Christian values

The term Christian values historically refers to the values found in the teachings of Jesus.

The biblical teachings of Jesus include:^[1]

• love of God: "You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind" ,
• fidelity in marriage: "Whom God has joined together let no man put asunder"
• renunciation of worldly goods: "Gather not your riches up upon this earth, for there your heart will be also",
• renunciation of violence: "If a man strikes you on one cheek, turn the other cheek",
• forgiveness of sins: "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us",
• unconditional love: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you".

Biblical authority

Christian values were summed up by Christ in Matthew 22: 37-39,

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." ^[2]

This is a combination of part of the Shema, the most important prayer in Judaism, and the Great Commandment of Judaism. See also Ministry of Jesus#General ethics.

Modern use

Today, in the 21st century, the phrases "Christian values" and family values are used by conservative political groups in the United States of America ^[3][4][5] to describe the following values:

• censorship of sexual content, especially in movies and on television
• the desirability of laws against induced abortion
• sexual abstinence outside of marriage and abstinence-only education^[6]
• the promotion of intelligent design to be taught in public schools and colleges as an "alternative" to evolution
• the desirability of laws against same-sex marriage and support for laws against the acceptance of homosexuality into mainstream society
• the desirability of re-instituting faculty-led prayer in taxpayer-funded schools^[7]

See also

• Brotherly love (philosophy)
• Biblical law in Christianity
• Family values
• Red-Letter Christian
• Jesusism

References

1. ^ The Holy Bible, King James Version, Meridian, 1974.
2. ^ New American Standard Bible, A. J. Holman Company, Philadelphia, 1976
3. ^ AFA - American Family Association - Promoting Traditional Family Values
4. ^ Morality and the Constitution: Traditional Christian Moral Values
5. ^ Dr. Hager's Family Values
6. ^ http://www.worldcongress.nl/en/wcf-ii-geneva-declaration/,"Marriage between a man and a woman forms the sole moral context for natural sexual union. Whether through pornography, promiscuity, incest or homosexuality, deviations from these sexual norms cannot truly satisfy the human spirits."
7. ^ http://www.allabouthistory.org/prayer-in-public-school.htm,"Prayer in Public School is a web site dedicated to providing data as well as accurate information regarding the national tragedy of the elimination of prayer in our public school systems."

External links

• The Goodness Chart - The Good Values to have in Life and teach children