Volume 3, Issue 4, April 1995


AN UNRENEWABLE RESOURCE - VIRTUE

Two out of three Canadians told Alberta sociologist, Reg Bibby, that our values are declining. Queen's University philosopher, Ted Bond, recently stated, "Our society is sick, really sick. It's in need of radical reconstruction."

Bond believes one of the reasons for this is "the general attack on the notion that there is such a thing as truth and goodness.... God has been bumped off and that leaves us in a state of anomie (disorientation, lawlessness) where no values are worth pursuing."

Bond proposes that educators once again start teaching virtues like goodwill and friendship as indispensable to our life together. "What we need is serious secular teaching," says Bond. "Most of the teaching of morals is done under the auspices of some religion, but that's not going to help because most people aren't religious anymore."

Another reason the virtues are becoming popular once more is the collapse of "values". Since the 70's educators have been wary of imposing their ideas and so have taught school children to articulate their own values instead. Values change where virtues do not.

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"Religion NOW" is published in limited edition by the Rev. Ross E. Readhead, B.A., B.D., Certificate of Corrections, McMaster University, in the interest of furthering knowledge and participation in religion. Dialogue is invited and welcomed.