does the fact that the US has changed some of its former laws/ideas mean that it submits to moral reletivism?

Question

For example, the addition of womens rights, outlawing slavery...etc. Since they changed what was right/wrong does that mean its a reletivist socety?

Answer 1

Those are lesser examples of moral relativism -- more, they are examples of changes in the general attitudes of people with regard to the concepts of equality.

Moral relativism is where specific actions -- normally declared immoral or unacceptable -- are justified based on specific circumstances -- an "ends justify the means" argument.

For example, racial profiling at airports -- racial profiling is generally considered illegal and unconstitutional -- and by many, also immoral and unethical -- however, in times of significant fear, moral relativism might justify the use of racial profiling -- because the needs of the moment are considered more important than the broad moral standard.

Answer 2

i went and tried everything and now i know it's wrong and i don't do it because it's bad for me and my happiness. But now i don't judge others for the state they're in. I realize that we're all people and christian, buddhist, whatever is just a label you stick on your own forehead, maybe for social reasons, family etc. but in the end doesn't make you any closer to God than you would be without it. I also realized that to preach to people is pointless. People react to love no matter what the words are. It's only through cultivating the love and wellbeing of yourself and letting it overflow to others that we make some difference in the world. All the sermonizing about morality, accepting Jesus etc. is artificial. What is needed in this world is true openness and support of each other. But even if you take that as an idea it becomes stupid because people start thinking you have to accept murderers and child molesters. What i'm trying to say is that the problem was that religion is in everybodies heads. It's this abstract thing that governs us, but the world is not bounded by these ideas. They don't fit. The world is too complicated and amazing to fit into a book. We have to be masters of ourselves and stop hiding from life. Sacred texts are there to help us, not rule us. Oh yeah sorry, i shouldn't really be answering this because i'm not an atheist. Only a 'former christian'.