Articles
And The Survey Says ...
Have you ever wondered why we are so consumed with public opinion polls? I can understand their purpose relative to the marketplace, but it is common to see opinion polls cited relative to moral issues. A headline might read: “A national survey says that most Americans agree that living together before marriage is a wise thing to do.” The implication is that those disagreeing with “most Americans” are morons, out of step with the mainstream.
Since when did thinking for oneself become a bad thing? And since when did opinion polls decide morality, or even what is sensible? In the above example, plenty of research demonstrates that “cohabitation” (aka, fornication) before marriage results in a high percentage of divorce.
From the National Marriage Project, a study conducted by the University of Virginia: “The belief that living together before marriage is a useful way ‘to find out whether you really get along,’ and thus avoid a bad marriage and an eventual divorce, is now widespread among young people. But the available data on the effects of cohabitation fail to confirm this belief. In fact, a substantial body of evidence indicates that those who live together before marriage are more likely to break up after marriage. ... What can be said for certain is that no evidence has yet been found that those who cohabit before marriage have stronger marriages than those who do not” (The State of Our Unions 2009, p. 85).
The selective citation of polls is one way to create a climate favoring a particular moral position. Many people think, “If most people believe ________ is OK, who am I to say differently?” I also have noticed that articles and news anchors slant percentage gaps in polls relative to the issue. In other words, five to seven points might be an “overwhelming majority” in one survey, while the same figures in a different poll might be described as a “statistical dead heat.” It all depends on one’s point of view.
For Christians, moral issues are not subject to opinions of man. These matters are decided in heaven and communicated in God’s word. This provides a fixed standard that levels the playing field, clears the fog of uncertainty and gives us a clear set of parameters. But we must have the courage to stand with God and His moral precepts. The world will not like us for that. Remember the Miss USA contestant who said she believed that marriage is between a man and a woman? If we blow with the winds of opinion, we will never take a firm stand for anything.
