an invasion of civilization by little barbarians, who must be civilized before it is too late." -- Thomas Sowell

Ever since becoming a solipsistic mortalist, I've been puzzling over the question as to whether religion is necessary to teach people morality and help them develop internal controls. The rise of flash mobs and celebration of all things deviant in today's society appear directly connected to the decline of Christianity.

David Brooks points to a study showing that most 18- to 23-year-olds nowadays have no concept of traditional morality nor any vocabulary for describing it.

When asked to describe a moral dilemma they had faced, two-thirds of the young people either couldn’t answer the question or described problems that are not moral at all, like whether they could afford to rent a certain apartment or whether they had enough quarters to feed the meter at a parking spot.

For today's youth, morality is simply whatever you feel like doing.

Many were quick to talk about their moral feelings but hesitant to link these feelings to any broader thinking about a shared moral framework or obligation. As one put it, “I mean, I guess what makes something right is how I feel about it. But different people feel different ways, so I couldn’t speak on behalf of anyone else as to what’s right and wrong.”

Decades of forced worship at the altars of Diversity, Tolerance and Non-Judgementalism have obliterated the average person's ability to think in terms of right or wrong, or to base his/her decisions on a moral framework that recognizes anything greater than his/her own personal feelings.

Dennis Prager blames this on liberal secularism.

One key reason is what secularism does to moral standards. If moral standards are not rooted in God, they do not objectively exist. Good and evil are no more real than "yummy" and "yucky." They are simply a matter of personal preference. One of the foremost liberal philosophers, Richard Rorty, an atheist, acknowledged that for the secular liberal, "There is no answer to the question, 'Why not be cruel?'"

With the death of Judeo-Christian-God-based standards, people have simply substituted feelings for those standards. Millions of American young people have been raised by parents and schools with "How do you feel about it?" as the only guide to what they ought to do. The heart has replaced God and the Bible as a moral guide.

He makes some excellent points; however, secularism, as brought forth by Marcus Aurelius, Epicurus, Voltaire, Locke, Jefferson et al., is not the culprit. There have been and continue to be numerous good and decent deists/atheists/agnostics in the world.

The real culprit here is left-wing liberalism/statism, which reviles God and religion as competitors. The liberal statist complains long and hard about religion taking his money and telling him what to do, while simultaneously praising government for taking his money and telling him what to do. Religion (the old kind) teaches personal responsibility and accountability, whereas statism teaches government responsibility where no one is accountable. When the parasitic elites, i.e., those who bribe us with our own tax dollars, succeed in removing responsibility from individuals and sending it off into a massive anonymous bureaucracy, they also succeed in removing morality, honesty, charity and virtue from society.

The Lord of the Flies awaits.

[Storm Rider]

Thank you for sharing this perspective/thought. It was excellent.

[TAO]

Wow... this is very good indeed =).

I agree... it is the activists... who push things. On both sides. =/

It reminds me of Marx's conflict theory =).

[bluebell]

I don't believe a person needs to have a belief in God to have good morals, but I think that it's easier in a lot of ways. I think the one of the biggest problems is that so many parents don't believe in God or morals.

[Calm]

Or they look on God as someone who loves one so much that he'll excuse anything one does....as if that is something harder, not easier, than helping them become better persons by holding them responsible for their actions.

There is a good chance this is a parent who feels guilty about saying no or just wants to justify their own laziness and noninvolvement as parents.

[frankenstein]

Decades of forced worship at the altars of Diversity, Tolerance and Non-Judgementalism have obliterated the average person's ability to think in terms of right or wrong, or to base his/her decisions on a moral framework that recognizes anything greater than his/her own personal feelings.

The real culprit here is left-wing liberalism/statism, which reviles God and religion as competitors.

What are the 18 - 23 being asked is right or wrong? Are they being asked if murder is wrong? I venture to say that those who you claim are devoid of right and wrong would say murder is wrong.

Are they being asked if samesex marriage is wrong? I do not doubt that many of that age group would say "none of my business" or something similar.

Is their any legitimate reason, other than God said so, for a non-religious person to say "It is a crime for any person or adult informed consenting persons to engage in certain sexual acts".

I would say you can not take the study and make blanket assumptions from it. One does not need God to think infringing on a persons rights is wrong and not beneficial to society.

and concerning "liberalism" isn't that just someone who is not as "conservative" as the person using the label?

[TAO]

What are the 18 - 23 being asked is right or wrong? Are they being asked if murder is wrong? I venture to say that those who you claim are devoid of right and wrong would say murder is wrong.

Are they being asked if samesex marriage is wrong? I do not doubt that many of that age group would say "none of my business" or something similar.

Is their any legitimate reason, other than God said so, for a non-religious person to say "It is a crime for any person or adult informed consenting persons to engage in certain sexual acts".

I would say you can not take the study and make blanket assumptions from it. One does not need God to think infringing on a persons rights is wrong and not beneficial to society.

and concerning "liberalism" isn't that just someone who is not as "conservative" as the person using the label?

Frank, I believe Mortal Man is talking about the rampant type of liberalism... the activists... more to say =P.

I think he is referring to traditional values of what is right and wrong... though I may be a bit incorrect on that issue.

As for your question, yes, there is a reason - because it will effect our children and the society they live in. That is a reason enough, I would think.

I really don't want this thread to get derailed onto that subject though =P.

-----

Also... to Mortal Man... I understand solipsistic mortalism... but what are your specific thoughts on it, I mean, what does it mean to you? I have noticed that most who see it, have different feelings about it, so I am curious as to what you think about it. =).

Thanks

-TAO

[Hestia]

Politics.