This week we discussed the fact
that not all family systems are equal, that there are good ways and less good
ways to effectively raise a family. That not all ways are as effective and
helpful. There is a website that helped show some of the differences http://www.familystructurestudies.com/
this site really helped show some of the ways not all family set ups are as
healthy as others. We also read a talk by Elder Dallin H. Oaks, called “Truth
and Tolerance”, I really enjoyed reading his talk! He spoke of the need to be
tolerant, but also the need to stand up for the Lords way. One of the things he
said in his talk reminded me of some of the things we learned last week about
individualism, he said:
“It
is well to worry about our moral foundation. We live in a world where
more and more persons of influence are teaching and acting out a belief that
there is no absolute right and wrong, that all authority and all rules of
behavior are man-made choices that can prevail over the commandments of
God. Many even question whether there is a God.
The philosophy
of moral relativism, which holds that each person is free to choose for himself
what is right and wrong, is becoming the unofficial creed for many in America
and other western nations. At the extreme level, evil acts that used to
be localized and covered up like a boil are now legalized and paraded like a
banner.
On the
foundation belief in right and wrong there is an alarming contrast between the
older and the younger generations. According to survey data of two
decades ago, 80 percent of American adults believed “there are clear guidelines
about what’s good and evil that apply to everyone regardless of the situation.”[4] In
contrast, a more recent poll of college seniors suggests that “three-quarters
of [them] believe that the difference between right and wrong is relative.”[5]” (TRUTH AND TOLERANCE
Elder Dallin H. Oaks CES Fireside September 11, 2011)
What he
says really highlights a big problem in our world today, that morality is
relative, and that all things are equally good. I love what he goes on to say
is our duty as believers:
“Our tolerance
and respect for others and their beliefs does
not cause us to abandon our commitment to the truths we understand and the
covenants we have made. That is a third absolute
truth. We are cast as combatants in the war between truth and
error. There is no middle ground. We must stand up for truth, even
while we practice tolerance and respect for beliefs and ideas different from
our own and for the people who hold them.” (TRUTH AND TOLERANCE Elder Dallin H. Oaks CES
Fireside September 11, 2011)
I really enjoyed reading his talk and
learning about what the Lord expects of us, and that truth is not relative,
truth is truth, and it does not change. If you want to read the talk here is
the link
(I do not own images.)
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