"Says Who?," or "Who Says?"

With Superbowl kickoff only hours away I must say that I am truly glad to hear that CBS has decided to not air an ad from a gay dating service showing two men making out. Their decision to air an ad from Focus on the Family with Tim Tebow and his mom (which I am personally happy for) brings up an important point, however, and that is, "Who says what is ok and what isn't?"

CBS has their own standards and criteria which they subjected the ads to. But what if they had made a different decision? What if they had shown the two men making out and not run the Tebow ad (which is reported to have a pro-life message from his mom's own decision not to abort him despite doctor's recommendations)? Would they have been right or wrong?

The obvious point here is how right and wrong is defined or determined. If anyone is asked how they determine right and wrong and their answer is a non-absolute (something like getting their values from family, teachers, own opinion, what hurts the least people, experience, the Bible as simply a "good book of morals," etc.) then they are on shaky ground. The problem is, what happens when they meet someone else whose values are in opposition to theirs, and in fact infringe on theirs, and who has an equally non-absolute basis for choosing them? Who is right? Who prevails?

The logical extreme of everyone picking their own values and right and wrongs is obvious if one simply spends a little time thinking about it. In fact, in the absence of absolute right and wrong, even fascism, racism, abortion, elderly elimination, elimination of the sick and weak, etc., are all equally justifiable to people believing them—and with no absolute standard to judge them against, who is anyone to say they are wrong? In fact, wouldn't evolution (which denies God) tell us that the strongest has every right, and is even admired for, asserting him/herself over the weaker and insuring the continuation of his own?

When we are devoid of an absolute standard for right and wrong, or good and bad, we are on a slippery slope in which the slightest shift or collision can bring the whole thing down in an avalanche of chaos and destruction. That is why we, as Christians, must be absolutely convinced in our hearts that the Word of God is truly that, and that Jesus is who He says He is, because He says He is the way and the truth, and the Bible displays God as the absolute defining point of good and evil. Praise God that we have a God who does not change, and that we have in Him a sure anchor in these days of shifting winds and currents where nothing seems sure or steady.

Note: If this post intrigues you then you might want to read my September 2, 2009 post on world view and politics which talks about the need for a standard as well. You can read it by clicking here.