
 |
|
June 19, 2013
June 12, 2013
Stephanie Hanes: Little girls or little women? The Disney princess effect
Fred Weir: In tweak to US, Russia would 'consider' asylum for Snowden
June 10, 2013
The Kosher Gourmet by Anjali Prasertong: A tart filling so good it might not make it to the crust
June 5, 2013
John Rosemond: Mom, Dad: Talk More and listen less
Kristen Chick: Egypt court sentences 43 pro-democracy workers to prison
June 3, 2013
Molly Hennessy-Fiske: Military judge to consider letting Fort Hood shooting defendant represent himself
May 29, 2013
Andrew Connelly and Helene Bienvenu: The Little Synagogue that Refused to Die
May 24, 2013
Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb: When I didn't so 'humbly disagree'
May 22, 2013
John Thorne:
They launched the 'Arab Spring' but now yearn for the good old days of a strongman
May 20, 2013
Richard A. Serrano: Is Meir Kahane's assassin now a changed man?
Melissa Healy: Genetic copies of living people from embryos no longer science fiction
Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Jews Inducted into Rock Hall of Fame; Anton Yelchin co-stars in New "Trek" film; Kutcher (but not Kunis) visits Israel; Jewish TV Star Praises Jewish Rap Star
The Kosher Gourmet by Cathy Pollak: WARNING: This WALNUT CAKE WITH PRALINE FROSTING, perfect for afternoon coffee, is addicting
|
| |
Jewish World Review
May 31, 2005
/ 22 Iyar, 5765
The arrogance of values
By
Dennis Prager
| 
|
|
|
|
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
I am arguing in this series of columns titled, "The Case for Judeo-Christian Values,"
that Judeo-Christian values as developed and expressed specifically, though not only, in
America constitute the finest value system in the world. If you care about goodness, justice
and compassion prevailing in an often evil, unjust and cruel world, you should hope that
Judeo-Christian values predominate on earth.
Is such an attitude, that there is a best value system, arrogant or even
chauvinistic or racist?
Let's first deal with the charge of "racism." It is difficult to overstate the
absurdity of this charge. How can values that are universal i.e., for people of all races
be racist? The charge is meaningless since people of all races affirm Judeo-Christian values.
In fact, outside the United States, whites, being largely secular, are the race least likely to
affirm these values.
What about "arrogant" or "chauvinistic"?
Though not as obviously so, these charges are equally meaningless.
If one does not deem one's value system superior to others (at least the others that
one is aware of), it is not a value system. It is a series of personal habits that one happens
to prefer. Moreover, it is very hard to find anyone who upon a moment's reflection really
believes that his values are not superior.
Do those who believe in freedom believe that freedom is not a superior value to
tyranny? Do those who believe in human equality believe that this value is not superior to the
belief that one race is superior? Is the "honor killing" of daughters a value equal to that of
allowing daughters to marry whomever they want? The list is almost endless.
The very implication of a "value" is that it is superior to any other. If you value
monogamy, you are saying it is superior to polygamy. If you value tolerance, you are saying
that tolerance is superior to intolerance.
All people are equal, but that does not mean that all values are equal. The statement,
"All people are equal," is itself a value, one which holds that human equality is superior to
any value that demeans or denies the intrinsic worth of other human beings.
But many of the best educated (and therefore least intellectually clear) will counter,
why can't people hold that their values are superior only for themselves?
The answer is that it is not only a misuse of the term "value," it betrays a complete
misunderstanding of the concept. To return to the examples offered above, do those who believe
that freedom is superior to tyranny believe that freedom is only superior for them? Can you
imagine someone arguing: "I happen to value the ability to speak, write, worship and assemble
freely as a value for me, but I do not believe that such freedom is better for anyone else"?
I am arguing that the Judeo-Christian value system as developed on the basis of the
Hebrew Bible and developed largely by Christians, and especially in
America, is the best value system ever devised. I believe it is superior to all other value
systems with which I am familiar. I believe that as a moral system for a society, it is
superior to that of the secular/socialist values that dominate Europe and the left in America,
and to any other religion. And as I argued in Part VIII, Judeo-Christian values are even larger
than Judaism or Christianity alone.
Is this insulting to members of these groups? Of course not. Is it in an insult to
Republicans that Democrats think their party has better values?
The reason this is not insulting is that decent and intelligent people understand that
better values do not mean that all those who carry the same name as those values are better
people. I think Judeo-Christian values are superior, but I would have to be a fool to believe
that all Jews and Christians or even all people who say they subscribe to Judeo-Christian
values are better than everyone else. All human beings must be judged according to their
behavior, not according to the value system they are associated with.
I fully acknowledge that there is a real danger of arrogance associated with having
values. The moment you believe in a value, you believe that value is superior to some or all
other competing values. And this can lead to arrogant thinking: "Everyone with my values is
wonderful; everyone else isn't. And I have nothing to learn from people with other value
systems."
That is why those who adhere to Judeo-Christian values must carry them with genuine
humility. There are wonderful people in every religion and wonderful people who are atheists,
and there are awful people in Judaism and Christianity and among individuals who claim to hold
Judeo-Christian values.
But it is simply intellectual cowardice to deny that one's value system implies
anything but its superiority to some or all other values.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Dennis Prager hosts a national daily radio show based in Los Angeles. He the author of, most recently, "Happiness is a Serious Problem". Click here to comment on this column.
Dennis' Archives
© 2005, Creators Syndicate
|
|

Arnold Ahlert
Mitch Albom
Jay Ambrose
Michael Barone
Barrywood
Lori Borgman
Stratfor Briefing
Mona Charen
Linda Chavez
Richard Z. Chesnoff
Ann Coulter
Greg Crosby
Larry Elder
Suzanne Fields
Christine Flowers
Peter Funt
Frank J. Gaffney
Bernie Goldberg
Jonah Goldberg
Julia Gorin
Jonathan Gurwitz
Paul Greenberg
Argus Hamilton
Victor Davis Hanson
Betsy Hart
Ron Hart
Nat Hentoff
A. Barton Hinkle
Jeff Jacoby
Paul Johnson
John Kass
Jack Kelly
Ch. Krauthammer
David Limbaugh
Kathryn Lopez
Rich Lowry
Michelle Malkin
Jackie Mason
Ann McFeatters
Dale McFeatters
Dana Milbank
Jeanne Moos
Dick Morris
Jim Mullen
Deroy Murdock
Judge A. Napolitano
Bill O'Reilly
Clarence Page
Kathleen Parker
Star Parker
Dennis Prager
Wesley Pruden
Tom Purcell
Sharon Randall
Michael Reagan
Robert Robb
Cokie & Steve Roberts
Heather Robinson
Debra J. Saunders
Martin Schram
Greg Schwem
Culture Shlock
David Shribman
Roger Simon
Lenore Skenazy
Michael Smerconish
Thomas Sowell
Mark Steyn
John Stossel
Cal Thomas
Dan Thomasson
Bob Tyrrell
Diana West
Dave Weinbaum
George Will
Walter Williams
Byron York
Cathy Young
Mort Zuckerman

Eric Allie
Robert Arial
Chuck Asay
Baloo
Nate Beeler
Lisa Benson
Chip Bok
Dry Bones
John Branch
Daryl Cagle
Patrick Chappatte
John Cole
Paul Combs
J. D. Crowe
John Darkow
Bill Day
John Deering
Sean Delonas
Brian Duffy
Everything's Relative
Randall Enos
Mallard Fillmore
David Fitzsimmons
Glenn Foden
Jake Fuller
Bob Gorrel
Walt Handelsman
Joe Heller
David Hitch
Jerry Holbert
David Horsey
Lee Judge
Steve Kelley
Mike Keefe
Jeff Koterba
Dick Locher
Chan Lowe
Jimmy Margulies
Gary McCoy
Rick McKee
Jack Ohman
Jeff Parker
Milt Priggee
Michael Ramirez
Rob Rogers
Steve Sack
Bill Schorr
Drew Sheneman
Kevin Siers
David Ray Skinner
Jeff Stahler
Scott Stantis
Danna Summers
Gary Varvel
Kirk Walters
Christopher Weyant
Larry Wright
Dan Wasserman
Adam Zyglis

Tech Q&A
Mr. Know-It-All
Ask Doctor K
Richard Lederer
Frugal Living
On Nutrition
Bookmark These
Bruce Williams
|