Last Sunday we started our series 'Just 10' on the Ten Commandments. And as if proof were needed that we as a nation need to remind ourselves of them, here is a news article from yesterday's BBC news
Britons are less honest than they were a decade ago, research by academics at the University of Essex suggests. The survey of more than 2,000 adults found that people were apparently more tolerant of lying and extramarital affairs than they were in 2000.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16714872
I am particularly interested in what the author of the report says about the effect on society:
If social capital is low and people are suspicious and don't work together, those communities have worse health, worse educational performance, they are less happy and they are less economically developed and entrepreneurial. It really does have a profound effect. If integrity continues to decline in the future, then it will be very difficult to mobilise volunteers to support the Big Society initiative."
It just goes to show that 'false testimony', which hurts people and destroys reputations, harms society. The Ten Commandments were given for the good of society. and for inidivuduals within society.
I was glad that at least one member of our congregation picked up the point last Sunday that coveting robs us of contentment. True contentment is something that we find in God, not in goods.
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2 comments:
Hi Paul
I was out for drinks and a meal with friends this week. During which there was a debate (argument?) on whether the changes that happened in the 1980s were a force for good or not. One of my friends argued that after the economic mess of the 70s, the 80s taught and gave an opportunity for people to stand on their own two feet and make something of themselves. The opposing argument was that the greed this instilled went way over the top leading to societal damage that we still have not recovered from. For once I found myself well and truly on the fence. Taking into account flawed human nature, I believe that capitalism is the better option, least bad, for organising economic means, and I believe that restricting human potential is quite abhorrent. But, somewhere inside of me there is a voice screaming out against the whole “Gordon Gekko” type greed. I believe this voice exists in most of us in the form of a conscience. It's just that more and more people choose to ignore it “because everyone else is at it, so why shouldn't I?”. This is encouraged by the actions of politicians, bankers, etc, and I think is ultimately caused by coveting what others have.
So where does all this end? The optimist in me believes that one of the good things to result from the current economic downturn is a realisation that money and goods are not the way to happiness. However, given so called public mentors, politicians, footballers (bankers?) I do have a concern that the drive to succeed in material wealth will become ever stronger and vicious.
Don't get me wrong, I believe in ambition and doing the best one can. But when this is at the expense of those around us, we have gone too far.
I think the Just 10 initiative can help in this by giving a fresh look at our one true, and ultimate mentor, God.
Hi Paul
A free society in which people can create wealth is good, but its success depends on a morality in which there is a commitment to that society and not just to personal gain. This is why I believe the Ten Commandments are for everyone's good.
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