HRT 3M: World Religions
Thursday February 19th 2015
A Response to D. McManaman’s “Religious Tolerance & Diversity”
Mr. McManaman’s disagreement with the general assumption that Canada is “open” to the world’s greatest religions and cultures stems from his perspective of Western culture. He brings to light many important grievances with today’s Western beliefs. Here, where society’s main concern is seeking happiness at the expense of our morality and integrity. The sacrament of marriage, a once holy and fulfilling union, is something of a parody to its once great importance. Abortion rates have not dropped, another ill of modern liberal thought. Active euthanasia is becoming debatable as new and liberal views of a dignified death emerge and are sweeping across the nation. The banks of the Northern nations still hold many of the Third World Countries’ debt. Moral relativism marks a turning point in modern society, where former morals are rapidly evolving to suit the lifestyle of the majority of the population today. To put in perspective, some criticisms the Roman Catholic Church has made in reference to moral relativism include society’s acceptance of pre-marital sex and abortions. These examples of social vice only reiterate the standpoint of our modern values as a pleasure-seeking society. Our attachment to luxury goods and consumer habits take away from our humility and effectively replace our integrity with the notions of ‘if you do not have these things, you are not living a rewarding lifestyle’. This is not only a detriment to our former morals, but a detriment to those who conform to society’s teachings and common values. The last issue that plagues young adults is the pressure to fit in and to be the product image of popular culture. The lives of everyday teenagers have changed drastically in the past 20 years-partially due to society and partially due to the “advancement” of technology. Teenagers today are conflicted with many negative aspects of this...