The Truth Shall Set You Free

The Rise of Moral Relativism in America

In his letter to John Adams in 1819, Thomas Jefferson spoke of the recipe for good governance. He cautioned about the importance of “what is right and what is wrong” and “follow[ing] truth as the only safe guide.” These words might seem quite basic and common sense to most within the conservative movement. However, these concepts could sadly seem completely foreign to many within our culture today.

Some 54 percent of American adults now believe that truth is subjective, according to a 2021 survey by Arizona Christian University. Another study by Pew Research found that 64 percent of Americans believe that defining right or wrong depends on the situation at the time.

You could conclude that this apparent slide into relativism has its limitations – that while more Americans might apply subjective decision-making to tough social issues, there are limits to how far the subjectivity will be applied. Yet, the data does not necessarily back that conclusion.

The same survey, that found most adults believe truth is subjective, also discovered that almost 40 percent of Americans believe “human life has no intrinsic value.” Another study found that 40 percent of Americans would choose to save their pet over a human stranger from getting hit by a bus. As a pet lover myself, I can understand the emotional connection to these animals. However, it doesn’t change the moral clarity that defines the choice. Human life is more valuable than any other creature on this earth.

To some modern Americans, that previous statement might make them strangely uncomfortable. Yet, to the rest of mankind, throughout the entire history of our human race, that statement is just common sense.

This contemporary discrepancy is evidence of the bottomless pit that relativism produces. If there are no absolutes left in the world, then there are no lines that cannot be crossed – to the point that human life becomes regarded with no less dignity than the rest of creation, or even the lint under your grandma’s couch. Ultimately, the rejection of truth is submission to the nature of our physical world over the plan of our Creator. For this reason, it is the default posture of post-Christian America.

In one sense, the secularists are right about one thing – every piece of matter in our universe is changing. In fact, everything in our universe is dying. From planets to people, every natural thing grows and is maintained by some inexplicable grace, until at some point our fallen world claims its final tax on our existence: death.

Yet, the Kingdom of God described in the Bible operates outside of this existence, bringing order to disorder, life to death, and healing to decay. That is why a person of faith does not accept the nihilism and selfishness of godlessness. They walk a narrow path, rubbing against the grain of an entire universe barreling toward destruction.

The Bible notes of the diverging path of our natural and eternal worlds in Isaiah 55 that God’s “thoughts are not [our] thoughts,” and “[His] ways are not [our] ways.” Yet, Jesus said to his disciples in John 8, “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Thus, a rejection of truth is a rejection of God and a denunciation of real freedom.

Whether by willful action or human instinct, the promotion of self as the guiding force of our own morality, leads not only to personal destruction spiritually, but societally as well.

I want to be clear that my writing on this subject is not based in any sense of self-righteousness. I am just a sinner saved by grace. The purpose of this discussion is centered on the opposite of sanctimony: it is built on basic modesty.

The cultural Left aims to brand themselves as the selfless, compassionate protectors of the masses. Yet, the first step toward selflessness is humility. Without an acknowledgement that there is more to the universe than our own desires and needs, all expressions to the favor of others are likely based in selfish pretense and personal ambition, glorifying the greatness of our own generosity and character. Accordingly, the godless worship themselves and their collective being, the State.

It is logical then that the practice of faith is shrinking in America. According to Gallup, nearly all faiths in the United States have witnessed a decline in attendance of their religious services in recent years. Just two decades ago, 42 percent of American adults attended religious services every week. Today, only 30 percent of Americans attend each week. And while close to 100 percent of Americans claimed to believe in God in the years preceding the 1970s, that number has slowly declined until today, when the belief in God has dropped to a record low of 81 percent.

Ironically, as more Americans reject the very notion of God, a growing portion believe in the existence of alien life across the universe. Over the past three decades, the number of people who believe that UFOs are evidence of the existence of aliens has grown from 20 to 34 percent. What was once considered taboo is now considered mainstream, and what was once mainstream is now considered taboo.

As science fails to prove the explanation of our existence through the humanistic dogma of evolutionary theory, people naturally look for resolution. Sadly, many are so busy looking into the galaxies for answers that they fail to see what is right in front of them. Pride naturally rejects the idea of a Creator, especially one to whom we will have to one day give account.

This arrogance, like any sin, leads us to our own demise. The socialist state allows us our pride and takes our humanity as the price. The ideology of Marx and Lenin views us as an expendable resource, inherently fitting within one of only a few classes among the collective. On the other hand, God sees us as individuals, who He created for a purpose with infinite possibility and beauty.

And yet, humanity will likely continue to wrestle with the paradox of our existence until God’s return: to experience the true potential of self, we must first give it up. As the Gospel of John beautifully articulates, “Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

As engaged citizens, we can try to explain or understand the irrational and often depraved nature of culture today. Yet, if a society rejects the very notion of truth and morality, little can be done to ensure good governance in the long term. Ronald Reagan recognized this reality, quoting a line often attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville, which rightly states, “America is great because America is good. And if she ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.”