From: kilroy@gboro.glassboro.edu (Dr Nancy's Sweetie)
Subject: Re: moral values
Organization: Rowan College of New Jersey (was Glassboro State College)
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 15:11:04 GMT


Kerry Stephenson quotes an exchange with a 19-year-old drug dealer:

>  A girl in the audience (14, maybe 15) stood up and asked "Don't you have
>any moral values?"
>  The girl behind the screen indignantly replied, "Of course I have moral
>values.  But this is a way to make money."
>
>  Don't tell me there isn't a problem out there.  And don't tell me that
>*this* is an example of "moral values."

Of *course* there's a problem `out there'.  It's usually called "original
sin", except that there's nothing original about it.  We didn't invent it, it
isn't limited to non-Christians, and it's been around a LOOOOONNNNNNNG time.

Tobacco products kill FAR more people in a year than all illegal drugs
combined.  If you call the good Christians who run tobacco companies and ask
them "Don't you have any moral values?", what do you think they'll say?  How
about that paragon of Traditional Morality, Senator Jesse Helms?  If you ask
him about supporting tobacco subsidies, his answer would probably be "Of
course I have moral values, but people's jobs are at stake."

Do you think Ferdinand and Isabella thought _they_ had moral values?  How
about Caiaphas?  What about King David?  The Israelites who made the Golden
Calf?  The people (now called `Founding Fathers') who directly rebelled
against their sovereign King?  Slave traders?  The guys who fed Christians to
lions?  Do you suppose any of them would have defended their actions as
morally acceptable given the situation?  Somehow, I think they would ALL sound
like your drug dealer if pressed to justify their actions.

Few people deny that it's a sinful world full of people doing horrible things.
Some of these people will act in ways we consider sinful while at the same
time proclaiming to have "moral values".  (Indeed, I happen to think that
several politicians are doing exactly that right now -- "Yes, this claim takes
a bit of stretching, but it works and I need to be elected.")

The problem I have with "the world is coming to an end" ideas is that they
always seem to rest on the assumption that the world is getting _worse_.  But
we haven't invented any new sins for quite some time, and I doubt we're going
to.  Improved communications and record keeping, more efficient weapons and
addictive drugs, along with an increasing population and higher density, may
make it appear as if we're sliding to our doom -- but I don't see anything
that convinces me humans actually _are_ any worse now than they were in the
past.

And, of course, nothing any politicians do is going to fix this.  Original Sin
is not going to be legislated away (certainly not by people who lie cheat and
steal to get elected).  They can put any inspiring messages on their coins
they like, but it won't suddenly make everybody start behaving.

They'll all speak about "traditional values", of course, and how we should be
teaching our kids properly -- but the idea that some politician can solve a
problem that St Paul struggled with is ridiculous.  Listening to some of them
talk, you'd think the Crucifixion was a complete waste of time; all God needed
to do was pass some legislation about school choice, or health plans, and the
whole thing would have been taken care of.


Darren F Provine / kilroy@gboro.glassboro.edu

Posing nude in _Playboy_ was "probably the best time of my life - except for
when I found God." -- Jessica Hahn
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