Times Have Changed

Recently, I read Jonathan Edwards sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" for my English class. Our class had to discuss how we felt towards the text. Most people were violated and thought Jonathan Edwards had no right to tell them that they are wrong. This demonstrates the cultural difference between Edwards' time and today's time. During Edwards' time, it was acceptable for people to tell others that are they wrong because people did not have a subjective sense of morality. However today, people do not take it very lightly when someone tell them that they are wrong. That is why students in my class felt violated and did not like Edwards' sermon. Edwards plainly states that people are sinners and need God. They did not appreciate that Edwards was intruding on their personal morals. 

Today society does not believe in a universal, unalienable definition of right and wrong. Most people believe right and wrong is defined by their own standards, and not a god or higher power. If they believed in a god, the god would be able to say what is good and bad, and nobody would be able to contest to that.  However, people who do not believe in such a higher power, believe they are at liberty to determine what is good and bad. 

Today, it is not acceptable to impose one's own beliefs onto other individuals. However, I find it contradictory, that by simply telling someone this, one is inflicting their own beliefs onto other individuals.