When we say that we are a Christian nation, we don't mean that we rise as one on Sunday morning and head to church, but rather (largely) that our moral grounding, our basic ethical training, is based in Christianity. But as you noted, this grounding can be swayed, or is dissolving (in my view). Relativism is a "governor" on the heart--in…
When we say that we are a Christian nation, we don't mean that we rise as one on Sunday morning and head to church, but rather (largely) that our moral grounding, our basic ethical training, is based in Christianity. But as you noted, this grounding can be swayed, or is dissolving (in my view). Relativism is a "governor" on the heart--in the sense that school bus engines use a governor to control the limit of their top speed--so that what should be a large picture or all-encompassing view of life--the freedom to be truly moral--is reduced to snapshots.
I agree with that but don't think the solution is to post the Ten Commandments in school. Instead it is possible to find common ethical ground and values that make space for multiple points of view and traditions. Discussion is an important part of ethical training because we need to be able to parse all the challenges life throws at us.
People that believe in radical rationalism need to be confronted with the fact that the simply don't have answers on basic questions of what it means to live a meaningful life.
When we say that we are a Christian nation, we don't mean that we rise as one on Sunday morning and head to church, but rather (largely) that our moral grounding, our basic ethical training, is based in Christianity. But as you noted, this grounding can be swayed, or is dissolving (in my view). Relativism is a "governor" on the heart--in the sense that school bus engines use a governor to control the limit of their top speed--so that what should be a large picture or all-encompassing view of life--the freedom to be truly moral--is reduced to snapshots.
I agree with that but don't think the solution is to post the Ten Commandments in school. Instead it is possible to find common ethical ground and values that make space for multiple points of view and traditions. Discussion is an important part of ethical training because we need to be able to parse all the challenges life throws at us.
People that believe in radical rationalism need to be confronted with the fact that the simply don't have answers on basic questions of what it means to live a meaningful life.