Beliefs For Slackers

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Relativism and Tolerance – the popular no-God options are popular because they are easy to live by.

First of all let’s set something straight. When an ignorant person claims that all things are relative and that there is no truth (except relativism?) what this person is actually saying is that morals are relative and that’s about it.

For example, laws are not really relative. The laws protecting you from murderers and thieves freely entering your home are not relative. Cars driving down the street are not relative; cars smashing into yours are definitely not relative. One could choose not to believe that a car speeding down the highway is the truth and walk out there anyway only to discover otherwise – the truth. Would people prefer that these things were relative? I very much doubt it. So when people say everything is relative, stop them there and give them a chance to clarify. They are talking about moral matters, nothing else.

“A person may claim that relativism is true but he will never live his life as if it is true.  In fact, he cannot live his life as if the truth is that there is no truth — unless he wants to live a very short and very frustrating life.  “You locked the keys in the car” is either true or false.  If you want to go anywhere in your car you will figure out which one it is — you will not argue that it is both or neither.” (Larrey Anderson, The Myth of Relativism and the Cult of Tolerance)

Relativism is for slackers because it’s easy. People simply choose to believe that everything is relative, that there is no truth, no absolute to judge anything by, conveniently side stepping the idea of God, responsibility and consequences. They don’t want to deal with the reality that there is right and wrong in every situation, that there is a truth in every situation whether accepted or not.

Relativism is actually a very thin veil for selfishness. What better way to get your own way than to claim that every way is equal? It would work every time! If there is no truth, then no one can say what you’re doing is wrong and then you’re free to please yourself as you see fit.

You may have noticed that we just transitioned into the concept of tolerance – the natural outcome of relativism. This is also how it has historically played out. Relativism was a little, ignoble philosophy at one time but as more people opted for the easy route it grew into what is it today and eventually birthed tolerance as we know it.

But the popular concept of tolerance is fundamentally flawed and relativism makes the flaw even worse. If everyone’s beliefs and lifestyles are equal and acceptable, what happens when two people’s beliefs or lifestyles conflict? How do they settle the issue? They would need something or someone to judge who is right and who is wrong. But how would that happen if there is no right and wrong? What is the standard to judge by then? In theory these beliefs would never work. Fortunately we have some justice through the law.

But when I step back and look at it as whole, I realize that relativism and tolerance are really nothing more than a concerted effort to silence truth and appease the heart and mind of the world. These are manmade systems that replace God and Christianity; relativism replaces God and tolerance replaces Christianity. Tolerance after all boasts some similar qualities with Christianity – love, acceptance, etc. It’s a manmade way to get along. But it leaves God completely out of the picture and in time accepts everything that God opposes.

Relativism and Tolerance are popular godless beliefs and lifestyles because they are easy to live by. So when somebody harasses you with these opinions, or calls you intolerant or a bigot because you stand for something, know that they are protecting far more than their “feelings” about a matter. They are trying to silence more than just your beliefs and your standards; they are trying to silence the ultimate source of it – God.