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Return to Innocence
181
ought,
and back from
ought
to
is,
is what the daily human struggle is all
about (see Rom. 7:16-25). Both Christians and society claim to follow
the pattern from
ought
to
is,
yet in different ways as we shall see below.
SOCIAL DYNAMICS
Order in society is maintained by a set of laws to which all loy
al citizens owe their obedience. Scripture calls on all, religious or
secular people, not to resist authorities (see Rom. 13:1-14). These
laws are drawn up and enacted by elected magistrates in democratic
societies. However, these officials are not free to impose their own
will or to act independently, since they are
representatives of the people. As a result,
the laws are constantly in the making, be
ing updated and, we hope, improved. The
public opinion which affects the legisla
tors is influenced by various forces, world
views, and ideologies, which means that
the will of the people is not the most stable
and reliable guide. Consequently, every is
sue is subject to change as a result of the
pressures of the day, to the point where yesterday’s
is
may become
today’s
ought.
What we do becomes legitimate; the lowest common
denominator can become normative.
Another shift in society over the last several decades signals con
fusion, if not separation, between what is moral and what is legal.16
Clearly, the social cry of the West has been one of réévaluation with
respect to the legality of homosexuality.17However, this issue has a
strong moral dimension, and legislation of morality causes several
problems. First, the risk is to impose the opinion of the majority (or
of those with greater influence) on the moral standards of the rest
of society. Yet moral behavior and norms must stem from the free
choice of
every
individual moral agent. Second, seeing that the opin
ion of people in a pluralistic community is fickle, the moral duty is
Clearly, the
social cry o f
the West has
been one o f
réévaluation
with respect to
the legality o f
homosexuality.