Pink Ouija Boards and Moral Relativism

I just stumbled across an article on from Fox News about Pink Ouija Boards Targeting Young Girls. Yes, it's terrible that ignorant parents may be seduced into buying this cute portal to Hell, but the major underlying problem I have with the defenders of this game is not whether the game is good or evil, but that the mindset behind leaving the game on the shelves (or putting it there to begin with) is one based on the principles of moral relativism. Moral Relativism is a much more subtle snare which also makes it Satan's lure of choice for our modern era. Listen to what this unsuspecting pawn has to say about his pink ouija board.

Toy expert and consultant Chris Byrne said he found "absolutely nothing" wrong with any version of the game.

"And if something doesn't fit your value or belief system, you don't have to buy it," Byrne said. "There's absolutely nothing remotely Christian or un-Christian about it. I think people are projecting their belief system on it."

My problem, Chris Byrne, is that you have a problem with people projecting their belief system. The "hands and minds off" approach is not as innocent as it sounds. It's a version of moral relativism that has dire consequences to our world. A web page dedicated to moral relativism gives this definition:

Moral relativism is the view that ethical standards, morality, and positions of right or wrong are culturally based and therefore subject to a person's individual choice. We can all decide what is right for ourselves. You decide what's right for you, and I'll decide what's right for me

There is nothing wrong with projecting your belief system. I think that Ouija board is intrinsically evil and I don't want that to be marketed to young girls or on the toy store shelves. What's wrong with saying that? When someone doesn't know or has forgotten what is good for them, I believe that letting them know is only the Christian thing to do. Too often in our modern world, we forget that it's ok to tell people what we believe and even to tell them what is right or wrong based on what we believe. In fact, as a Christian, we are obligated to do just that, but we are called to do it out of love. I love my fellow human beings, and I don't want any unsuspecting young girls communicating with evil spirits while playing with their cute pink Ouija boards.

I'm reminded of the time my dear friend from home came back from her liberating college experience from St.Benedict's Catholic College in St. Joseph, MN . We were having another enlightening conversation (as college students usually do with each other) and I was trying to enlighten her on Catholic teaching (from my experience at Franciscan University) and she went on to reveal what her professors have schooled her in: Moral Relativism. No, she did not use that term, but everything she said read like a text book definition. She said that she doesn't feel that evangelizing is a good thing to do. (you see, moral relativist are really bad at keeping their number one rule: there are no rules) Evangelizing, she said, is not good because it pushes our beliefs onto someone else. That's not respecting the other person's beliefs, she said. For the record, evangelizing should always be done in the name of love and with concern for other's- never, never pushy. But Evangelizing shouldn't be done because I might be telling someone what is for their own good?? How dare we say to another: you really shouldn't put your finger in that outlet, you might get hurt. If you think this seems like a far fetched example, let me give you another one. Imagine someone who wants to exercise some personal "freedom" by killing the baby in their womb. Now imagine a world where we cannot impose our beliefs on this person and tell them it might hurt the baby (and themselves). I think moral integrity may be the opposite of moral relativism, but I'd have to think about that more.

When people such as Chris Byrne tell me I cannot tell another person what is good for them, it emboldens me all the more to fight for what is right. I'm not sure what in direction our modern world is headed if we continue on the road of moral relativism, but if it keeps lighting a fire under me, I just may end up with duck tape around my face soon!

What ways have you seen moral relativism in our world today? I'd love to hear your thoughts.