PERSPECTIVE ON THE NEWS August 13, 1979 Issue

Values and confidence

The keynote of President Carter's recent televised speech to the American people was a call for rebirth of the nation's spirit and a revival of its values. Among various reasons that the President listed for what he saw as America's current malaise was a worship of "self-indulgence and consumption." Mr. Carter's remarks were directed to the American nation. But other industrialized, high-consumption countries also have to contend with the problems arising from preoccupation with materialistic goals and an erosion of ethical standards.

Only a bulwark of higher values—moral and spiritual ones—can enable the world to withstand the sociological, economic, and political challenges now buffeting it.

The foundations of Christian morality are rooted in the Ten Commandments and Christ Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. These codes have a purely spiritual base. Loving obedience to them strengthens the individual and the family, and consequently the community and the nation. Durable values demand our being conscious of the perfection and infinite goodness of God when we're making decisions regarding our ethical and financial affairs. This stifles the selfishness and fear that might otherwise stampede us.

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