Is morality a dying concept? I ask this because I was just over Mitch’s blog reading his post on World Society And Social Media. Mitch talks about some 22 year old’s, who’s making heaps on YouTube, latest video of finding a dead body in a forest. What’s worse is Logan Paul and his mates make fun of the suicide!
Apparently YouTube has, “In light of recent events, we have decided to remove Logan Paul’s channels from Google Preferred,” removing him from an elite ads program accessible to top creators. Personally, I think YouTube was a little soft. What they should have done was delete his account altogether, making an example of him. As it is, other YouTubers are featuring the ‘uncut banned video’. All to make a little cash. Is it just me or is morality a dying concept?
Is Morality A Dying Concept?
So, what is the definition of morality? Oxfordictionaries defines it as :
Principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behaviour.
‘the matter boiled down to simple morality: innocent prisoners ought to be freed’
If it’s true that morality is a dying concept, the question is why. I put it to you that perhaps a lot of it has to do with religious instructions being banned in schools. After all, apart from a lot of other stuff isn’t religion all about right and wrong? Many religions also incorporate the belief of life after death to people of high morals.
Way back in 1776 John Adams, Americas 2nd president, had this to say.
Statesmen my dear Sir, may plan and speculate for Liberty, but it is Religion and Morality alone, which can establish the Principles upon which Freedom can securely stand. . . . The only foundation of a free Constitution, is pure Virtue, and if this cannot be inspired into our People, in a greater Measure, than they have it now, They may change their Rulers, and the forms of Government, but they will not obtain a lasting Liberty.
In his post Mitch alludes to bad parenting being the reason for many of the young of today lacking morals. At least back in the day when religious instruction was the norm moral issues was part of the religious curriculum. Is it their fault that they’re lacking a moral compass?
Everywhere they turn they are being bombarded by immoral concepts, from movies, social media to games.
While I’m sure there are many that agree with me there will be more that do not, from atheists to the do-gooders of the world, not to mention civil libertarians, who are actually doing more harm than good.
It really makes you think, but some parents just can’t influence their children.
True, and I know that in many schools teachers have been stripped of the power. I still lament the loss of RI in schools. I’m sure that could have made some sort of difference. If it would have influenced at least one bully for example, perhaps it would have prevented one suicide.
Oh, I don’t think “religious instruction” has any place in any but a parochial school or a church. Public education should teach academic fundamentals first, and foremost. Parents should teach basic morality; schools should teach basic “how to make friends and how to get along with strangers in civil society.” When any one of those teachers fails in their role, they do a disservice to children. But religious values should remain somewhat private and home-oriented, at least in a society that values the freedom to worship (or not) according to the dictates of one’s conscience. Insofar as the principles are similar enough, and enable peaceful co-existence of people in civilization, religious values are a good thing. But I daresay you wouldn’t want your children indoctrinated by my religious notions unless you knew we shared a common set of beliefs (even among the major world religions, there are schisms and sects, and you don’t get to say what’s best for me and my children, if I’m not receptive to your message). A common set of laws is a different thing entirely, and should be based on rational principles that support the common good and protect all, regardless of their religious beliefs. Remember that our founding fathers were mostly NOT Catholic, but Protestant or Deist. Religious principles may well guide us – and perhaps SHOULD guide many (though I would argue that part of the problem is that we see rampant hypocrisy, today, among those who loudly proclaim their Christian virtues – it is unimpressive, then, for them to argue for religious education, when so clearly they cannot and do not lead by example – anywhere a moral person would want to go, that is.)
To Peter’s point, parents can’t always influence their children if they haven’t laid good groundwork before the children are about 6, when those children leave home for most of the day to attend school with other people’s children. Of course they can and are still an important influence in their children’s lives! But then they are only one of many influencers, after that. See my comment on Mitch’s original post.
Holly, when we had Religious Instruction, when I was a kid, it wasn’t a mandatory lesson. Only those who wished to attended. Therefore no indoctrination involved as generally only Catholics attended. Whatever we learned in those classes was reinforced by parents. That is now missing.
It’s unfortunate that some out there are more vocal than they should be. It ruins it for everybody. I still believe though that things would be better if things were left as it was back in the day. It certainly has gotten a lot worse.
Funny – when I attended Catholic high school, “Theology” was mandatory, as was attendance at Mass. I didn’t suffer from that at all (despite being a good little liberal Congregationalist Protestant), but what concerns me about that sort of “religious education,” in what ought to be primarily an academic and civic environment, is that it can be used to include/exclude certain groups of children – and that it CAN be used to indoctrinate them/turn them against their own families. (Listen, if you think I’m kidding, you need to come visit me in Texas. Heck, even the very secular D.A.R.E. program did that – very intentionally – if parents smoked or took any kind of medication, including prescription meds, at all, children were told they might go nuts and KILL someone – at any time! Ours – taught by a POLICE OFFICER – spread an urban legend to the kids, 5th graders!, once – the old “Flash your headlights and die” story.) Family, Church, School, Law Enforcement: each has a distinct role to play, but when they start to compete or assume dual – rather than mutually supporting – roles, there’s trouble. And frankly, although I am not atheist, myself, I know many people who are – and for the most part, they are more morally and ethically GOOD than many of the super-religious people I know. And when they do the right thing, which is most of the time, in my experience, it’s because it’s the right thing – period. It’s not because they’re afraid of the great boogeyman in the sky. So, while your argument has SOME merit, I don’t think it’s the only answer or that you’ve hit on the root cause of immorality. (Personally, I think it’s water pollution – run off from our industrial farming and pharmaceutical industries. I’m not talking “chemtrails,” just simple chemistry. How many psychoactive drugs must their be in the water, by now? And how does it all interact in the human brain and body? Why is it worse for some than for others? Proximity? Look at Flint, MI vs. well, almost anywhere else in the U.S. – various pockets of contaminated water vs. water that’s cleaner/more effectively treated, differences in contaminants.) Anyway, I suspect everyone wants the easy explanations, the quick fixes – blame the parents, put prayer back in schools (where it never existed in my lifetime, other than that one year of Catholic school) but I don’t think they exist.
I actually went to a public school Holly. I did however send my kids to a private catholic school, only because I believed they offered a better education. Yes, they attended mass in the beautiful school chapel once a week but I certainly never had a problem with that.
I don’t believe that religious indoctrination was their main focus either. What was important was receiving a good education, and they certainly got that. The schools were also a lot stricter than the public system. I have no regret spending all that money on them.
Another thing is you did not have to be a Catholic to be accepted by these schools, and again there was no indoctrination at all. Perhaps you guys do it differently in the States.
Boogeyman in the sky. That’s the first time I’ve heard of God referred to in that way. I don’t know how they teach religion over there but here it’s not about doing the right thing because your scared of God, it’s because you don’t want to disappoint him. The same way I wouldn’t do anything to disappoint my parents.