“… Secularism, on the other hand, tends to become fascinated with building vast purification plants downstream; but, ironically, secularists have difficulty agreeing on what dirt is—on what is to be filtered out. (‘secular’ – dictionary meaning : 1. connected with the world and its affairs: of things not religious or sacred; worldly; 2 Living in the world; not belonging to a religious order)
If you prefer a different analogy, we are witnesses to a rather bizarre game of human chess in which there is strange value placed on the various pieces on the chess game. The kings and queens, the parents, are thought of as being inconsequential; the castles, or homes, get traded off for pawns with great casualness; the bishops, which might represent religion, remain largely unused in responding to the challenge. Yet, in the midst of this strange pattern of play, the world wonders why it cannot checkmate human misery.
While more research and information are almost always desirable, how much more research do we need before we begin to accept the realities of how, almost relentlessly, parental patterns are projected into their posterity? How much more research do we need with regard to the sources and the importance of self-esteem? There is an ecology that pertains to the world of man’s spirit and his self-esteem. We must begin to think about the deprivation of the individual storehouse of self-esteem as a vital community concern. We have a stake in each other’s self-esteem.” ~Neal A. Maxwell – was commissioner of the Church Educational System of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when this devotional address was given at Brigham Young University on 15 January 1974. (Clicking Family Perspectives link will take you to the full text talk… and an Audio link original version- 24 minutes in length).
Today we are seeing the results of the unheeded warnings (not just from Neal Maxwell, but also by many others before and since). Secularists have always declared such to be ‘old fashioned and unenlightened’. With the loss of the structured family, as we knew it in the 70’s, we have lost so much more. In most ways the world we left behind, as a whole, had happier homes and more stable results than we see now (of adults choosing marriage and family, then leading happy, productive lives). Within the context of the church to which I belong, truths and standards never change – because God Himself does not change… with every wind of religious and secular doctrine. He does not evolve with man’s (secularism’s) fickle whims. The evidence to such an approach is found, of course, in the results. Again, as a whole, those who have lived by the counsel of seasoned and inspired leaders are stable, secure and feel the Lord’s hand of protection. Of course, there will always be exceptions, but they are extremely rare to non-existant compared to secularisms erratic results. kdm
