Dr. Robert George has written a book entitled, The Clash of Orthodoxies. His book is about the clash of two world
views: the Secularist and the Judeo-Christian views. The clash is evident in so
many areas, from education to the environment to how we define sexuality.
Understanding the differences between these two views helps us understand why
there is so much controversy over the subjects of abortion, euthanasia,
marriage and many others. These world views are important because these
different perspectives translate into different public policies, depending on
who’s in power.
One very important difference between the two views is that the Judeo-Christian
view believes the basis for its beliefs and moral judgments come from the
Bible. This view holds that there are absolute, universal truths, such as life
is sacred and therefore must be respected in all stages. The secularist does
not see life as sacred, but rather as utilitarian, and therefore does not see
the need for life to be protected or respected in all stages. This is why the
secularist strongly believes in abortion and euthanasia. Secularists generally
claim to not believe in absolute moral judgments, yet they absolutely believe
in a woman’s right to abortion and the right to end your life.
Between these two views, the debate about life is not really about when
it begins; any standard human-embryology textbook clearly defines life as
beginning at conception. The debate is more accurately about when life has value
and when it ceases to have value. From the Judeo-Christian view, we view all
the stages of life as equally important. An
embryo, a fetus, an infant, a toddler, an adolescent, a young adult, a
middle-aged adult, an adult and an older, comatose adult all have something
in common. Through all those stages it is the same person, from embryo to older
adult. Even though the fetus at the beginning and the comatose person at the
end of life are fully dependent on others, they are no less valuable, precisely
because there is a person there.
Much of the same differences come into view when we talk about sexuality.
Secularists believe that marriage is a social and legal convention that produces
none other than an emotional and legal bond between two persons. Secularists
define good, decent and acceptable sex as whether or not it is consensual and so
long as there is no coercion or deception involved. This is the reason that
secularists can freely distribute contraceptives to school-age children with no
reservation.
From a Judeo-Christian view, sex is part of a bigger picture and should
not be separated—and that larger picture is marriage. From this view, marriage is
not only a legal and emotional bond but also as a biological and spiritual
union. After all, a man and a woman can reproduce through the marriage act,
which is a single act performed by two people. Thus, showing…“a man will leave
his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh”
(Gen 2:24). This union is more than a metaphor of one flesh; it is a true
union. The Judeo-Christian view believes that when sex is sought purely for
pleasure or emotional closeness, what really happens is disintegration of the
bond between the two participating persons.
Perhaps the disagreement about how both worldviews see the world can best
be seen in their view of human choice. Secularists believe that humans have little
choice in life. They see free choice as an illusion. So it is not hard to see
how they view criminals and the problem of poverty for example. They see people
as not responsible for their actions because of external or internal pressure.
The Judeo-Christian view comes straight from the Bible and informs us that God
has given to each of us a free will, and God will hold us responsible for our
choices. [i]
[i] George, Robert P. (2014-05-20). The Clash of
Orthodoxies: Law, Religion, and Morality in Crisis (Kindle Locations 115-315).
Intercollegiate Studies Institute. Kindle Edition.
