A Basis of Values

I am currently taking a class about the history of western politics. One thing it mentioned in the opening chapters really made me think. It said that philosophers have to be careful about their criticisms because everything is faulted. It continued to explain that we cannot insist on abolishing something without having an idea of how to replace/fix it. The book used the example of the American government. Philosophers could tear it apart for its faults and cause everyone to see the logic in ridding ourselves of it. But what would come next? If the next system was no better then have we really made any progress?

To make myself clear, I am not saying we should not question, but we should be wary of drastic societal changes. One change that has grown in the United States and elsewhere is the loss of religious freedom. Now I know many non-religious people will deny this and simply ask that I keep my beliefs to myself, but please hear me out.

The Greek democracy was built on the values shown in the Iliad and the Odyssey; loyalty, intelligence, glory. The Roman Republic was built on the values of bravery, practicality, and organization--taught through the Aeneid. Ancient Israel was built upon the values of the Torah. The Islamic countries were built on the values in the Q'aran.

Our country was built upon the principles of religious and political freedom. Two separate ideas, and yet inseparable because political systems fail when there is no core set of values on which to base them. Our constitution was built on the assumption that people would be honest, virtuous, and act for more than just their self interest. It was not based on the assumption that everyone was Christian, BUT the way in which those values were generally taught was through the Bible.

Our problem is that our society no longer wishes to accept that way of teaching values. Religion has been all but banned from schools in all its forms. The general population seems to accept religion as a simple belief and not a belief system.

My question now is: what will replace it? The push against religion is strong, and yet I have yet to see someone come up with a more effective way to teach youth and adults alike about values such as respect, honor, obedience, kindness, integrity, selflessness, etc. You don't have to believe the Word as I do, believing in the literal coming and rising of a Savior, but you should at least respect the values we teach.

I do not think that the written words in the Bible, Torah, Q'aran, or otherwise inherently make all people good. I do not think that those who have no background in such writings are inherently bad. But teaching values to our citizens is a real and growing problem. The word "sin" has all but been lost from our vocabulary. What is bad versus what is good has become grey. In the end, values have to come from something. An idea as abstract as freedom cannot be the basis for every virtue in society. Freedom will continue to be contorted into selfish desires at the expense of others. And really, that is not freedom at all, that is survival of the fittest, that is anarchy.

So again I ask: If not the Bible, then what?

pictures taken from oztorah.com, illimitablemen.com, wikipedia.com