Which Way Do We Go

Which Way Do We Go

1990 4 April 16 Which Way Do We Go (300)

A Moral Problem

According to Plain Truth of November-December, 1988, of all the weeklies published in the United States the one with the highest circulation is Time magazine. The number of letters received from its readers in the year 1987 has been put at 46,000, the gist of the opinions, they express being prepared with the help of computers.

These letters complain in general, of moral lapses such as greed, hypocrisy, the misuse of power, etc. The majority of the readers have no hopes for American society. Above all, they mourn a lack of direction.

Our secular, modern age does have some practical virtues. But, looked at in depth, it emerges as a conglomeration of societies all faced with ethical problems. Modern, secular society is propped up on a mechanical base. What would serve it better would be a moral base on which it could stand without fear.

This is not to say that secular society has struck ethics off its list of priorities. Secular and non-religious people too talk of ethical standards. But none of this talk bears fruit. The reason is that they think in terms of “ethics” alone, and not in terms of “sin”. Once the concept of sin is taken away from the concept of ethics, moral sermons are left without force.

The most important aspect of the concept of sin is its inherent notion of accountability. It makes man fear, that if he abandons ethical standards, he will be taken to task by God. In this way, obedience to ethical standards is given a powerful incentive. One is thereby given a clear direction in which one can continue throughout life’s journey. Devoid of this incentive, today’s society is like a rudderless ship. Those who can offer this direction to the modern world will undoubtedly be its greatest benefactors.