Is Protestantism distantly related to relativism?

[Genuflecter]

Is Protestantism distantly related to relativism? I mean if there is no infallible interpreter of truth, will it lead to multiple versions of truth? Maybe I should ask, is Protestantism more vulnerable to relativism than is Catholicism? No disrespect intended towards Protestants. I think they’ve contributed a great deal to the Christian causes. I appoligize for my title, but I imagine it does attract attention.

There could be an irony here considering there seems to be more liberal Catholics than there are liberal Protestants. I’m using liberal here to mean acceptance of moral relativism. Not to mention Protestants seem to be putting on more of an assault on relativism than us Catholics.

Could it be that the Catholic Church has been cowed by all the slanderous accusations made against it? If it’s afraid to speak the truth, how can it lead Catholics into the truth?

Or could it be the opposite? As the world loses touch with the truth, the greatest source of apostolic truth becomes more archaic by the minute - that is to the deceived masses - so nobody listens?

Fortunately, I think young Catholics are becoming more bold in defending the truth.

I’m just curious about peoples thoughts on this.

 

[Carl]

You are right to point out that relativism is as pervasive as it is in the Catholic Church. I’m not talking about Church teachings so much as about certain preachers of the Word and their legions of followers.

But I really think the primary impetus toward relativism in the modern world comes not from Protestantism so much as Atheism. According to a survey conducted eight years ago, roughly sixty percent of the scientific community are not connected with any religion. The highest percentage of atheistic scientists careerwise is 93% among biologists (Darwin himself is said to have lost his faith).

The prestige of modern science is not in doubt. Atheistic humanism draws on that prestige to impress the young intellectuals of our day. One only has to look at the way Clarence Darrow conducted himself at the Scopes Monkey Trial to see how atheistic humanism was battling Protestant fundamentalism.

Yet that same liberalism has infected all the modern world: Jews, Catholics, Protestants have come under the sway of the belief that if there is no Absolute, there are no absolutes.

Atheism is having a field day in America today … and relativism is its modus operandi. When you look at the main driving force behind all the radical changes in America morality today, don’t look to the Catholic Church. Don’t look to the Protestant Churches.

Look to the ACLU … a front for organized atheism if ever there was one. Now they are backing homosexual marriage rights.

What will they back next … the right to marry children?

 

[Zski01]

I don’t see Protestantism as being conducive to relativism. Protestants struggle with the “sola scriptura” motto in light of the fact that nowhere in the Bible does it say that scripture alone is authoritative, but most Protestant Churches have an authoritative structure of some point. All of my Protestant friends are deeply convicted to follow Christ without any relativism.

Unfortunately, many Protestant denominations do embrace sin like abortion, gay marriage, homosexuality as a whole, etc. This just shows how fallen we all are and how sin can corrupt Churches.

I think we’re all relativistic to some degree, but the more we rely on Christ and trust in Him to guide our faith, walk, and Church, the more absolute we can become in defining our morality.

 

[kjvail]

Not distantly - proximately.

The chain is protestantism → liberalism → relativism - > athiesm/apostasy

www.ourladyswarriors.org/dissent/libissin.htm

Touchstone Archives: Supremely Modern****Liberals

Two important articles that delve into this relationship.

Essentially the teaching of the Church and a Catholic understanding of history is that the Protestant reformation was the first stirrings of liberalism, which came to be fully expressed in the French revolution - the doctrine of ‘separation of church and state’ lays the ground work for ignorance of truth and an obstinate refusal to submit to authority/teaching.