http://afcmin.org/ateam/56/moving-values-from-the-freezer-to-the-medicine-cabinet Helping plans come together, one post at a time Sun, 03 May 2015 14:00:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.9 http://afcmin.org/ateam/56/moving-values-from-the-freezer-to-the-medicine-cabinet/comment-page-1#comment-52 Mon, 11 Apr 2005 06:18:13 +0000 http://afcmin.org/ateam/?p=56#comment-52 Maybe my understanding of American culture is disproportionate to the larger society since I went to a public university, but even so most non-Christians, and many Christians, I encounter are in some way relativists. Very few people if asked will affirm that “all values are equally true if contradictory,” however, their relativism is apparent in the ethical views they hold. Take for instance “I personally think abortion is wrong but it should be up to the mother.” This is a view that many people hold and it is basic relativism. If it is wrong universally, then it shouldn't be up to the mother. If it's not wrong universally but only for the person making the claim, then that's relativism.
I don't think the Terry Shaivo case is a good example of relativism either. I've actually tried to refrain from talking at all about here, I think this is the first I've mentioned it. All I'll say is that I've learned from the past that we shouldn't trust controversial/heat of the moment polls. I've encountered plenty of people on both sides of the Shaivo issue. I'm not at all convinced that either side had a majority.
Who refers to “gentleness and respect for people of differing opinions” as relativism? I don't know anyone who has, and I've read a good number of materials on relativism. I'm all for gentleness and respect, especially since it's Biblical (1 Peter 3:15), and I believe we've always been such here- even though we aggressively critique certain ideas like relativism and postmodernism from time to time. The ministries I'm aware of that critique relativism also emphasis reflecting Christ's character- Stand to Reason, Reasons to Believe, Ravi Zacharias, etc. That's not to say everyone is going to be Christ-like, certainly some haven't, but I think it's unfair to broadbrush critics of relativism in this way.
Thank you for your comments.

]]> http://afcmin.org/ateam/56/moving-values-from-the-freezer-to-the-medicine-cabinet/comment-page-1#comment-51 Mon, 11 Apr 2005 04:47:13 +0000 http://afcmin.org/ateam/?p=56#comment-51 I think you have two great ideas regarding the two different views of relativism. Here is where I differ: I'm not convinced that American's are moral relativists. They do believe that there are rights and wrongs… the majority of them believed that Terri Schaivo should have been allowed to die without a zillion court challenges. They did care. It wasn't that they had no opinion about this case. It wasn't that they are hoping a 'culture of death' prevails.
Instead, they hoped that there would be a means by which people could still die with dignity even if the brain is liquid and incapable of functioning.
I'm not convinced that the data gives us real evidence that we are in this moral relativism many suggest…
I strongly agree that we need the private square to move into the public square… but the means by which we do this seems to differ greatly.
Some people will suggest gentleness and respect for people of differing opinions; others will use hell and firestorms to get their private square into the public.
The former approach has been termed relativism by those in the later camp…

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