Earlier today on the radio the reporter was talking about some of the top reasons people voted for one candidate or another during the last election. The #1 determining factor of the election was, “Moral Values!” Now I have to tell you that the hair stands up on the back of my neck when people toss that phrase around—it is a very divisive phrase.
While most of us who claim to be faithful as well as many, who do not follow any particular faith, think of ourselves as moral, we each have our own interpretation of the word. Webster defines it as: “of or relating to principles of right or wrong.” It’s at this point that most people would then attribute their sense of right and wrong based on their faith teachings. And this is where it gets muddy. And we’re left with pitting one interpretation against another.
If we spend the next four years determining “moral values” for all, we will be more divided than we are at this given moment—which almost seems impossible right now. We continue to be divided between Blacks and Whites; haves and have nots, and now we are divided between Reds and Blues!
When it comes to defining what moral values really are to each person, we are dangerously treading once again on the territory that dares to declare that one person, one political party, one religion, or one segment of religious expression, has the corner on the market of TRUTH.
Can one political party determine what is moral or immoral in value for ALL PEOPLE? Does the phrase “moral value” only mean anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage, anti-gambling, anti-stem cell research? What about peace? Isn’t peace a moral issue? What about the casualties of war? Aren’t the issues of poverty (food, housing, jobs) and simply caring for one's neighbor moral issues? How about health care for the poor and elderly as well as the middle class working people in our country? Caring for the environment?
My point is merely that without working together as a country we're never going to accomplish anything. Unless congress gets together and decides that hey maybe we should all pull our resources together and try and get our troops out of Iraq as quickly and safely as possible instead of worrying about making the other party look bad. I feel like our government is at a standoff and that accomplishing our common goals, our common needs should be our priority not pointing fingers and counting the Iowa Straw Poll....
Just a rant take from it what you will.
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I agree about everything you said about moral values being relative. I honestly think that moral values wouldve made me vote for the other candidate (but i wasnt old enough).
However, I think that what the radio man was TRYING to say was that the people voted for him based on HIS moral values. A greater percentage of people agreed with his moral values, or held the same moral values themselves. I dont think that what he meant was that the voters for Bush had moral values and the others did not.
I do agree with that, my point may not have been communicated very well but I was really trying to get across I feel like our country is too picky about morality. It seems that a large number of people are more interested in taking a woman's right to choose away from her, or telling GLBT couples that they can't get married or even share the same basic legal rights as straight couples, I think our energies could be focused elsewhere is all I was trying to say about that. Morals are relative and when and where they should be employed is always a sticky subject.
If you're talking about the poll I'm thinking about, the poll factored in both elections. So, the poll probably took into account all the Democrats who voted because of "moral values" too.
I totally agree with this!
A political party cant decide the morals for America as a whole.
Morals are a personal topic.
nicely written!