The "War" on Christmas

There's always a news story or two about the war on Christmas.

• A nativity scene is forced off a public place because of a lawsuit.
• Store employees forced to say "Happy Holidays" instead of Merry Christmas.
• Someone stealing baby Jesus from a church nativity scene.
• Children not being allowed to wear red and greed or holiday attire at school.

It's pretty inventive what the news media will do to promote anger, fear, and aggression during a time dedicated to peace on earth.

Oh, I know there are those who are truly concerned that Christian values are under attack, and that we should fight back with all of our might.  But I would like to submit to you that the real war against Christmas has been going on a long, long time, and the things we see now are simply logical manifestations of what many in our nation have allowed Christmas to become.

For instance, I believe we started losing the war on Christmas when the day became more focused on getting the perfect gift (for the one's you love) instead of celebrating the receiving of the gift of Jesus.

I believe we started losing the war on Christmas when the day became more focused on generating the perfect setting with the perfect family atmosphere, with the perfectly prepared meal (works/righteousness) instead of simply celebrating what God has done for us in the midst of family and friends--no matter what the external things might be (grace).

I believe we started losing the war on Christmas when many bought into the idea that one should not have any space left under the tree because the presents had take up all the room, instead of the idea that quality instead of quantity is important.

I believe we started losing the war on Christmas when we became more worried about whether or not someone would like the gift we gave them instead of simply enjoying the ability to give.

I believe we started losing the war on Christmas when we became more interested in what kind of things we could buy for cheap and what kind of sales were going to take place instead of taking an interest in the free gift of grace initiated by God's intervention in the world through Jesus.

Indeed, in many cases, Christians have led the charge (and charged a hell of a lot) to "make Christmas special" by decorating, and baking, and shopping, and running around, and wrapping, and worrying and fretting, and what have you.  We have failed to realize that Christmas is special in and of itself--regardless of gifts, and meals, and cards, and wrappings, and decorations, and what have you.

Dr. Seuss tried to make that point in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."  You can't steal it.  It's an impossibility.  Yet, in our efforts to make it absolutely special and overwhelming and the "best Christmas ever," we've managed to steal much of the joy out of it.

And I have become more and more convinced, winning the war on Christmas does not mean fighting to have nativity scenes placed in public places; or allowing Christmas carols sung in school programs; or convincing people to say "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays."  I am convinced, the war on Christmas can only be won by a change in our hearts--a monumental shift in focus--from what I have to do to what God has done, is doing, and will do.   If we, as Christians, set our hearts on this, then we have no worries or concerns about what is going on with schools or stores or in public places; for we carry the joy of Christmas within us as we remember the babe who lay in a manger also lives in our hearts.

Getting Rid of Santa and that Cheeky Little Elf on the Shelf

Don't get me wrong.  I still play the game with my children.  I do it because they have fun with it, but more and more I am ready to chunk the whole Santa Claus get up as well as that Elf on the Shelf thing.  Not because it isn't fun playing with such things but because of the implicit message being sent to kids.

I know I risk being labeled a fuddy-duddy or theological purist because of this post, but please think about what we are conveying to kids through these things, and then think about what Jesus proclaims to us--and the real meaning of Christmas.

You better watch out
You better not cry
You better not pout
I'm telling you why.
Santa Claus is coming to town.

He's making a list.
He's checking it twice.
Gonna find out who's naughty and nice.
Santa Claus is coming to town.

He sees you when you're sleeping.  He knows when you're awake.
He knows when you've been bad or good, so be good, for goodness sake!

So goes the Christmas song.  And what is this song teaching?

Be good or else you won't be getting any presents.  It's reinforced by those of us who are well intentioned parents who say, "If you aren't good, Santa's going to be bringing you a lump of coal."

That Elf on the Shelf reinforces this thought process.

Sure, it's fun to put that little guy all over the house in different and varying poses.  I personally enjoy my kids getting out of bed and searching around the house until they find the guy doing whatever he is doing on a particular morning.  It's all in good fun--for the most part.

But again, the implicit message of the elf, "He's watching you all day, and at night, he reports to Santa about the things you've been doing today."  If you aren't being good, the elf will tell Santa, and you won't get any good gifts.

The modern Santa and Elf on the Shelf are perfect examples of works/righteousness, theology of glory thinking.  If I am good...  If I am doing the right things...  If I follow the law just perfectly.... then I will get goodies in the end.  Whether we like it or not, this is the message we are sending to our kids which is a far cry from the reality of Christmas.

Christmas is about grace--unmerited, undeserved grace.  Period.

Christmas is about God's plan of reconciling the world unto Himself by taking on flesh and dwelling among us.

Christmas is about the babe in the manger who would one day hang on the cross taking our sin, our shame, our suffering, our frailty, our death with Him and putting such things to death that we might live.

Christmas is about remembering the One who does such a thing all the while praying for His enemies, blessing those who persecuted Him, and saying, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."

Christmas is about the One who died for us even though we weren't being good and gave us the gift of eternal life despite our refusal to live our lives for God and for our neighbor.

You cannot draw a deeper contrast between the incarnation of Santa Claus in the U.S. along with his partner Mr. Elf on the Shelf and the Lord of lords and King of kings who became Emanuel--God with us.

I will play this little game for a few more years because my kids enjoy it, but I'll be doing just a little extra work to let them know what grace really is as well.  For in the long run it makes quite a difference as illustrated by the following two sentences differentiated by one simple mark:

So be good, for goodness sake.

So be good for goodness' sake.

One of these is works/righteousness.

One of these is responding to grace.

One is Christian.  One is not.

Want to keep Christ in Christmas?

Teach and live grace.

Who Wouldn't Want to Prepare?

    My brothers and sisters in Christ, you and I both know the world is not at all like what our first lesson from the book of Isaiah describes.  The world is far from the reality the prophet spoke about long, long ago.  Take another listen to his words, and then reflect on just how far away we are from this sort of reality:

    The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.  7 The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.  8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.  9 They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.    –Isaiah 11:5-9

    To this day, these things are not happening.  To this day, there is still war and strife and death.  To this day, something must die in order for something else to live.  To this day the earth still rebels against God and His knowledge–it is far from full of this.  Indeed, our world remains broken and battered by the reality of sin, and just one glimpse of reality can set us on edge.  One glimpse about the way things really are can lead us to a state of frustration and depression.  Just a cursory read of the news shows this.  The headlines tell us of greed, power grabs, destruction by natural disaster, rising poverty, government debt, people forced to give up what they are pleased with, and so on and so forth.  This is the world we live in, and it can be overwhelming.

    It can be so overwhelming that the promise of God set forth by the prophet can be lost.  The promise of God can be forgotten.  The promise of God can indeed be seen as an empty promise–false hope to hold onto in the midst of all our pain and suffering.  Indeed, there are those who say that religion is simply a crutch that many hold onto to deal with the reality of brokenness in our world.

    God knows how easily we can fall into such despair.  God knows how easy it is for His creation to lose sight of His promise and His Word.  God knows that we humans function on a different reality of time than He does.  For us, thousands of years is an eternity.  For God thousands of years are a fleeting moment.  It’s easy to lose sight of this in the midst of this world.

    Knowing this, God realized we needed something to hold onto.  God realized we needed something concrete to grasp whenever hope starts to fade.  God knows we need more than a promise to hold onto.  In the old days, a handshake solidified a deal, but today, we need lawyers and legal documents to make sure we are covered.  One would think that God’s Word would be enough, but the history of God’s people shows us differently.  Scripture shows us how even the people of God who witnessed God’s miraculous deeds soon forgot them in the midst of their trials and tribulations.  We need something more to hold onto. 

    And God understood this.  God realized we needed assurances.  God realized something more than a vision was needed so that we had evidence of God’s intent to make all things right.  And God provided that evidence.  God took on flesh and lived among us.

    “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God sent the Son not to condemn the world, but so that the world may be saved through Him.”

    Jesus Christ entered this broken world.  Jesus Christ, God in flesh, entered into this reality and began the process of redemption.  Sure, He performed miracles.  Sure, He healed the sick, raised the dead, fed the hungry, and proclaimed God’s Kingdom.  There is no doubt about these things.  But these things were simply leading up to the grand finale–the reconciliation of humankind unto God. 

    This, of course, took place on the cross.  Sometimes, it’s hard to let this sink in.  Sometimes, it’s hard to remember what that cross represents.  That cross represents all that is wrong with this world.  That cross represents pain, suffering, brokenness, blood, injustice, selfishness, greed, depression, illness, and death.  That cross does not today carry the same connotation it did 2000 years ago.  Today, we see redemption.  Long ago, it meant death.  And that is exactly what happened to Jesus upon that cross.  He was murdered.  He suffered.  He bled.  He felt abandonment.  It was not a glorious experience at all.  But it was necessary.  For in reality, it was us who should have been hanging on that cross.  It was us who deserved punishment and death for our failure to measure up to God’s standards.  We deserved to be hanging there for our participation in and failure to fix this broken world.  Yet, instead of letting us take our deserved punishment, God intervened and Himself died.

    This is a powerful statement of God’s love for us.  There is no doubt about that.  But the story is not yet done.  For remember the promise of Isaiah?  Remember the vision Isaiah tells us–a vision that came from God? 

    A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.  2 The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.  3 His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.  He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; 4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.  5 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins.  6 The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.  7 The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.  8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.  9 They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.  10 On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious. –Isaiah 11:1-10

    This could not come to pass if the God incarnate suffered and died and that was the end.  This could not be the true vision of the hope to come if the cross were the end.  If suffering; if injustice; if despair; if punishment; if death were the end, then there is no real hope.  God died.  We are reconciled unto Him, but is there more?

    The answer came three days later.  Three dark days passed, but then the ground was shaken, the angels rolled the stone away, and Christ rose from the dead.  St. Paul made no bones about what this meant, “20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. 21For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; 22for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ. 23But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power. 25For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.”

    Christ is God’s handshake.  Christ is God’s assurance that the promise of Isaiah is real.  Christ is God’s way of showing us the fulfillment of the promise has begun, and we have something to hold onto in the midst of this world.

    But more than that, for we do not simply hold onto the promise as if it were something only to be treasured by ourselves.  For we know that around us is a world that is indeed hurting.  We know that around us is a world that is broken and suffering in ways both big and small.  We know that around us is a world in need of good news.

    And we also know the foolishness of trying to make the world perfect.  We know it is an impossibility on our part; yet we also know we cannot remain idle.  We have been touched deeply by the promises of God, and so we work to prepare the way for Christ’s return.  For who wouldn’t want to do this?  Who wouldn’t want to prepare for the time of ultimate peace and justice?  Who wouldn’t want to prepare for the time when all people can join with one another at the marriage feast of the Lamb?  The vision is glorious!

    And how do we prepare?  How do we get ready for this vision?  By trying to implement as much of it as we can in our daily lives right here and right now.  By showing God’s love through kindness and caring and involvement with others both inside and outside our community of faith.  For this is what it means to Live God’s Word Daily.  Amen.

The Language of Love

Two things struck me yesterday.  Two very, very important things.

The first happened sitting in the barber shop.  I had just finished visiting one of my shut-in members and decided to get my hair chopped before the events of Christmas.  A very, very interesting conversation happened in the barber shop.

During the visit, I commented on a particular issue and let slip the word "d@mn."  I then said, "I shouldn't have said that."

The lady barber said, "Aww, this is a barber shop. That's allowed."

I said, "It has nothing to do with the location.  It has everything to do with my profession."

Of course, I was then asked what I did, and I responded that I was a clergy.

"You're our kind of clergy," came the reply.

Maybe, but as the conversation evolved, maybe not.

For as we visited a very interesting dynamic started concerning justice. 

"I believe that if a person commits a murder or rape or something like that, they are going straight to hell," the barber said.  "I don't buy any of these priests or pastors who visit with someone on death row and proclaim them forgiven.  I was taught that if you do good things and are a good person, you are going to heaven.  If you do anything to the contrary, then you are going to hell."

I responded, "I think there is a difference between God's forgiveness and the necessity for justice."

"I don't think so," was the reply.

"And so, is Moses in hell?  Because he committed murder."

Silence for a moment.  Then a half-hearted joke, "Maybe he should be."

"Don't mess with a pastor who knows the Bible.  God operates differently than we do.  God offers forgiveness."

It's called grace.

The second piece of note was an article in this month's The Lutheran Magazine titled, "Is the word returning empty?  Biblical fluency puts life into the word for daily use."

 The article itself is quite intriguing, and the arguments are quite cogent.  However, I would argue that we clergy desperately try to help people with biblical fluency.  We just haven't been doing a very good job of it.  In fact, I would argue the reason we primarily haven't been doing a very good job of it is because we have become consumed with dictating the law.

Now, this is starting to get into some heavier theological concepts, but let me try to keep it relatively simple by saying--instead of focusing on the proclamation of what God has done for us by reconciling the world and us unto himself, we do much more talking about what we should be doing. 

It matters not which side of the Christian spectrum one falls upon.  The "right" side tends to focus on individual morality.  The "left" side tends to focus on community responsibility.  The "right" focuses on individual righteousness.  The "left" focuses on communal justice.  Both emphasize the law.

Sure, each side will say that such emphasis is a response to God's grace; however, I have come to realize that much of the preaching and articles I read from both standpoints give very, very little time to what God has done and why we respond as we do.

In short, we minimize grace--God's action, and emphasize the Law--our action or even inaction.

From a Lutheran perspective--an even I would say an orthodox Christian perspective, this is backwards. 

We are pretty fluent in applications of the law and how it relates to our lives, but we aren't so good about being fluent in Grace.

It's awful hard to be fluent in the language of God's love.  It's awful hard to be fluent in the language of forgiveness--even for that S.O.B. who murdered a little child.  It's awful hard to be fluent in the language of reconciliation--especially if that so and so did something I don't like or voted for the "other guy."

The language of grace; the language of love takes us to a different reality.  It takes us to a different place.  It leads us to a place of humility and compassion and service--simply because we realize how much we need Christ and His action on the cross.

For that is the ultimate language of love: a willingness to die for your enemies.  That's grace.  And most of us aren't too fluent in it at all.

Perhaps, God will give us the desire to learn.

The Music of the Spheres

Yesterday, I was tuning my guitar.

My ear is not quite good enough to accomplish this task without a tuner, so I sat, strumming one string at a time until the lights moved from red to green.

To ensure a proper tune, I strummed a 'G' chord.  The vibrations, frequencies, and harmony of the strings told me the guitar was indeed properly tuned.

And I asked myself at that point: why is this so?  Why is it so that certain frequencies come together to produce sounds which are pleasing to the human ear?  And why is it that if a certain string on the guitar is pressed improperly, there is dissonance and dis-harmony?  How is it that humankind can pick out the harmony between frequencies and then see that something is out of tune?  Why should such harmony exist in nature?

And it led me to reflect on the nature of music.  I do not know of a culture that does not have some sort of music in it.  Going back to recorded history, I do not know of a culture that did not have some sort of singing or dancing in it.  Why does humankind want or even need music?  What is the reason behind it?

As I thought of such things, I tried to approach it from an evolutionary standpoint.  Some research led me to a couple of fine articles here and here. 

There are a couple of evolutionary theories floating around as to the origins and then continuance of the use of music, but I cannot help but think there is something deeper.  I mean, I am a music lover, and quite often I find myself singing a long to a song or having it playing in my head over and over and over.  And from an evolutionary standpoint, this is not good.  Not at all.  It is a distraction from the world around.  Perhaps you are like me in that you have been so caught up in a song that you fail to take notice of the world around you.  Traffic accidents have happened this way.  People have crossed into the street while walking and jogging failing to take notice of the changing of traffic lights.  The consequences in nature can be even more devastating--particularly for those living outside of the concrete jungle.

Singing and humming in nature can cause one to miss some tell-tale sounds of death--a rattlesnake rattle, the stealthy stalking of a predator.  Such sounds can alert prey when on a hunting expedition.  Neither of these things are helpful to survival.

Perhaps there is a sexual connotation to such music, but honestly, does music and dancing always lead to sex?  Apologies to those fundamentalists who believe so, but no, it doesn't.

Music definitely taps into the human soul and spirit.  It taps deep into the recesses of the heart.  It comforts, excites, inspires, enrages, and so forth.

I believe God has gifted humanity with a world in which those frequencies can be produced in harmony.  I believe it is one more example of His handiwork, and ultimately, music should be used to praise Him.

When I lead kids at a local pre-school in singing praises to God, I find a wondrous thing taking place.  Transformation.  Smiles.  Joy.  Radiance.  Music taps into these things--especially when directed toward the Creator.

Yes, I am sure there are other "explanations", but I think them unsatisfactory.  Take a listen to a recent rendition of "The Little Drummer Boy" which has gone viral.

Tell me the reason it has gone viral is due to some sort of longing for sex or other such thing.  Not there.  This song, along with others, touch something deep within our spirits--a "voice" of God.

Thanks, Grandpa.

"I didn't accomplish much in the eyes of the world, but the Lord and I are on pretty good terms."

The words brought tears to my eyes as my 94 year old grandfather spoke them.

I make no bones about some of the deepest desires of my heart.  I know myself, and I know what is down there.  I want to accomplish much in the eyes of the world.  I really do.  I want, not just to be a good pastor, but a pastor who is recognized as a great proclaimer of the Gospel; a tremendous advocate for the Christian faith; a builder of congregations to where they are full and overflowing.  I want to be recognized as a writer and apologist of the faith--who makes a generous salary by his working and who can enjoy some of the pleasures of life while generously giving of what I received to others, so that I can again be recognized as generous.  I want to be noticed for what I do, what I proclaim, what I say, what I write, and so on and so forth.  I know this about myself deep down, and I also know that such desires oftentimes run counter to what Jesus actually calls His disciples to do and be.

This January, I will turn 40.  For some, it's not a big number, but given the average age males live to, it's pushing half of my life.  Taking stock of things, I realize that I am well known in my particular neck of the woods, but according to worldly eyes, I haven't accomplished much.  Don't know that I actually will.

Part of me grieves to say that.

Really.  I am not joking at all.

"Put your finger in a bucket of water, and then take it out.  That's probably all the difference you will actually make in this world."

I didn't want to believe that statement, but given the scope of things in the world, it's a pretty honest statement.

"I didn't accomplish much in the eyes of the world, but the Lord and I are on pretty good terms."

Grandpa didn't make this statement filled with any sort of haughtiness or pride.  It was the statement of one who served God, served Jesus Christ for his life.  He preached the Word in several places throughout the United States of America, always at rural congregations none of which grew to tremendous size.  He spent hours gardening and taking produce to his congregation members who needed fresh vegetables.  He visited the sick.  He kibitzed with parishioners.  Raised four children.  Was a devoted husband.  None of these things moved mountains or brought about justice and peace on earth.  None of these things brought about perfect harmony in the towns he lived or ensured congregations he served were free of conflict.  He didn't climb any ladders.  Didn't accumulate boatloads of wealth.  He has to watch every penny as he tries to manage with arthritis and the weakness of muscles that living 94 years brings.

But he doesn't complain about it.  He doesn't get worked up about what he can or cannot accomplish.  He has come to a place of peace.  He knows that his time on earth is relatively short.  He knows that there is one surpassing value--a value which will last forever: his relationship with the Lord.

"I didn't accomplish much in the eyes of the world, but the Lord and I are on pretty good terms."

I teared up when Grandpa spoke those words because this is where I want to be.  In my estimation, those words are filled with wisdom as they grasp what is truly important.  I have begun to pray, "Lord, take from me the desire to accomplish much in the eyes of the world.  Through Your grace, I know we are on good terms, and that is enough."

Thanks Grandpa.

A Psychological Pillar

While traveling in Arkansas for the Thanksgiving holiday, I took my family to visit Bluff Dweller's Cavern in Noel, Missouri.  I highly recommend the cavern for a family tour.  It's not what I would call a spectacular cavern, but it is beautiful and very friendly on the legs and feet--a plus if you have younger children.

Among the things I found fascinating was the very last cavern room.  Our guide pointed to a giant pillar which had been constructed in the middle of that room.

"That is a psychological pillar," she explained.  "During the 1950's, when this cavern was designated a nuclear fallout shelter, the government wanted us to build that pillar in the middle of this room.  It is not necessary.  It doesn't hold anything up or bear any weight.  The government folks believed people would be freaked out at the size of this room if there wasn't something in the middle seeming to hold up the ceiling."

In some ways, it is rather head shaking since the roof of that particular room had been holding up just fine for tens of thousands of years.  However, there is no doubt that there are indeed people who need such psychological "pillars" in their lives--think Linus from the Peanuts comic strip.

Ideally, we mature and are able to one day come to the realization that those psychological pillars are unnecessary.  We come to realize they are simply an unneeded crutch which has given us a sense of safety and security even though it doesn't hold up anything.

Some people have called religious faith such a psychological pillar.

I have come to appreciate the criticism, and if religion is a human construct, then, indeed, it is a psychological pillar.

But that is a big, if...a monumental assumption.

For those of us of a religious bent do not assume that religion is a human construct.  We assume that God has brought us to believe in Him.  Some neurosurgeons have even come to the conclusion that the brain is hardwired for belief in God.  If the brain is indeed hardwired, then why?  It would seem "evolution"--in my opinion guided evolution--has brought humankind to a place where we naturally and instinctively believe there is something beyond our physical universe.  Would "evolution" produce such an unnecessary "crutch"?  After all, if you study religion and how it has been practiced throughout the ages, you would see that it consumes precious time and resources which should be used for survival and reproduction--the main pillars of evolutionary theory.  Surely, evolution would have naturally deselected this genetic wiring if it was unnecessary--at least in theory.

But it hasn't.  It's still there.  It certainly does not seem to be a human construct.

Perhaps indeed we are religiously wired to believe in God because there is a God.  Perhaps religious wiring is God's way of helping us to see and understand there is a natural law of justice and right behavior so that we may better know how to deal with one another and the world around us.  Perhaps our brains are wired in the manner for belief because this belief gives us a mechanism to overcome the selfish nature which resides in each and every human being.  Perhaps religious belief is not a crutch but the very foundation of how we must live and move and have our being.

There are those who disagree.  "A psychological pillar."  "A crutch."  This is religious faith for them.

However, please allow me to submit a philosophical truth or two.  Philosophy is a human construct.  So is science.  Both of these arenas tend to see religion as a "psychological pillar" or "crutch" or "human construct."  Why they don't seem to apply this truth to themselves is somewhat beyond me.  So, what is good for the goose is indeed good for the gander.  If these two items are human constructs, then are they psychological pillars?  Are they crutches which are leaned upon to help folks cope with the reality of the world?

Of course they are.  In fact, when one takes philosophy to its extreme (Nietzsche), there are no rules.  There are no absolutes.  There is complete relativism, and we are basically allowed to do whatever we want for there are no morals.  Science leads us to the same place.  Richard Dawkins even says so by concluding that at the very foundation of our species--there is no right, there is no wrong.  We are simply dancing to the tune of our DNA.

These human constructs basically eradicate any foundation for morality, justice, or right behavior.  They leave us absolute freedom to do whatever we want, whenever we want, especially if we can avoid anyone with more power or authority than ourselves.

In a very real way, they remove any sort of remorse or guilt for any particular behavior committed.  They remove any sort of real responsibility a person may have.

So, let's put this in perspective:

• A human construct
• Which removes any universal values
• Which allows almost complete freedom
• Which removes any sort of guilt
• Which removes any sort of foundation for responsibility 

And this is not a psychological pillar?