Rediscovering Lost Values

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preached a sermon entitled "Rediscovering Lost Values" in which he stressed the fact that we in America had strayed away from some of our precious values. He posits that it is possible to rediscover them:

"Some things are right and some things are wrong, no matter if everybody is doing the contrary. Some things in this universe are absolute. The God of the universe has made it so. And so long as we adopt this relative attitude toward right and wrong, we're revolting against the very laws of God himself."

He goes even further to admit that we tend to live with a sort of recklessness that is not productive in any way; we tend to act in negative ways towards others because we have nothing to fear. There seem to be minimal consequences for our actions as long as we don't get caught:

"The other thing is that we have adopted a sort of a pragmatic test for right and wrong--whatever works is right. If it works, it's all right. Nothing is wrong but that which does not work. If you don't get caught, it's right. That's the attitude, isn't it? It's all right to disobey the Ten Commandments, but just don't disobey the Eleventh, Thou shall not get caught."

He presents an argument not distant from that of Paul Laurence Dunbar in "We Wear the Mask" by saying that many of us dress up hate in the garments of love so that it may be viewed as acceptable to all. Dr. King believed that we could turn from our self-centered ways but that it would take some time and effort:

"Our world hinges on moral foundations. God has made it so! God has made the universe to be based on a moral law. So long as man disobeys it he is revolting against God. That's what we need in the world today--people who will stand for right and goodness. It's not enough to know the intricacies of zoology and biology. But we must know the intricacies of law. It is not enough to know that two and two makes four. But we've got to know somehow that it's right to be honest and just with our brothers. It's not enough to know all about our philosophical and mathematical disciplines. But we've got to know the simple disciplines, of being honest and loving and just with all humanity. If we don't learn it, we will destroy ourselves, by the misuse of our own powers."

God has given each of us the power to treat each other right. It's up to us to do it!