Do We Really Want No Rules?

G. K. Chesterton is reputed to have said, “Don’t ever take a fence down until you know the reason why it was put up.” America is moving a fair number of fences these days, and perhaps it would be instructive to heed Chesterton’s admonition and ask ourselves first, “Why were these fences put there in the first place?”
Do you remember the day when there used to be gasoline service stations on three out of four corners at major intersections? There weren’t as many churches as gas stations, but there were an awful lot of them. Today, while some churches are full, many are half empty, or have been converted to condos. As a boy, I recall thinking, anybody who did not go to church was somehow unusual.  We would dress up and go to hear the preacher instruct us on the guiding principles for a better life.
Well, the fences are being taken down rather quickly, and many Americans don’t feel the need to sit under such instruction. Young people increasingly question the value of religion and the rules which it imposes.  Before we drift mindlessly further in that direction, should we ask, where will we be when we have thrown off all the old rules?
I heard the Oxford mathematician, John Lennox, ask that question in a different way. He said we have to be thoughtful about discarding rules because some of them serve us very well. He pointed out that, in England, they have the rule that everyone drive on the left side of the road. Without that rule, every time a car approached an oncoming car, it would have to go slowly and cautiously. So instead of driving at highway speeds, to be safe, all cars would have to drive at, say, 5 mph.
Clearly we cannot discard that rule. But what about all the rules which the churches have been teaching over the years? Do any of them have value for our lives, or were they put there just to deprive us of fun? Let’s take adultery, for example.   The church preaches that it is wrong. But why? What harm can a little playing around do, as long as the spouses don’t find out? But can one really remain committed to his or her spouse while doing this? And these things have a way of getting out, and, when they do, the marriage goes south, leaving broken homes for raising children.
What about compassion for our fellow man? Or what about honesty? As I have noted here before, I have really seen this decline in my lifetime, when, as a young man, I could give a counter check to a storekeeper without showing any identification.
The key question is, is there a God who made us? If we are not sure, it is worth finding out, because such a being would likely know things which could make this life a richer experience. There are some famous people drawing huge crowds at top universities, including Harvard and Princeton, exploring this very question. On one side of this issue are atheists such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens; on the other are theists such as John Lennox and Ravi Zacharias. 
A reading of the Herald letters to the editor and Spout Offs indicates that the direction the world is heading currently has a number of people concerned, both on the right and the left.  If you are seeking which way is up in these topsy-turvy times, I encourage you to search out on YouTube what these people have to say. I think you’ll find it thought-provoking.
Art Hall
From the Bible: I love those who love me, and those who look for me will find me. Proverbs 8:17