Jay Richards tweeted this article Touchstone magazine.
Here’s part of it:
Here is how the Mead Method works. It has four easily memorized steps. You begin by proving that some behavior is natural, in the sense of being enjoyed by primitive people, who are assumed to be far closer to the basic human realities than we are. As the Chronicle’s writer put it:
Less than 50 years ago, Canela women, who live in Amazonian Brazil, enjoyed the delights of as many as 40 men one after another in festive rituals. When it was time to have a child, they’d select their favorite dozen or so lovers to help their husband with the all-important task. Even today, when the dalliances of married Bar ladies in Colombia and Venezuela result in a child, they proudly announce the long list of probable fathers.
Then you find some way to show that the behavior works. If to our overdeveloped modern eyes it looks like self-indulgence or sluttishness, it is actually a rational and effective way of living. An anthropologist quoted in the article claims that the more possible fathers a child has, the more men will take care of him and his mother. As the writer put it, “Fooling around appears to have helped our ancestral mothers equip their little ones for success—the sexual equivalent of reading to them every night or enrolling in the after-school chess club.”
Having established to your satisfaction that the behavior is not only natural but effective, you then declare that all such behaviors are just social constructions anyway and ours (the modern, still sort of Christian way) is really not nearly so common as we would like to think. To do this the writer quotes an anthropologist who studied tribes in Paraguay and Tanzania, who said, “This model of the death-do-us-part, missionary-position couple is just a tiny part of human history. The patterns of human sexuality are so much more variable.”
At this point, the case is often strengthened by caricaturing the present. That “missionary-position couple” is supposed, I think, to suggest “dull.” It can be strengthened even more by not stopping to ask what the patterns found in history might actually be. Perhaps there are only a few patterns, and contemporary marriage an expression (as it seems to be) of a dominant mode by which human societies try to restrain the destructive effects of human sexual desire and direct it to social ends.
Finally, you imply, without quite saying it, that the primitive behavior would work just as well for us, it being (though a social construction) more natural and all. The writer does this with quotes, like this one from a William Crocker of the Smithsonian Institution: “Multiple lovers, that’s just part of the life. It’s recreation, just like races and running. It’s all done in the spirit of joy and fun.”
The Margaret Mead Method, in either its original or modified form, is a very useful method . . . if you’re a creep. It proves—to the standard of the man with his pants halfway off and the woman who has gotten a better offer than her husband the couch potato will make, anyway—that sexual libertinism is natural and sexual restraint unnatural, and since being natural is always good, you ought to let go and have fun, just like the jolly party girls of the South American tribes.
This is why Coming of Age in Samoa made Mead famous. You want to have an affair with the babe next door? Well, those darling little Samoans living in a state of nature are doing it all the time, and look how happy and fulfilled and innocent they are. Margaret Mead said so. It’s scientific. You feel guilty? You’re a modern man afflicted with Judeo-Christian guilt, but just ignore it—socially constructed and unnatural as it is—and enjoy the pleasures nature and evolution have provided for you.
I am afraid this is the idea these stories almost always promote, whatever insights into the nature of a fallen creation they provide. They begin with reports of young Samoans having free and joyful sex among the palm trees, and end with middle-aged Barney desperately betraying his wife at the Hampton Inn.
Now this is supposed to be a hopeful, helpful blog post, so let me give you some advice.
There are things you can do to get around the older people who try to sell you this in school and in the culture. You have to do your own research, and learn the consequences of getting rid of the rules around sexual conduct before you break them.
First, read Romans 1, and understand that people who are doing evil things feel better about what they are doing if they can get you to approve of it, celebrate it, and subsidize it. So keep that in mind when people are telling you that something wrong is “right”.
Second, understand that people who are teaching you in school often portray themselves one way in class, but in actual fact, their private lives are totally messed up. It’s tempting to give them more respect than they deserve.
Third, it’s good to be think critically about what you see in the culture, and to read history in order to gain a perspective that allows you to judge what is seen as normal in your own time.
Fourth, it’s good to read studies to find out what happens next, should you take some course of action that is “normal”. For example, it’s a very good idea to research the link between the number of premarital sexual partners and divorce rate.
Fifth, you should be skeptical of people who misuse science in order to push an agenda. Just understand where they are going and then see if they might not be abusing science to get there. It happens all the time – just look at how global cooling / global warming has been used to justify increased control of energy development and consumption by government.
WINTERY KNIGHT 
Fascinating. I had never heard of the Mead Method before.
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You really shouldnt refer to those samoan girls as party girls because they are not. Their culture is not the same as ohurs and equating a native person rituals or cerremonies to a western society is wrong. Just because you dont agree with how they do something doesn’t make it wrong. If they have being doing it for years it obviously works for them, same thing goes for polygamy and polyandry. For some societies it works for some it doesn’t. For christians a man and a women makes a suitable marriage and it may be the same for other cultures but it reflects their religioys or spiritual belief system. So a couple may be married man and wife but then to some christians if its not a marriage under god then its not valid.
In another native culture in asia young girls have love huts which are built by their fathers. The love huts are pretty much used for the girls to either talk or have sex with boys, if they find one suitable for marriage then they get married. However with the internet and media from America it is slowly interferring with their way of life. The boys are becoming disrespectful and their attitude about sex has changed thanks american society objectifying women in adult films,music videos etc.
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Your relativism has potential to become truly frightening if moved to its logical ends.
“Just because you don’t agree with how they do something doesn’t make it wrong.”
The Japanese imperialists, for instance, would have adored you.
“If they have being doing it for years it obviously works for them, same thing goes for polygamy and polyandry”.
This declaration pardons almost any activity that any culture engages in. Are we wrong, then, to condemn Ancient Near Eastern societies which took part in infant sacrifice and bestiality? What about Mayan and Aztec cultures that showed all but no regard for life in their human sacrifices? There’s a long list, moreover, of the aforementioned actions noted above. And with regards to polygamy and polyandry, you or those who practice these states of marriages would have to provide arguments in favor of its morality.
It may come as a shock to you, but what some cultures believe and carry out is indeed immoral.
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Well everything is being looked at from a christian perpesctive. The entire world isn’t christian they don’t believe or know about god or jesus christ. So to me to condemn people to a judgment to religious belief that they never heard of is ridiculous. Many people before christianity spread never heard of christ like native americans for example and were living just fine with their own belief system. Then europeans came over with their belief system among other things and now today many native americans believe in god and christ and now the religion of their ancestry, some refering to them as demons or evil spirits – that is very sad to me. So when i see people especially people in america compare another persons religion or way of life to our own or christianity as if its the only way to life appalls me.
Many people still live without god and without influence of western society like their ancestors did and they are at peace, their not dealing with the issues that we are dealing with like sexism,racism, abortion, adultery, drugs etc but western society think they are helping these tribes by giving them tees and jeans and cash. These tribes have no need of such things.
If we try to make everyone like us then we’re no longer different in terms of culture or diversity. We would be a world of conformity when our differences is what makes us special and unique. If i go to africa i want to go to africa not a replica of america, if i go to japan i expect to see japanese culture not american, i live in america.
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You have completely sidestepped the issue at hand, all the while burning a straw man you constructed. I’m responding to you on your own grounds. Looking through the lens of your relativism, how can you even denounce said actions in my previous post? Inasmuch as those cultures have performed it for generations and has therefore demonstrably worked for them, who are to you decry these activities as being immoral?
As far as Native Americans or persons are concerned, what of those who are glad to have heard of Christ and His message? What say you about that? You are merely sacrificing truth on the altar of subjective convenience; I have yet to hear any arguments for the validity of indigenous religions. Furthermore, it is reasonable to assume the ease of converting some natives, due to their already existing belief in the “Great Spirit”; a supreme being. And by virtue of God’s natural revelation, my prior statement holds true to other regions such as China. Shangdi, also an absolute being, presents an uncanny resemblance to the Judeo-Christian God. This monotheism also applies in certain African lands. In addition, if Christ really embodies the truth, why, then, is it wrong to tell others about Him?
“Many people still live without god and without influence of western society like their ancestors did and they are at peace, their not dealing with the issues that we are dealing with like sexism,racism, abortion, adultery, drugs etc.”
This is a fantastically inflated statement. These societies most certainly do deal with sexism(Middle East),racism, abortion (albeit by different methods), adultery, drugs, and war. You have crafted a utopia for them to live in, which, of course, is far from true.
“Western society think they are helping these tribes by giving them tees and jeans and cash. These tribes have no need of such things.”
Interestingly, you failed to mention medicine, technology, and education.
“If we try to make everyone like us then we’re no longer different in terms of culture or diversity. We would be a world of conformity when our differences is what makes us special and unique”
The cultures of Chinese Christians vastly differ from that of, say, ethnically Jewish Christians. In other words, they still maintain a core unity with Christ, though display contrasts in things like food, clothes, music, etc. One can expel immoral cultural lifestyles for God, yet maintain a unique righteous culture without assimilating into another.
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1. To answer your question about those who have heard christ.
-its beautiful that they heard the message and follow him nice lovely but now their view of anything that is not of christ is now deemed as evil and works of satan which wasnt there before but now it is.
2. ” if christ really embodies the truth,why then is it wrong to tell others about Him?”
– because Christ isnt the only way to living a righteous and moral life Just becuase there is one way to do something doesn’t mean its the only way.
3. There is a community in asian where young teens are built love huts by their fathers where they entertain a guy they may find suitable for marriage however this is at risk due to the introduction of the internet into their society. The boys are now acting disrespectful to the young ladies because of western influence. There is also another tribe off the coast of australia were the tribes currency is cowerie shells and they are given cash by the government of australia but they have no need of it because its useless to them.
4. Medicine, education and technology – there is nothing wrong with those but for sone tribes technology would mean electricity which many tribes dont have access to. Education is good as well but if they live in a basic society that is basically hunter-gathers then what good would education do them? They live off the land, they have everything they need from nature. Medicine is good as well majority of medicines people use today or stuff they are prescribed whixh contain herbs tribes having been using most likely for centuries and we of course as a society as turned into a very profitable market.
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Also i forgot with the vast majority of christians there is even division among you christ believes due to the various denominations like baptist,catholic,mormon etc. You all believe in christ but i have seen on too many forums on how the belief in god is seen wrong in one denomination but right in the other.
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Polygamy is the practice of having more than one wife. In ancient times in many cultures only males could own land or inherit money and things of that nature or become king. So having multiple wuves would have been favorable especially if the man of the house would go off to battle. Now polyandry is the opposite, one woman married to multiple men. Now for this kinda of relationship a society is not looking to increase but to decrease. A woman living in this situation would most likely be more finacial secured and protected than just having one husband. If one husband were to pass then she has another than she can rely on cause again many cultures and societies were considered property they couldn’t own anything and getting married was her only option of being financially protected.
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For some odd reason I can’t respond to your replies on the right thread, thus I will do it here.
“It’s beautiful that they heard the message and follow him nice lovely but now their view of anything that is not of christ is now deemed as evil and works of satan which wasn’t there before but now it is.”
Now you’ve simply concocted a generic caricature of the converted. Perhaps, they [converts] perceive their former beliefs as incorrect or valueless; though, in some special cases there really may have been satanic deception involved. Surely, if the converts reason properly, they may come to understand that not everything apart from Christ has to be of evil realities.
“Because Christ isn’t the only way to living a righteous and moral life Just because there is one way to do something doesn’t mean its the only way.”
This is nothing short of a colossal straw man. My reply had no relevance to the relationship between Jesus and morality/righteousness; it was strictly about Jesus and truth. It goes without saying that the evidence for the Christian religion virtually overshadows its competitors. Wk’s blog and other apologetic circles provide just that.
You then issue forth some sound reasons in regards to technology and education. However, when it comes to education, these primitive tribes do primate things, some which are mentioned in my earlier posts, and they ought to be corrected. Then comes the subject of medicine, and by following your remarks, I must seriously wonder where these so-called herbs were during the Ebola outbreak, or any epidemic for that matter.
“Also i forgot with the vast majority of christians there is even division among you christ believes due to the various denominations like baptist,catholic,mormon etc. You all believe in christ but i have seen on too many forums on how the belief in god is seen wrong in one denomination but right in the other.”
You raise a dull, village skeptic comment about trivial (most of them anyhow) differences amongst the Christian body.We affirm and defend core doctrines such as the existence of God, Christology, etc; yet grasp opposing viewpoints on the Earth’s age, locality of Noah’s Flood, and other affairs.Additionally, do not sneak Mormonism into a denomination of Christianity, for the Mormon Jesus is the same as Isa of Islam: an utter fraud. However, you are correct in saying that some do adopt heretical (there’s a difference between relativism and being erroneous) beliefs about God and should be rectified,unless you abhor that too.
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Please try to be nice. But you’re right. I am really not sure where people get this idea that the purpose of religious inquiry is to make people feel better and get along with others. The purpose of religious inquiry is to arrive at accurate beliefs about objective reality.
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1. What special cases would satanic deception be involved? Satan exists with christianity but that doesnt mean that other religions dont have an evil fighting against a good supreme being, but satan,lucifer himself exists only within christianity.
2. “It goes without saying that the evidence for the christian religiin virtually overshadows it competitors” – so by this statement does that mean all religions are in a competition in trying to be the supreme faith or belief system that the whole world should follow?
3. Which primate things that these tribes do that should be corrected? As for medicine yes herbs are helpful but they can not help a society when hygiene is very poor or the environment is poor. For pandemics like the black death it easily spread due to rats, extremely poor hygiene of the europeans because they had a crap sewer system like through their waste in the streets and they lived in cities – disease can easily spread like that. As for ebola same thing if people live close togetger, have poor hygiene,and are not cooking their food properly then yeah all the medicine and herbs in the world cant help unless you fix the cause.
4. Mormonism is a denomination of christianity one if the nontrinity groups
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christian_denominations
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“What special cases would satanic deception be involved? Satan exists with christianity but that doesnt mean that other religions dont have an evil fighting against a good supreme being, but satan,lucifer himself exists only within christianity.”
Read my previous response again, I stated that someone who has undergone a paradigm shift with respect to religion, will see their past worldview with a new perspective. Satanic deceptions may occur in the form of spiritual oppression of possession. Many cultures have witnessed these phenomenon, and seldom do they correlate these events to “good entities”. Lastly.the existence of Satan is affirmed by Judaism and Islam.
“so by this statement does that mean all religions are in a competition in trying to be the supreme faith or belief system that the whole world should follow?”.
These world religions all make truth claims that contradict one another, therefore they’re all eligible for scrutiny. If one is afraid of thorough examination, then don’t adhere to a religion that produces foundation truth claims. So, yes, I would say most religions are indeed in a competition.
“Which primate things that these tribes do that should be corrected?”
Oh you know, “wholly normal” things like sexual relations with animals, incestuous relations, human sacrifice, and a slew of other moral transgressions.
“As for medicine yes herbs are helpful but they can not help a society when hygiene is very poor or the environment is poor. For pandemics like the black death it easily spread due to rats, extremely poor hygiene of the europeans because they had a crap sewer system like through their waste in the streets and they lived in cities – disease can easily spread like that. As for ebola same thing if people live close togetger, have poor hygiene,and are not cooking their food properly then yeah all the medicine and herbs in the world cant help unless you fix the cause.”
You’ve brought up an entirely different aspect than what I originally asserted. I mentioned medicine with reference to cures, whereas you’re introducing biological vectors, and explanations related to preventive strategies.
“Mormonism is a denomination of christianity one if the nontrinity groups
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christian_denominations”
Wikipedia won’t solidify your argument in this case. Here’s a brief overview of Mormonism’s predicaments: http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/9-things-you-should-know-about-mormonism
Frankly, incorporating Jesus into a religion,movement, or denomination doesn’t, in any way, bring it into orthodox Christendom. Just have a look at Islam and a few Hindu sects.
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Please. No more Satanic deceptions or other theological/Bible stuff. Let’s just stick with factual claims which can be verified in the real world.
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Suggested 6th: Read accounts of similar subjects from other times in the past. You may find wisdom that we are blind to at present, and also that people of the past were not stupider than we modern enlightened ones.
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“First, read Romans 1, and understand that people who are doing evil things feel better about what they are doing if they can get you to approve of it, celebrate it, and subsidize it.”
In addition to Romans 1 we also have Proverbs 28:4:
“Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
But those who keep the law strive with them.”
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Mead’s original research only consisted of two data points, two teenage Samoan girls. The Samoan girls thought Mead was arrogant, pompous, and naive and told exaggerated sexual stories to Mead to see how much she would swallow.
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An insightful article from Touchstone Magazine! Sad to see Pseudo-Science use to justify sexual sins.
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