Introduction
In St. Paul letter to the Ephesians, he reminds us that we are to “[speak] the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). If we try to share the truth without love, we are very likely to do more harm than good. The first key to engaging moral relativism is mercy. We are not setting out to conquer enemies—we are seeking open, respectful dialogue with fellow children of God. We want to share a beautiful message of hope and healing. The goal is not just to win arguments, but to win hearts and minds so that souls may be drawn to give their lives more to God and his plan for them.
This goal leads to a second key to engaging moral relativism: contrasting the classical and relativistic world views. A dialogue comparing these two views of life and humanity has much more potential for respectful, clear communication than merely a diatribe about the abstract logical errors of relativism. If people can see more clearly what Pope Francis has observed—that “relativism wounds people”—that will go a long way in helping people be more open to a different view of life, one that is much more attractive than anything relativism can offer.
*diatribe : a forceful and bitter verbal attack against someone or something
Dalam sesi nonton kali ini, kita akan membahas bagaimana berdialog tentang moral relativism. Kita akan membahas dua dari tujuh kunci dalam berdialog tentang moral relativism.
Definisi dari Moral Relativism:
Moral relativism is the idea that there is no universal or absolute set of moral principles. It’s a version of morality that advocates “to each her own,” and those who follow it say, “Who am I to judge?”
Dalam pandangan relativism (relativistic worldview), kehidupan (life) tidak memiliki alur. Tidak ada pilihan yang benar atau salah, dan pilihan kita tidak memiliki konsekuensi terhadap orang lain. Hal ini berbeda dengan pandangan kita (classical worldview), kita percaya bahwa pilihan kita penting (our choices matter), dan pilihan-pilihan kita mempengaruhi orang lain, baik untuk lebih baik maupun lebih buruk.
Nonton:
(Mulai video sekitar 30 menit)
Sharing:
1. Sharingkan satu hal yang kalian baru dapatkan setelah menonton video barusan?
The idea that relativism wounds people and the importance of leading with mercy and contrasting the worldviews may be new. And although we have been discussing a classical view of morality for the last several sessions, the details of what the classical worldview says about life, the self, a good man, justice, and freedom may also be new.
2. Pope Francis pernah berkata “relativism wounds people.” Bagaimana menurutmu seseorang dapat terluka oleh ‘relativism’?
As Edward Sri said in the video, our telos lies in relationship, and relativism says we have no telos, so the primary way people are wounded by relativism is in their relationships. We see this in many different ways, where people don’t experience the love they need and don’t learn the necessary skills to love in the way they were created to love. We see people chasing happiness in things and choices that cannot make them happy because they are not directed toward love of God and love of neighbour.
3. Sharingkan tips atau cara-cara yang baik dalam menghadapi teman-teman yang memiliki pandangan ‘relativism’.
We can lead with mercy by first loving the person we’re talking with, not just trying to prove them wrong. We should always share the joy and hope of the gospel message that God loves us and wants us to be happy. Most of all God wants to forgive our mistakes and heal our wounds and bad habits. We can talk about this explicitly, but we can also communicate this by showing love, mercy, and forgiveness in the way we treat other people.
4. Menurut kalian, apakah kalian sekarang ini mempunyai pandangan ‘relativism’ (yang mungkin tidak kalian sadari sebelumnya)?
The classical worldview gives the picture of a life lived with purpose—and each of us with the potential to be a hero and make a difference—lived for and with others, and lived in the freedom for excellence. The relativistic life ultimately is one empty of purpose and isolated from others. According to this view we might get to choose whatever we want, but our choices don’t really make a difference. When they are laid side by side like this, the classical worldview of life is exciting and full of potential. The relativistic life looks empty and somewhat meaningless. This kind of comparison should help people to recognize the truth and beauty of the classical worldview.
Kesimpulan:
• Relativism wounds people.
• The first key to engaging moral relativism is to lead with mercy.
• The two pillars of God’s mercy are forgiveness and healing.
• The second key to engaging relativism is to contrast the classical worldview of a purposeful life lived for others with the relativistic worldview of an isolated life full of meaningless choices.