With the contentiousness of this last weekend, I found myself commenting on various posts. The one thing all the conversations had in common was the moral overtones presented in the arguments. I wanted to highlight one of the conversations and dig deeper into the argument. The crux of the debate was as follows, “The question is, what are you actively doing to prevent rapes? What are you actively doing to prevent unsafe sex (or sex at all)?” This is a valid question and one that deserves serious attention. So, after some thought, I responded by saying, “Raising morally responsible children.” My thought was that rape, or any unsafe sex, is due to the selfish nature of the perpetrator. I mean that to violate someone in such an egregious manner takes a level of selfishness beyond the conception of empathetically capable people. I don’t think my words convey my disgust for such an act.

My comment about morally responsible children was directed at the heart of rape, the will and evil intent to willfully violate another human being in the most intimate ways. If I raise kids capable of empathy and instill a moral standard of right and wrong, the chances of even conceiving of rape are severely diminished. If I teach my kids there is a universal moral law and a universal moral law giver. They will never escape the law they are both aware of and bound by. The original poster never responded to my original comment, but strangely, an outside commenter did decide to respond specifically to my comment about morally responsible kids.

Random Commenter:
“Raising a morally responsible child has absolutely zilch, nuda, ZERO things to do with this. Raising a child to have morals will not prevent rape, molestation, or even accidental pregnancies.”

The preceding comment was posted several days after the original post. The comment baffled me for two reasons. The first was why post on a three-day-old comment. What nerve had I struck with this commenter that they felt compelled to tell me raising morally responsible children had nothing to do with preventing rape? The second was what worldview could this person have where morality and rape are separated? I will never be able to answer the first question because I cannot read the individual’s mind, and to be kind, I won’t speculate on it either. The second question runs deep. It speaks to our very understanding of the reality around us.

I might be able to shed some light on the second question. A worldview is “a comprehensive conception or apprehension of the world, especially from a specific standpoint.” Does objectively true morality exist? An objective truth would be that fire burns you every time you stick your hand in the fire. Your opinion, state of mind, or personal feelings can never change the fact that fire will burn you. The subjective truth is that ice cream is the best dessert. That is only my opinion, and I can change my mind. Not only can I change my mind, but that truth does not even apply to you. Your favorite dessert could be apple pie. Neither is right or wrong, only an opinion.

Let’s take objective truth and subjective truth to another level. Is murder objectively wrong or subjectively wrong? We can all agree on this, but the crux of the argument lies: Is there an objective moral truth independent of our opinion? For that matter, is there an objective moral truth independent of society’s opinion? Is the collective moral opinion capable of changing the moral ideas of right and wrong?

I would guess the individual commenting on my post probably has a subjective worldview anchored in personal experience. Therefore, as this individual’s experience changes, so does their moral convictions. Because this person has never experienced the link between morally responsible kids and the collective good of society, my comment would have seemed strange and exotic. To fully appreciate my comment, one must have the ability to look outside of one’s limited moral experience and see the transcendent nature of what is objectively morally good. Only then can a link be established between morally responsible kids and reducing heinous crimes.