Is there is a such thing as absolute truth? Those of us who believe in the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ declare unequivocally that, yes, truth exists! God is real and so is eternal truth. Unfortunately, the world is quickly going in the opposite direction. ‘My truth’ and ‘your truth’ are common statements heard today. We are no longer supposed to make judgments of any kind, but instead should be accepting of just about everything. Moral relativism is the prevailing standard.

Dallin H. Oaks defined moral relativism this way: “More and more of our citizens support the idea that all authority and all rules of behavior are man-made and can be accepted or rejected as one chooses. Each person is free to decide for himself or herself what is right and wrong.”

But, you may ask, shouldn’t each person be allowed to decide what they believe to be right and wrong? Yes, when speaking of individuals establishing their own belief system. But societies have to have a foundation; they have to be based on something in order to function. Without a moral foundation, freedom cannot exist, as Elder D. Todd Christofferson taught:

The societies in which many of us live have for more than a generation failed to foster moral discipline. They have taught that truth is relative and that everyone decides for himself or herself what is right. Concepts such as sin and wrong have been condemned as “value judgments.” As the Lord describes it, “Every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god” (D&C 1:16). As a consequence, self-discipline has eroded and societies are left to try to maintain order and civility by compulsion. The lack of internal control by individuals breeds external control by governments.

Our society now denies basic, eternal truths like the reality of two inherent genders or respect for the life of a baby growing in a mother’s womb. We cast aside the idea that anything is wrong or sinful, and those who dare to proclaim the old-fashioned notion of right and wrong are labeled a bigot or a religious zealot and publicly ridiculed. Tolerance is extended to all – except those who believe in God.

The ultimate counterargument to moral relativism was given in the Book of Mormon. In 2 Nephi 2:13, Lehi teaches,

“And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away.”

This chapter of scripture reminds me of The Family Proclamation. It states truths that seem obvious at the time you first hear them, but a prophet of God knew that one day the world would be so confused that we would need plain and precious truths spelled out for us. We are taught in verse 25 that “men are that they might have joy,” but there can be no joy without righteousness, and there can be no righteousness without law (meaning commandments of God) to establish what is righteous. We are also taught in verses 11-12 that without opposition (without right and wrong), God’s eternal purposes would be destroyed. What is God’s purpose? “To bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). Our eternal life is based upon our choices which can only occur if we are “enticed by the one or the other” (2 Nephi 2:16).

Right and wrong exist; agency cannot occur without these principles. The entire Plan of Salvation is based upon this fact!

This is a critical issue. We aren’t simply talking about the right of an individual to decide their own beliefs. We’re talking about whether or not the purposes of God will move forward. We must stand for truth. If people of faith never speak up and put their beliefs forward for consideration, then we will be left with the secularists who are more than happy to offer their “anything goes except belief in God” mentality. That will then govern our society, as we are already seeing. Elder Christofferson explains this perfectly:

I think you would agree that the philosophy of moral relativism has made great inroads in our time. “Not judging” has become an almost unchallengeable standard for conversation and behavior. But in reality, we all make judgments about what is right and wrong, and not just for ourselves, but for the people and the society around us. Laws and systems of law, even political systems, are the embodiment of moral values and perceived truths. In a pluralistic society, we may debate what values should be enshrined in laws or regulations and what is right or wrong or true, but in the end, on any given issue, someone’s view, or some group’s view, of truth prevails and everyone becomes bound by it.

One of the greatest addresses ever given on this topic was by Jeffrey R. Holland entitled “Israel, Israel, God is Calling.” I urge you to listen to his words with your family. The entire talk is marvelous. Our children are growing up in an increasingly confusing world and there are simple truths we must help them understand. Here is what Elder Holland said about the false notion that we should never judge:

[T]here is sometimes a chance for a misunderstanding, especially among young people who may think we are not supposed to judge anything, that we are never to make a value assessment of any kind. We have to help each other with that because the Savior makes it clear that in some situations we have to judge, we are under obligation to judge—as when He said, “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine.” That sounds like a judgment to me. The alternative is to surrender to the moral relativism of a deconstructionist, postmodern world which, pushed far enough, posits that ultimately nothing is eternally true or especially sacred and, therefore, no one position on any given issue matters more than any other. And that simply is not true.

And here is his guidance on whether we should take a stand for God’s laws:

When we face such situations in complex social issues in a democratic society, it can be very challenging and, to some, confusing. Young people may ask about this position taken or that policy made by the Church, saying: “Well, we don’t believe we should live or behave in such and such a way, but why do we have to make other people do the same? Don’t they have their free agency? Aren’t we being self-righteous and judgmental, forcing our beliefs on others, demanding that they act in a certain way?” In those situations, you are going to have to explain sensitively why some principles are defended and some sins opposed wherever they are found because the issues and the laws involved are not just social or political but eternal in their consequence. And while not wishing to offend those who believe differently from us, we are even more anxious not to offend God, or as the scripture says, “not offend him who is your lawgiver” and I am speaking here of serious moral laws.

And, lastly, Elder Holland’s words on moral relativism and religious freedom:

[T]here is a wide variety of beliefs in this world, and there is moral agency for all, but no one is entitled to act as if God is mute on these subjects or as if commandments only matter if there is public agreement over them. In the 21st century we cannot flee any longer. We are going to have to fight for laws and circumstances and environments that allow the free exercise of religion and our franchise in it.

We covenant at baptism to “stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that [we] may be in, even until death” (Mosiah 18:9, emphasis added), and we must take care to not break this covenant due to apathy or intimidation. Absolute truth given by God is a reality that we are called upon to defend in our society.