The complex fabric that is woven to make up the society we live in consists of many unique threads. Each of us individually has a place in the weave and without us the entire tapestry would be a lesser creation. There are however certain underpinning threads that have been woven into the fabric that are stronger than others and upon which the entire creation relies, if these threads fail then the complete design is in danger of collapsing. These underpinning threads include the morals and ethics, the laws and standards of our society and if these underlying threads are not protected then the whole institution will eventually fail. An overall understanding of these areas assists us with our parenting decisions and enables us to practice positive parenting.
Morals
(Exodus 20:14) “You shall not commit adultery”.
Morals are the basis of how we determine what is right and wrong, when they are clearly defined our choices are easier to make. Our morality defines how we treat each other personally in society and appears particularly focused upon sexual purity and fidelity. The Judaeo-Christian foundations of our society clearly identified what was acceptable in the eyes of God and assisted mankind in knowing how we should conduct ourselves. It is by standing upon these proven foundations that we find stability as a society.
There seems however in recent times to have been a concerted effort to undermine and destroy the very moral fabric of our society and replace it with ‘amoral’ behaviour which is defined as a lack of moral sensibility. The erosion of our societies moral standards has increased markedly within our generation, and what was unthinkable only 50 years ago is now accepted as normal in many areas of life.
‘Immorality’ as defined by a lifestyle outside the accepted standards of moral behaviour, is the predominant choice of many people in the world. These individuals have rejected the values that we have built our society upon and replaced them with their own ideas of what is acceptable. Sadly, many people in this generation no longer have a clear understanding of what is right or wrong, and therefore fail into realise their greatest potential by living a life of honour in obedience to God’s word.
One of the benefits of having a society founded upon a solid moral code is that each person already has a safe track to run on in life and they don’t have to try to re-invent the wheel and figure it all out themselves.
Ethics
(Exodus 20:15-16) “You shall not steal. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour”.
Ethics simply explained is how we treat each other in a non-personal or commercial setting. This may involve but is not limited to elements of fairness, consistency, transparency and honesty.
How we treat our fellow-man in the world is in a large way determined by our accepted ethical standards or lack thereof. Those who fail to adopt the need for high ethical standards in their own behaviour tend to find it much easier to take advantage of others in many of life’s situations. These people often become the con-men, the embezzlers and the criminals in our society, and they leave a trail of turmoil and distress behind them where ever they go. Their lack of personal integrity allows wicked thoughts and despicable schemes to be devised in their hearts, that ultimately lead to underhanded and fraudulent acts against innocent people.
One of the benefits of having a society founded upon a solid ethical code is so that every person rich or poor is treated with respect and a degree of honour and not taken advantage of.
Laws
(Romans 13:1-2) Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgement on themselves.
Laws are instituted by governments and are binding upon every member of that community, ensuring that each person has both rights and responsibilities. Laws are implemented to keep the worst elements of our society restrained and to facilitate safety and security for all it’s members.
Those unprincipled members of society whose hearts are set upon chaos and maliciousness are restricted to a certain extent by the fear of judgement that the laws of the land bring. Laws would not be needed if a society was filled with people who merely loved and cared for each other, but when there are so many who are unscrupulous and set upon a path of wickedness we need all the protections that the laws can give us.
Historically any country that is run without laws is most often ruled only by the strongest and most brutal of men, those who by intimidation bully everyone else into submission. In a society where violence may be imminent at any given moment, it is the laws and regulations of the land that help to protect us and keep the peace we all deserve and have grown to expect.
One of the benefits of having a society that is based upon a system of laws and individual protections is that we can give each member of society an opportunity to feel safe and prosper.
Standards
(1 Kings 7:13-14) Now King Solomon sent and brought Huram from Tyre. He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a bronze worker; he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill in working with all kinds of bronze work. So, he came to King Solomon and did all his work.
Standards are an authoritative level of quality that is the accepted norm in our society, it is what we can safely expect in our dealings with others. We as members of society should be able to safely expect a certain degree or standard of understanding and skill from those whose services we seek out in our everyday lives.
If we go to a restaurant we should confidently expect that our food has been sourced using good quality products and has been prepared in a hygienic environment, because these are the standards that are required by our government’s health department.
If we needed to undergo brain surgery we would expect that our doctor would have many years of experience in operating on people, and that they would have consistently achieved a very high standard in their profession. These professional standards are our protection as members of a society and without them it would be more difficult to have the confidence required to undergo this life saving surgery.
One of the benefits of having set standards in society is to give its citizens confidence in the quality of the items we are seeking to purchase or the services we intend to use. Standards mean that we are not playing Russian roulette whenever we need to access the assistance of a business or provider in our city.
Ultimately it is the Morals, Ethics, Laws and Standards that assist greatly in keeping our society running smoothly and give each member the best possible chance to enjoy a good and prosperous life. I guess that is probably one of the reasons why God gave them to us in the first place.
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