Values are chosen–individually and collectively–to decide the direction of society, to provide a structure to our own lives and to that of society.

The type of values I am talking about exist already and are not necessarily another set of values that you haven’t been exposed to before.

But individually we need to think about, be aware of and assess these values.

A concrete example of this in a biblical story, which has, regardless of what we think of religion, has had a profound effect on the world’s cultures, and not just “Western” culture because the Bible and the Christian religions (plural) have had a massive influence all over the world.

Canada’s laws, for example, including the Bill of Rights, and the Charter of Rights, the Criminal Code, the laws regarding property, etc. have been, without doubt, for good (or ill perhaps? but I’m focused on what’s good for the most part) influenced by our historical attachment to the Christian religion and Christian denominations–and other religions and philosophies (whether contradicting or not) affect our societies also.

In the story, which you may have heard, King David has an innocent man killed in a covert way–murdered. David is condemned for this in the text and suffers for it. The implication of this is to say that God (the “supremacy of God” is quoted at the start of the Canadian Charter of Rights) decided that human beings–have value and the individual’s life has value. The government doesn’t have a right to just kill people because it wants to for its own advantage. This is expressed also in the Ten Commandments. There are passages in the Bible that elaborate on this principle–whether we agree with the Bible or not, and many of us find issues with the Bible.

But to take the principle of the value of human life for granted and to also think that the government is NOT higher than “God”–this principle also – is a complete mistake.

To think that either of these principles is obvious to everyone– or to think they are agreed to by everyone–is completely mistaken.

I believe it is everyone’s responsibility to assert and defend these principles, regardless of religious foundations, and this takes effort and participation.

To be continued