Redefining Morality

Redefining Morality by Bill Wilson

Americans of all ages and demographics are drifting farther away from the basic moral foundation of the Bible. A recent survey conducted by George Barna's American Culture and Faith Institute asked a 1,000 adults nationwide about the morality of eight family-related behaviors-birth control, divorce, sex outside of marriage, having a baby out of wedlock, watching pornography, having an abortion, polygamy and intimidating or aggressively dominating someone. Barna says that the vast majority claimed that five of those eight behaviors were either morally acceptable or were not a moral issue-birth control, divorce, sex outside of marriage, having kids out of wedlock, and watching pornography.

 

Almost half of those surveyed (48%) said that having an abortion was acceptable. Barna reports that "at least 15% and as much as 40% of adults do not consider behaviors such as divorce, abortion, and unmarried sexual intercourse to be moral issues. In other words, there are no cultural or religious boundaries that dictate whether such behaviors are appropriate or inappropriate; those behaviors are simply a reflection of individual preferences. For the eight measures examined in the research, an average of one-quarter of all adults (25%) said those behaviors are not moral issues. One-third or more of the public considers divorce, birth control, and having a baby outside of marriage to be amoral decisions."

 

Born again Christians were different, according to the survey, except on the use of pills or a medical device for birth control where they were roughly the same (86% said it was morally acceptable). Barna says, "born again Christians were much more likely to embrace a more traditional, biblical moral perspective. Even so, a majority of the born again adults deemed half of the eight behaviors to be acceptable: using birth control (87%), getting a divorce (66%), having a baby without being married (54%), and sexual relations between unmarried adults (51%). In addition, about four out of ten born again adults believe that viewing pornography is acceptable (38%)." Surprisingly, 27% of born again Christians said abortion was not a moral issue.

 

The most disturbing news in the Barna survey is that of religious skeptics-those who are agnostic, atheist, or indifferent to religion. Barna says skeptics, 29% of which are Millennials and 14% of adults 65 and older, constitute the fastest-growing faith segment in America. Skeptics believe that six out of the eight behaviors are acceptable, saying only polygamy and domination are unacceptable. While born again Christians are closer to believing in Biblical definitions of morality than is the general public, Christianity in America is trending with the world and is losing its children to the world. Christ prayed to God the Father in John 17:15-16, "not that you should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." For many, free will is dangerously overriding God's perfect will.