Moral Relativity and Religion

The Catholic Church has chosen a new Pope, and while I really do not care very much who the Pope is, not being Catholic, I have noticed a certain trend in the commentary both leading up to the selection and after the announcement. A number of commenters were hopeful of a liberal who would change the docrines of the church to bring it more into line with the sentiments of Western intellectuals, and journalists.

The moral relativity central to the secular humanist philosophy that predominates the thinking of liberals/leftists has at it's central core the notion that there is no right or wrong (except perhaps not suscribing to this philosophy). This is contrary to the teachings of the Judeo/Christian/Muslim God. In the religious writings that emerged from the Middle-East centuries ago is the fundamental doctrine that to obtain salvation (defined in a variety of ways) humanity must conform itself to the Will of God, and not the other way around.

Moses did not come down from the mount and say, "Hey, I have these stone tablets with the Word of God on them and you have a golden calf, let's try to find middle ground so that no one will be bothered or offended." He condemned the idolatry of the people, went back and got a different set of rules for them, and then took them on a forty year trek through the desert until all those that had worshiped the idol had died before taking them to the promised land.

I am a firm believer in the right of anyone to believe whatever they want. But it really annoys me when people who do not want to believe a religous doctrine, but still want to belong decide that all the church has to do is change its theology to meet their needs when the whole point of Christianity is for individuals to change themselves into what God has decreed they should be not the other way around. If you are unwilling to live as a Catholic or a Primitive Baptist or a Mormon or whatever the particular faith you want to participate in the outward trappings of without living the teachings of that group, then find yourself some other chruch or other social organization that meets your needs and let those that want to worship do so in peace.