When am I Ready?

/

When patients ask me when they will be ready to terminate their therapy, I will reply, “When you yourself are able to be a good therapist.” This reply is often most usefully made in group therapy, where patients of course do practice psychotherapy on each other and where their failures to successfully assume the role of psychotherapists can be pointed out to them.

Many patients do not like this reply, and some will actually say, “That’s too much work. To do that means that I would have to think all the time in my relationships with people. I don’t want to think that much. I don’t want to work that hard. I just want to enjoy myself.”

Patients often respond similarly when I point out to them that all human interactions are opportunities either to learn or to teach (to give or relieve theory), and when they neither learn nor teach in an interaction they are passing up an opportunity.

Most people are quite correct when they say they do not want to achieve such a lofty goal or work so hard in life. The majority of patients, even in the hands of the most skilled and loving therapists will terminate their therapy at some point far short of complete fulfilling their potential. They may have traveled a short or even a goodly distance along the journey of spiritual growth, but the whole journey is not for them. It is or seems to be too difficult. They are content to be ordinary men and women and do not strive to be God.

M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled

How to build healthy habits

/

Habits take a long time to create, but they form faster when we do them more often, so start with something reasonable that is really easy to do. You are more likely to stick with an exercise habit if you do some small exercise — jumping jacks, a yoga pose, a brisk walk — every day, rather than trying to get to the gym three days a week. Once the daily exercise becomes a habit, you can explore new, more intense forms of exercise.

Tara Parker-Pope writing in the New York Times

 

Articles of Interest about Religion - March 3

/

***RELIGION

Word Of Faith's Pattern Of Abuse 'Got Worse Over Time,' Says 'Broken Faith' Author https://www.npr.org/2020/02/17/806052660/word-of-faiths-pattern-of-abuse-got-worse-over-time-says-broken-faith-author

Stresses multiply for many US clergy: 'We need help too' https://www.oakridger.com/news/20200218/stresses-multiply-for-many-us-clergy-we-need-help-too

Barna: 5 trends driving Americans' perception of church relevance, influence https://www.christianpost.com/news/barna-5-trends-driving-americans-perception-of-church-relevance-influence.html

***RELIGION & COROAVIRUS

A mysterious ‘cult’ is at the center of a surge of coronavirus cases in South Korea https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-02-21/a-mysterious-cult-is-at-the-center-of-a-surge-of-coronavirus-cases-in-south-korea

Coronavirus fears prompt Christian universities to relocate students from Italy https://christianchronicle.org/coronavirus-fears-prompt-christian-universities-to-relocate-students-from-italy/

Bible school quarantines students returning from Italy amid coronavirus fears https://www.christianpost.com/news/bible-school-quarantines-students-returning-from-italy-amid-coronavirus-fears.html

Religious Groups in China Step Into the Coronavirus Crisis https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/23/world/asia/china-religion-coronavirus-donations.html

Thousands of Muslims may not be able to visit holy sites in Saudi Arabia because of coronavirus

https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2020/02/28/thousands-muslims-may-not-be-able-visit-holy-sites-saudi-arabia-because-coronavirus/

 

***RELIGION AND POLITICS

Most Americans don’t see Democratic candidates as very religious https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/02/27/most-americans-dont-see-democratic-candidates-as-very-religious/

Top Evangelical Christian Website Says Pete Buttgieg's Homosexuality Makes Him 'Deserving of Death' https://www.newsweek.com/pete-buttigieg-christian-death-bert-farias-charisma-1487477

 

***RELIGION & THE LAW 

Supreme Court looks at whether Philadelphia had the right to cancel a contract with an adoption agency that refused to place foster children with same-sex couples https://www.axios.com/supreme-court-philadelphia-same-sex-foster-parents-6bd3901d-7bee-4d90-8298-f2f80a95fe41.html

Christian sues US Postal Service over Sunday work shifts https://www.whsv.com/content/news/568006072.html

Caught between gender equality and religious liberty (opinion) https://religionnews.com/2020/01/13/caught-between-gender-equality-and-religious-liberty/

Settlement reached in Ernest Angley megachurch sexual abuse lawsuit https://www.wkbn.com/news/ohio/ohio-televangelist-ex-pastor-settle-lawsuit-alleging-sex-abuse/

Christian sues US Postal Service over Sunday work shifts https://wtop.com/national/2020/02/christian-sues-us-postal-service-over-sunday-work-shifts/

 

***RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS

CAL Lutheran Softball team accused of Blackface: All sides say admin response misses the mark   https://vcreporter.com/2020/02/clu-softball-team-accused-of-blackface-all-sides-say-admin-response-misses-the-mark/

Racial posts by Cal Lutheran students denounced by school officials 
https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/communities/conejo-valley/2020/02/06/racial-posts-cal-lutheran-students-denounced-school-officials/4683135002/

Vanguard University turns 100, celebrates opening $12.9 million student center  https://www.ocregister.com/2020/03/02/vanguard-university-turns-100-celebrates-opening-12-9-million-student-center/

Christian Colleges Should Interact With World, Not Oppose It (opinion) https://sojo.net/articles/christian-colleges-should-interact-world-not-oppose-it

Wheaton College rescinds title from Gilbert Bilezikian amid new allegations https://religionnews.com/2020/02/28/wheaton-college-rescinds-title-from-longtime-professor-amid-new-misconduct-allegations/

Christian College recruiter fired after lining students by skin color & hair texture at metro high school  https://kfor.com/news/local/college-recruiter-fired-after-lining-students-by-skin-color-hair-texture-at-metro-high-school/

SEC charges the son of John MacArthur (head of Master’s College where his son attended school) with defrauding investment firm clients https://www.christianpost.com/news/sec-charges-john-macarthurs-son-with-defrauding-investment-firm-clients.html

 

***SOUTHERN BAPTISTS 

Southern Baptist church with sex offender pastor first to be ousted from SBC under abuse reforms https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/texas-sex-offender-pastor-SBC-abuse-church-baptist-15065213.php

The stunning Southern Baptist controversy over Donald Trump and Russell Moore, explained (opinion) https://theweek.com/articles/897195/stunning-southern-baptist-controversy-over-donald-trump-russell-moore-explained

 

***CATHOLICS 

Catholic charity founder sexually abused women, says report https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/22/larche-founder-jean-vanier-sexually-abused-women-says-report

Can Catholics eat the Impossible Burger during Lent? Sure — but it’s kind of missing the point, experts say https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2020/02/28/catholics-eat-impossible-burger-lent/

 

***MEGACHURCHES

Former megachurch youth pastor prosecuted for impregnating teen now accused of planning to murder the pastor and judge https://www.dailylocal.com/news/youth-pastor-wanted-colleague-judge-killed-police-say/article_ad07d740-58ee-11ea-9312-2be5768975d6.html

Cult’ megachurch suspected of spreading coronavirus in South Korea https://nypost.com/2020/02/21/cult-megachurch-suspected-of-spreading-coronavirus-in-south-korea/

Oprah television series highlights the mess in megachurches https://www.wvgazettemail.com/life/religion/oprah-television-series-highlights-the-mess-in-megachurches/article_98b1b666-a148-5583-a322-9c3f1e86cfa2.html

 

***RELIGION MUSIC 

Learning to Like Contemporary Christian Music (the music I hate) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hACUz4WVWwk

Most problems feel better when they’re on the outside

/

Adolescents, just like adults, may find the best relief from simply articulating their worries and concerns. Indeed, it’s an aphorism among psychologists that most problems feel better when they’re on the outside rather than on the inside, and this holds true whether the difficulties are big or small.

Adults can help create the space teenagers need to do this, so long as we remember to listen without interrupting and hold back from adding our own thoughts to the pile.

Much of what bothers teenagers cannot be solved. We can’t fix their broken hearts, prevent their social dramas, or do anything about the fact that they have three huge tests scheduled for the same day. But having a problem is not nearly so bad as feeling utterly alone with it.  

Lisa Damour writing in the New York Times

Articles of Interest about Literature, Journalism, Writing & Languages – March 1

/

***WRITING & READING 

Only a third of American students are proficient readers sparking  a growing debate between proponents of a phonics-heavy approach and educators who prefer to instill a love of literature https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/15/us/reading-phonics.html

Local Bookstores Have A New Weapon In The Fight With Amazon https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanverdon/2020/02/14/advocate-for-local-bookstores-takes-aim-against-amazon-with-new-website/

China Sentences Hong Kong Bookseller To 10 Years In Jail https://www.npr.org/2020/02/25/809161935/china-sentences-hong-kong-bookseller-to-10-years-in-jail

 

***PLAGIARISM

The most common reason for plagiarizing was lack of time   https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11948-020-00198-1

Plagiarism detection systems “clearly do not find all plagiarism and at times also identify non-plagiarized material as problematic” https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.04279

 

***GRAMMAR

Programs that check grammar and spelling are letting students down. Here’s why.  https://www.courant.com/opinion/op-ed/hc-op-mcfadden-grammar-0301-20200301-7gpjzvgbgza4hgztcpwcbh3zom-story.html

The One Letter in the Alphabet That Can't Be Silent https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/616664/one-letter-alphabet-cant-be-silent

 

***JOURNALISM

Applied XLabs is a new startup building tools that can automate data-gathering for journalists  https://techcrunch.com/2020/02/27/newlab-boston-globe-applied-xlabs/

News literacy lessons: Have you stopped talking to people because of their political views? https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/02/14/news-literacy-lessons-have-you-stopped-talking-people-because-their-political-views/

The 10 Best News Aggregators of 2020 https://www.lifewire.com/best-news-aggregators-4584410

UK’s most opinionated man has penned angry letters to his local paper every single day for 42 years  https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/uks-most-opinionated-man-penned-17831704

About two-thirds of Americans feel worn out by the amount of news https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/02/26/almost-seven-in-ten-americans-have-news-fatigue-more-among-republicans/

A website that tracks changes on other websites (including PDFs) https://toolsforreporters.com/2020/02/25/keep-your-eye-on-em/

 

***THE BUSINESS OF JOURNALISM

Fast facts about the newspaper industry’s financial struggles as McClatchy files for bankruptcy https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/02/14/fast-facts-about-the-newspaper-industrys-financial-struggles/

Why the Success of The New York Times May Be Bad News for Journalism https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/01/business/media/ben-smith-journalism-news-publishers-local.html

 

***STUDENT MEDIA

Student Newspaper Editor on the paper’s coverage of a faculty member accused of murder and kidnapping https://dynamicsofwriting.com/2020/02/26/your-work-is-important-for-the-community-simpsonian-editor-discusses-the-papers-coverage-of-a-faculty-member-accused-of-murder-and-kidnapping/

 

***FAKES & FRAUDS 

How Some Are Trying To Teach Senior Citizens To Spot Fake News https://www.npr.org/2020/02/24/808995242/how-some-are-trying-to-teach-senior-citizens-to-spot-fake-news

When a Teenager Reportedly Invented a Fake Congressional Candidate, Twitter Verified the Made Up Politician's Account https://time.com/5793021/twitter-verified-fake-candidate/

 

***SOCIAL MEDIA 

What happens to our online lives after we die? https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/02/what-happens-our-online-lives-after-we-die

Behind that teenage TikTok star, there's probably a very confused parent  https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/18/tech/tiktok-parents/index.html

 

***LANGUAGE

A Fascinating Diagram Breaking Down The 100 Most-Spoken Languages In The World https://digg.com/2020/most-spoken-languages-world

 How babies learn language https://www.knowablemagazine.org/article/mind/2020/how-babies-learn-language

People who criticize African American Vernacular English don’t see that it shares grammatical structures with more “prestigious” languages. https://daily.jstor.org/black-english-matters/

 

***LITERATURE & POETRY

Top 10 random encounters in literaturehttps://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/feb/19/top-10-random-encounters-in-literature

Tracy K. Smith changed how I read poetry (poetry)  https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/vox/the-ezra-klein-show

 

***PRIVACY & SECURITY 

Hackers could crack a voting app already used in US elections https://www.technologyreview.com/f/615195/hackers-can-change-votes-in-an-online-election-app/

How to protect your privacy on Instagram https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/27/21154221/instagram-privacy-how-to-stories-posts-settings-tags-ads-blocking

 

 

Articles of Interest about Higher Ed - Feb 28

/

***HIGHER ED

A growing list of US colleges are canceling study abroad programs because of the coronavirus https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/26/us/colleges-canceling-study-abroad-coronavirus-trnd/

Accusations Abound at a Community College https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/02/24/trustee-censured-inaccurate-email-johnson-county-community-college

UCLA drops plan to use facial recognition security surveillance, but other colleges may be using technology https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/02/21/ucla-drops-plan-use-facial-recognition-security-surveillance-other-colleges-may-be

Middle class heavily underrepresented at top private colleges, report finds https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/02/21/middle-class-heavily-underrepresented-top-private-colleges-report-finds

Could micro-credentials compete with traditional degrees?https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200212-could-micro-credentials-compete-with-traditional-degrees

Editorial: SMU Puts its Reputation Before the Good of the Student Body  https://www.smudailycampus.com/opinion/editorial-smu-puts-its-reputation-before-the-good-of-the-student-body 

Education Accountability: When The Accreditation Agency Is Problematic https://www.npr.org/2020/02/22/808404844/education-accountability-when-the-accreditation-agency-is-problematic

Bellevue College apologizes after administrator alters display on Japanese American incarceration https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/eastside/bellevue-college-apologizes-after-administrator-alters-mural-depicting-japanese-american-internment/

Western accrediting agency will review colleges outside its region -- the first regional accreditor to make such a move https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/02/25/western-accreditor-will-consider-approving-colleges-outside-its-region

 

***HIGHER ED & FINANCE

Democrats strongly favor tuition-free college, GOP divided by age and education https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/02/21/democrats-overwhelmingly-favor-free-college-tuition-while-republicans-are-divided-by-age-education/

 

***HIGHER ED IN COURT

California students sued because they were such poor readers. They just won $53 million to help them.https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-02-20/california-literacy-lawsuit-settlement-53-million

Google sued by New Mexico attorney general for collecting student data through Chromebooks https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/20/21145698/google-student-privacy-lawsuit-education-schools-chromebooks-new-mexico-balderas

 

***CRIME ON CAMPUS

Education Dept. Penalizes University of Southern California https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/02/28/education-department-investigation-finds-university-southern-california-violated

Student says Long Island professor sexually assaulted her in front of class, sues college https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/student-says-long-island-professor-sexually-assaulted-her-front-class-n1144281

Student murders prompt University of Utah to overhaul campus safety https://abcnews.go.com/US/student-murders-prompt-university-utah-overhaul-campus-safety/story?id=69060410

 

***THE COST OF COLLEGE

USC is waiving tuition for students whose families make less than $80,000 https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/20/us/university-of-southern-california-tuition-low-income-trnd/index.html

 

***HUMANITIES

Long Island University freezes enrollments in many liberal arts programs https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/02/25/long-island-university-freezes-enrollments-many-liberal-arts-programs

 

***TEACHING 

Online lectures mean fewer students are turning up – does it matter? https://theconversation.com/online-lectures-mean-fewer-students-are-turning-up-does-it-matter-131988

Why Finland's Schools Perform So Much Better Than The Rest Of The Developed World https://digg.com/video/why-does-finland-have-the-best-schools-in-the-developed-world

China's students will now study online because coronavirus has shut schools https://www.technologyreview.com/f/615240/chinas-students-will-now-study-online-because-coronavirus-has-shut-schools/

Why Americans are bad at math https://qz.com/1798617/why-americans-are-bad-at-math/

 

***ACADEMIC LIFE 

Teacher of the year suspended for showing students a picture of her fiancée wins $100,000 settlement https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/27/us/teacher-wins-lgbtq-school-settlement-trnd/

UCF Professor Reinstated After Ph.D. Fraud Allegations https://www.wmfe.org/ucf-professor-reinstated-after-ph-d-fraud-allegations/145241

An assistant professor from Simpson College is in jail, accused of murdering her husband https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/local/woman-accused-of-killing-husband-in-west-des-moines/524-d3d9ff38-b777-4f43-8ab1-c941c8567d2f

MIT puts professor on leave over new revelations about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein as it issues anticipated report https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/01/13/mit-puts-professor-leave-over-new-revelations-about-his-ties-jeffrey-epstein

MLA members discuss professors' ethical responsibilities for training graduate students, as some propose shifts in admissions practices. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/01/13/mla-discusses-professors-ethical-responsibilities-training-graduate-students

Humboldt State University investigates allegations a faculty member solicited paid sex with students https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/02/18/screenshots-of-suspected-hsu-faculty-soliciting-sex-for-money-prompted-investigation/

OU professor's use of racial slur may not be protected, First Amendment expert says www.oudaily.com/news/ou-professor-s-use-of-racial-slur-may-not-be/article_7f8f41d4-4f72-11ea-9037-6b21718bf7e5.html

 

***RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS 

Will Your (Christian) College Close? https://www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiousbench/2020/02/christian-college-closures/

Christian Colleges Should Interact With World, Not Oppose It (opinion) https://sojo.net/articles/christian-colleges-should-interact-world-not-oppose-it

Mormon-owned BYU eases rules on 'homosexual behavior' https://apnews.com/4a8d93a5fd3efabc2b2440e5a549c614

Bible school Olivet University pleads guilty in money-laundering case https://nypost.com/2020/02/20/bible-school-olivet-university-pleads-guilty-in-money-laundering-case/

Lubbock Christian University to announce 7th University President https://www.kcbd.com/2020/02/26/lubbock-christian-university-announce-th-university-president/

Liberty University launches conservative think tank called the Falkirk Center https://www.whsv.com/content/news/568216071.html  

 

***RESEARCH 

Working Scientist podcast: How to bounce back from a bruising peer-review or paper rejection https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00381-1

Wikipedia Is the Last Best Place on the Internet https://www.wired.com/story/wikipedia-online-encyclopedia-best-place-internet/

Vaping study retracted: Scientists want probe of UCSF tobacco research  https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/02/20/nyu-scientists-others-call-taxpayer-funded-ucsf-vaping-study-probe/4805323002/

How Universities Cover Up Scientific Fraud https://areomagazine.com/2020/02/20/how-universities-cover-up-scientific-fraud/

How can journals and peer reviewers detect manuscripts and publications from paper mills? https://febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/1873-3468.13747

STEM Gender Equality Paradox Study Gets Correction https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/stephaniemlee/women-stem-gender-equality-paradox-correction

 

***STUDENT LIFE

Concordia Students say bias reports were met with silence https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/02/26/concordia-students-say-bias-reports-were-met-silence

Why Sitting For Long Periods Can Effect Teens' Mental Health https://www.npr.org/2020/02/17/806599794/why-sitting-for-long-periods-can-effect-teens-mental-health

Socratic is Google's new AI studying tool for students https://9to5google.com/2020/02/17/socratic-by-google/

Why We Should Be Talking About Reproducibility but not forget about fraud  https://www.slideshare.net/ivanoransky/why-we-should-be-talking-about-reproducibility-but-not-forget-about-fraud

Bowie State University to open free healthy food pantry for students https://wtop.com/prince-georges-county/2020/02/bowie-state-university-to-open-free-healthy-food-pantry-for-students/

 

***STUDENT PROTESTS

OU student protest calls for provost resignation, new multicultural center and Popeyes on campus  https://oklahoman.com/article/5655996/ou-students-protest-outside-presidents-office-call-for-resignation-of-provost

Protesters Show up at conference on campus free speech https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/02/28/students-protest-free-speech-conference 

Kent State 'gun girl' who walked campus with AR confronted by protesters at Ohio Universityhttps://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/02/18/kent-state-gun-girl-kaitlin-bennett-faces-protests-ohio-university/4792457002/

Syracuse University students renew protests following administration's response to racist incidents https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/19/us/syracuse-university-sit-in/ 

Kent State president to meet with student activists over ‘list of demands,’ including dispute over May 4 planninghttps://www.cleveland.com/news/2020/02/kent-state-president-to-meet-with-student-activists-over-list-of-demands-including-dispute-over-may-4-planning.html

Student activists push universities to stop investing in fossil fuel firms https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/students-push-universities-to-stop-investing-in-fossil-fuels/2020/02/19/de05a466-5340-11ea-80ce-37a8d4266c09_story.html

University responds to the student protestors who occupied a building by suspending them https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/02/19/syracuse-students-suspended-second-sit

 

***HIGHER ED & FREE SPEECH 

Students' arrest over slur prompts review of ridicule law https://apnews.com/aa0dbd038e22801cb3f5acc0c62bc82f

Wheaton College students allowed to preach in Millennium Park, judge says  https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/2/20/21146320/wheaton-college-students-allowed-preach-in-millennium-park-judge

The Neutral Zone

/

Anyone who has ever remodeled a house knows a good deal about personal transitions because such an undertaking replicates the three-part transition process. It starts by making an ending and destroying what used to be. Then there is the time when it isn’t the old way any more, but not yet the new way, either. Some dismantling is still going on, but so is some new building. It is very confusing time, and it is a good idea to have made temporary arrangements for dealing with this interim (“neutral zone”) state of affairs--whether it is temporary housing or a time of modified activities and reduced expectations to make the old housing work. And as the contractors always warn you, remodeling always takes more time and money than new construction. Good advice in regard to transition, too.

William Bridges, Transitions

What are they hiding?

/

When people speak in vague generalities.. and use a lot of abstract terms like “justice”, “morality”, “liberty” and so no, without really ever explaining the specifics of what they are talking about, they are almost always hiding something.

Meanwhile, people who use cutesy, colloquial language, brimming with clichés and slang, may be trying to distract you from the thinness of their ideas, trying to win you over not by the soundness of their arguments but by making you feel chummy and warm toward them. And people who use pretentious, flowery language, crammed with clever metaphors, are often more interested in the sound of their own voices than in reaching the audience with a genuine thought. In general, you must pay attention to the forms in which people express themselves; never take their content at face value.

Robert Greene, The 33 Strategies of War

Owning the Failure, too

/

We humans are the victims of an asymmetry in the perceptions of random events. We attribute our successes to our skills, and our failures to external events outside our control, namely to randomness. We feel responsible for the good stuff but not for the bad. This causes us to think that we are better than other at whatever we do for a living. 

The Black Swain, Nassim Taleb

Cultural Relativism

/

Recognizing the importance of our social environment in generating customs and beliefs, many people suppose that ethical relativism is the correct metaethical theory. Furthermore, they are drawn to it for its liberal philosophical stance. It seems to be an enlightened response to the sin of ethnocentricity, and it seems to entail or strongly imply an attitude of tolerance toward other cultures. 

Tolerance is certainly a virtue, but is this a good argument for it? I think not. If morality is relative to each culture, then if the culture in question does not have a principle of tolerance, its members have no obligation to be tolerant. 

Not only do relativists fail to offer a basis for criticizing those who are intolerant, they cannot rationally criticize anyone who espouses what they might regard as a heinous principle. Relativists cannot morally criticize anyone outside their own culture. Adolf Hitler’s genocidal actions, as long as they are culturally accepted, are as morally legitimate as Mother Teresa’s work of mercy. 

There are other disturbing consequences of ethical relativism. It seems to entail that reformers are always (morally) wrong since they go against the tide of cultural standards. William Wilberforce was wrong in the eighteenth Century to oppose slavery, the British were immoral in opposing the burning of widows in India. 

There is an even more basic problem with the notion that morality is dependent on cultural acceptance for its validity. The problem is that of culture or society is notoriously difficult to define. This is especially true in a pluralistic society like our own where the notion seems to be vague with unclear boundaries. 

One person may belong to several societies (subcultures).. if Mary is a US citizen and a member of the Roman Catholic church, she is wrong if she chooses to have an abortion and not-wrong if she acts against the teaching of the church on abortion. 

This moral Babel.. has lost its action-guiding function. 

Louis Pojman, Ethical Theory