Lent, Moral Choices, and Cultural Warfare

Ludwig Feuerbach wrote in his work The Essence of Christianity, “Whenever morality is based on theology, wherever the right is made dependent on divine authority, the most immoral, unjust, infamous things can be justified and established.” So what shall we base our morality on? And who shall we trust to see that our morality and values are, shall I say, enforced?

We Christians spend the forty days of Lent focusing, hopefully, on the moral choices we have made and continue to make in our day-to-day lives. Faith and values are vitally important to the well being of our own selves, our families, our community, and our nation. But are my faith and values, my morals, the same as yours? Perhaps the real question is: Do our faith and values, our morals, have to be in complete agreement?

There is a cultural war being fought in our country at the moment. The battleground issues include abortion, homosexuality, marriage, and sexuality (Janet Jackson, MTV, etc.). The outcome of these battles will define values and morals for generations to come. What role do you play on this battlefield?

Lent is a season of introspection, but we aren’t just navel-gazing here! We introspect to discern God’s call to us. We introspect to discern what is truly important in regard to living with each other. We introspect to discern how we can live out the values and morals that God calls us to in our day-to-day lives. The sum total of our spiritual work isn’t to be hidden under a basket; rather it is to be lit as a candle on a lamp stand for all the world to see.

In today’s cultural war, how you participate is vitally important. Will we build a society that honestly respects the rights of women as absolutely equal to those of men? Will we build a society that recognizes the uniqueness of each and every human being, practicing tolerance of those who may be different? Will we build a society where the human body is celebrated? Your participation, your voice will play a role in determining the shape of tomorrow for your children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Your silence will, too.

A little more than one hundred years after Feuerbach wrote The Essence of Christianity, the United States and Europe were embroiled in conflict with Nazi Germany. The people of Germany scoffed at the Brownshirts in the early 30s as a bunch of buffoons and thugs. As the Nazis rose to power they were aided by a conspiracy of silence until “the most immoral, unjust, infamous things [were] justified and established…” If you think it cannot happen again, please reconsider.

Gird yourself with introspection this Lent so that your voice will be eloquent and powerful when you speak out in support of women, in support of human beings of all sexual orientations, in support of the ultimate value of our faith: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”

Joel t