"Without social boundaries, society would self-destruct. If everyone simply did what was right in his own eyes, the results would be chaotic. When the majority of people abide by the laws that is when they are responsible citizens, the society thrives. When a significant number of individuals choose to walk their own way and live irresponsibly, the society suffers the negative consequences. Our own Western society is experiencing the results of irresponsible living on the part of man teenagers and adults. From financial crises to moral failures to violent crimes, and everywhere in between, there are great numbers of people living with little regard for their own actions. Not only does the individual suffer for his/her irresponsible behavior, but the society at large also suffers."--Five Love Languages of Teens Ch. 12
A friend sent this article in reply:
"Balancing Truth and Tolerance" Ensign
The full text is found here:
"Balancing Truth and Tolerance" full article
Excellent resources when considering the role of God and religion in society, as well as individual responsibility.
Following, I have included some tantalizing, quick quotes from the article. I did not seek to take them out of context, and you really must read the whole thing to get the message of this amazing discourse on how to be tolerant and God-fearing seekers of truth. It's an amazing article, written to young adults by Dallin H. Oaks, who invites them "to consider and to teach these twin subjects ("truth" and "tolerance") because they are vital to the rising generation, in which you are the senior members."
"In this troubled circumstance, we who believe in God and the corollary truth of absolute right and wrong have the challenge of living in a godless and increasingly amoral world. In this circumstance, all of us—and especially you of the rising generation—have a duty to stand up and speak up to affirm that God exists and that there are absolute truths His commandments establish."
"I have chosen to speak about truth because teachers in schools, colleges, and universities are teaching and practicing relative morality. This is shaping the attitudes of many young Americans who are taking their places as the teachers of our children and the shapers of public attitudes through the media and popular entertainment. This philosophy of moral relativism denies what millions of believing Christians, Jews, and Muslims consider fundamental, and this denial creates serious problems for all of us. What believers should do about this introduces the second of my twin subjects: Tolerance..."
"... We are enriched by associations with different peoples, which remind us of the wonderful diversity of the children of God. But diversities in cultures and values also challenge us to identify what can be embraced as consistent with our gospel culture and values and what cannot. In this way diversity increases the potential for conflict and requires us to be more thoughtful about the nature of tolerance. What is tolerance, when does it apply, and when does it not apply?"
"This is a harder question for those who affirm the existence of God and absolute truth than for those who believe in moral relativism... For example, an atheist has no need to decide what kinds and occasions of profanity or blasphemy can be tolerated and what kinds should be confronted. Persons who don’t believe in God or in absolute truth in moral matters can see themselves as the most tolerant of persons. For them, almost anything goes.... Unfortunately, some who believe in moral relativism seem to have difficulty tolerating those who insist that there is a God who should be respected and certain moral absolutes that should be observed."
"Living together with mutual respect for one another’s differences is a challenge in today’s world. However—and here I express a second absolute truth—this living with differences is what the gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us we must do."
"Since followers of Jesus Christ are commanded to be a leaven—not to be taken out of the world, but to remain in it—we must seek tolerance from those who hate us for not being of the world. As part of this, we will sometimes need to challenge laws that would impair our freedom to practice our faiths, doing so in reliance on our constitutional rights to the free exercise of religion. As described by an attorney supporting a Lutheran school in a case now before the United States Supreme Court, the big concern is “the ability of people of all faiths to work out their relationship with God and one another without the government looking over their shoulder.”10 That is why we need understanding and support—including your understanding and support—when we must contend for religious freedom."
"Our tolerance and respect for others and their beliefs does not cause us to abandon our commitment to the truths we understand and the covenants we have made. That is a third
absolute truth: We do not abandon the truth and our covenants. We are
cast as combatants in the war between truth and error. There is no
middle ground. We must stand up for truth, even while we practice
tolerance and respect for beliefs and ideas different from our own and
for the people who hold them.
While we must practice tolerance and respect for others and their beliefs,
including their constitutional freedom to explain and advocate their
positions, we are not required to respect and tolerate wrong behavior.""In all of this we should not presume to judge our neighbors or associates on the ultimate effect of their behaviors. That judgment is the Lord’s, not ours. Even He refrained from a final mortal judgment of the woman taken in adultery. Tolerance requires a similar refraining in our judgment of others."
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