Popular Opinion and Moral Judgments

By Douglas Groothuis, PhD

By what standard should we evaluate moral issues? Is there a consistent way to make moral judgments that align with historic Judeo-Christian values and which are conducive to a flourishing America? What do the polls tell us about our basic moral beliefs?

How might we respond in light of America’s 250^th anniversary which is fast approaching?

The highly-regarded Pew Research Center recently released a poll finding that sixty-three percent “of Americans have no moral problem with patients choosing to end their lives with the help of a doctor” and that sixty percent “have no moral qualms about homosexuality.” It goes on: “About half of U.S. adults say viewing pornography is morally wrong (52%), while nearly half feel it is not a moral issue (32%) or is morally acceptable (15%). Further, “47% of Americans say having an abortion is morally wrong, while about half say an abortion is not a moral issue (31%) or is morally acceptable (21%).” One area aligns with a biblical view of morality: “Nine-in-ten U.S. adults say that married people having an affair is morally wrong.”

Pew listed “White evangelicals” as having higher rates of disapproval for pornography and abortion, but did not mention the other moral issues. Why Pew limited this to Whites was not stated, and it is odd, since there are many evangelicals who are people of color.

There is a consistent and time-tested way to bring our moral judgments in line with each other for the common good. This is by affirming the historic and deeply American value of the human person as affirmed in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Genesis, chapters one and two, teach that men and women are made in God’s image and likeness and are placed on earth to develop it for the glory of God. Of all life, only humans are made in God’s image and likeness. After creating them, God pronounced his creation activities as “very good.” In the previous days, he said only, “It is good.” Thus, humans beings are the pinnacle of creation because they represent God in the world.

As Tom Holland has pointed out in Dominion (2019), his historical study of the ideas that shaped the West, it was the biblical vision of human rights that favored the downtrodden, grounded representative government, and eventually led to the end of slavery. That same biblical vision applies to the issues Pew discussed.

Since we are made in God’s image, we should not be murdered, as the sixth commandment states. We have the right to life, as The Declaration of Independence states. This applies to all human beings, unborn as well as unhealthy or even suicidal. Therefore, abortion is wrong since it wrongfully takes a human life. Medically-assisted suicide is wrong as well, since it does the same. The sick need care, not killing. The sanctity of human life is based on the values that Holland explained in Dominion and has served the western mind and culture so well throughout history. Outside of the Bible’s teaching, human beings are stranded without their true value.

Pornography should be addressed in human terms as well. Sexuality is a gift from God, not a right of hedonistic indulgence. Being made in God’s image means being made for God’s purposes, in sexuality and in all areas. The way of human flourishing in sexuality is found in the biblical family, which means sexual fidelity to one’s mate in thought and deed, as Jesus taught. Pornography debases all those involved and truly satisfies no one. Even if the material is generated through AI without human actors, those consuming it are dehumanizing themselves by splitting erotic endeavors from the partnership of marriage through high-tech self-stimulation.

Likewise, same-sex eroticism cuts against the grain of creation and should not be indulged. Many of those so inclined, such as Rosaria Butterfield, have found restraint and freedom in following the Christian way. Even those whose same-sex desires have not departed, such as Christopher Huan, have decided to follow the biblical way simply because it is right and because God gives strength day by day.

Whatever the most recent Pew poll reports, as America celebrates is 250^th anniversary, we would do well to consider the source of human value and the rich heritage of the Judeo-Christian ethic in American life.