“The first principle of value that we need to rediscover is this: that all reality hinges on moral foundations. In other words, that this is a moral universe, and that there are moral laws of the universe just as abiding as the physical laws.” -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Take a close look at everyone you know and everyone you see. Is there something we all have in common when it comes to the knowledge of right and wrong? Some people refer to this as our conscious.

You can go anywhere in the world and observe in humans a general sense that things are not the way they are supposed to be. There are killings, wars and injustices everywhere and we all sense that this is wrong. Why, where does that come from? Could this reaction be evidence for a universal moral law?

Do we have an immaterial transcendent parent?

Whether or not you believe in a universal moral law you have to admit every human has a conscious. It is that thing that is talking to you right now—you are probably saying I agree or I disagree and there is a little argument going on in your head—that’s your conscious. Could our conscious bear the image of an immaterial transcendent parent whose perfect standards we fall short of, but whose standards or laws are imbedded in our souls?

Our founding fathers thought so…

We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. -THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

In our previous posts we have presented evidence for a Theistic God who created the Universe by Intelligent Design through…

Cosmological Evidence
Teleological Evidence
Biochemistry Evidence

And now we are adding…

Evidence from Morality

My Pastor addressed this concept in a recent sermon. He said, “If someone tells you there is no absolute right or wrong then just punch him in the face. I’m pretty sure he will tell you that you can’t do that, because it is wrong! If not, then just do it again!”

Most Atheists hold a relativist’s view (that truth and morality are subjective) but this falls flat when put into practice: They must accept what you believe to be right (punching them in the face) as your subjective moral truth, and following this view to its logical conclusion they cannot even say that what Hitler and the Nazi’s did in the Holocaust was wrong if they subjectively believed it was good. Thank God that the Nuremburg trials supported an objective universal Moral Law!

The Moral Argument:

Premise #1:

A universal moral law must have a moral lawgiver (any law must have a lawgiver).

*Premise #2:

There is a universal moral law evident in the universal behavior and expectations of all humans.

Premise #3:

Therefore there must be a universal moral lawgiver.

*Evidence for a universal moral law:

Everyone, no matter where they live or what culture they come from or race or religion, has the innate knowledge that certain things are right and wrong.

Think of a country where people were admired for running away in battle, or where a man felt proud of double-crossing all the people who had been kindest to him. You might just as well try to imagine a country where two and two made five. -C.S. Lewis

Can we easily tell the difference between these statements?

Love and care for our babies
Killing for fun
Forgiveness and mercy
Rape and torture
Freedom and liberty
Stealing for fun
Helping our community
Purposeful injury to others
Gratitude for a kind act
Genocide

Do you get a little “squeeze” in your chest when you hear or see some of these statements in action that all humans instinctively know are wrong?

How do we know the Moral Law exists?

It is undeniable: It is not always the standard by which we treat others, but it is nearly always the standard by which we expect others to treat us.
We know it by our reactions: Simply be rude to someone, or do something out of line or put people in a position where you violate their right to express their opinions and they will scream “injustice, unfair!”
It is the basis of Human rights: After WWII Nazi war criminals were brought to trial and convicted of violating basic human rights. This is manifested in international law and found in our Declaration of Independence.
It is the unchanging standard of justice: C.S. Lewis said, “As an atheist my argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crocked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust?”
It defines a real difference between moral positions: We use it when we evaluate the behavior of others, for example Mother Teresa against that of Hitler. If the moral law doesn’t exist then there is no real difference between them, their actions are just subjective. As atheists’ would say “they are just dancing to their DNA.”
Since we know what’s absolutely wrong, there must be an absolute standard of right: We all identify things that are wrong socially, politically, and personally—but often people will say that they don’t know what is right. Admitting things are not the way they are supposed to be (wrong) is an admission that there must be a universal right.
It is the grounds for political and social dissent: People take up causes for “rights” and we often agree on particular injustices—the problem is usually the means to the end. For example, we all agree peace is good but is it best accomplished with or without military intervention?
If it did not exist, then we would not make excuses for violating it: People make excuses all the time for their behavior and we legitimize bad behavior in many ways: Abuses become diseases, crimes become oppressed behavior, immorality becomes lifestyle choices, and laziness becomes a need for entitlement.

Video Clips:

Click on these links to view some short presentations on the Moral Law:

The Moral Argument, by Dr. William Lane Craig, and visit his website reasonablefaith.org for other great resources

Objective Moral Law by Dr. Frank Turek, author of I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be An Atheist

How the Moral Evidence in the Universe Points to the Existence of God, by J. Warner Wallace, author of God’s Crime Scene

Short Articles:

Click on these links to read some short articles on the topic of Morality:

The Magical Moral Mystery, by Andy Banister

Moral Laws Necessitate a Moral Lawgiver, by Lenny Esposito

My favorite: J. Warner Wallace’s collection of short articles at his Cold Case Christianity Website on Morality.

God has placed a moral code in the conscious of all mankind:

Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know His law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thought either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. -Romans 2:14-15

God’s Word shows us and teaches us:

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. –2 Timothy 3:16-17

Only fools say in their hearts, “there is no God”. They are corrupt and their actions are evil; not one of them does good! –Psalm 53:1

You will not find this material in the public school curriculum even though it is based on solid evidence and grounded in research. It is ironic that following the evidence to where it leads stops at the door of our public schools as they will not let a “Divine footprint” in!

Join us this year as we examine evidence for Christianity and learn how to become a thoughtful defender and ambassador of your faith.

Click into the resource page of this website to view many of the top Christian thinkers and apologists along with some of their work; connecting to these types of resources is essential in your Christian growth.

Please let me know what you think: Give feedback, ask questions or send concerns in the comment section of the blog.

Teri Dugan

TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com