Lacking Morality

Many non-believers, some claiming to be atheists, will ask Christians why it is so wrong for each individual to set their own moral standards.  To them, this seems like a logical conclusion and grants them the freedom to…do whatever they wish. 

Earlier this morning, I saw a news article on the topic of abortion, so I read through some of the comments.  In one interaction, a person advocating abortion called an anti-abortionist a “twisted human being.”  The advocating not ending an innocent’s life is the twisted one (Isaiah 5:20-21)?

This example perfectly illustrates the reason for which God has said that mankind is not to be trusted with self-defining good and evil; we simply cannot do it! If each man or woman defines good and evil in their own way without having a single source of authority, then it simply comes down to differences of opinion.  Many advocate the idea of simply being “good to one another,” but who defines what “good” is if there is no God? In fact, we should question the reasoning as to why we should even be “good” to one another by man’s standards; if the evolutionist advocates Darwin’s theory of “Survival of the Fittest,” then wouldn’t being “good” to one another go against their core evolutionary belief?

In Jeremiah 10:23, we read “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.”  Likewise, we read in Proverbs 16:25 that there “is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”  Both passages illustrate for us that mankind is fallible in their reasoning if they try to do so without God.  God, the single source of infallible authority and reasoning, can distinguish between good and evil, while mankind makes twisted judgments based largely on emotion and misconstrued perceptions of morality.  Again, this principle is illustrated for us in Isaiah 55:7-9: “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.  ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord.  ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.’”  Mankind cannot set our own code of morality because every single person (without God) will have a differing opinion; if we all have different opinions, then it comes down to who has the power to enforce their opinion.  Obviously, a world without God is chaos and is wicked (Romans 1 & 2).

A few months ago, I published a short article on my blog concerning logical fallacies in argumentation.  To further establish that point, consider nearly any conversation concerning “abortion.”  When anti-abortionists, such as myself, argue against the immorality of abortion, the “what about cases of rape or abuse” (red herring) argument is invariable utilized.  Why is this a red herring argument? Simply because there are so few cases of abortion in which rape was a contributing factor (check the stats if you wish).  Additionally, it is an argument that plays off of human emotion rather than logical reasoning; for instance, the argument is typically phrased in such a manner as to make the anti-abortionist feel ashamed, such as “You REALLY believe that a woman who has already suffered the pain and humiliation of being raped to carry and give birth to the seed of the man who raped her?!” This is an entirely emotional argument which is not in any way, shape, or form founded in logic.  Rarely, if ever, does the person call the baby a baby; more often than not, they use terms such as “fetus” and “seed” because such words allow a disconnect between the truth of what they are killing and the fact that they are killing a baby boy or girl.  Why is it the baby’s fault that the father raped their mother? It was not their choice, nor is there a “rapist gene” that is passed to the baby (although some pretend that if the father is a rapist, so will the baby be). 

Then, generally, comes the ad hominem attack of “you are a twisted human being.”  Obviously, there are times in which someone standing for the right takes the low road and personally attacks the person advocating abortion rather than attacking the issue at hand.  Now that we’ve noted that it does take place, let’s get back to the topic at hand.  More often than not, this is the next progression in the discussion; the abortion advocate will malign the character and intelligence of the anti-abortionist by both name calling and using phrases such as “science has proved.”  “Science” can “prove” anything we like; for instance, the science of Nazi Germany supported Hitler’s perspective of the Jewish community.  Do we wish to stand by that science? In fact, there are startling similarities between that “science” and the “science” supporting abortion; for instance, Hitler portrayed Jews as being either subhuman or nonhuman, which is exactly the image of babies intended by such terms as “fetus” and “seed.” 

“Science” changes and is fallible, but God’s word is not.  Likewise, mankind’s opinions and reasoning is fallible, but God’s is not.  How logical is it to advocate the murder of an innocent child, but condemn a serial killer? How logical is it that a woman can legally murder her child without the knowledge or consent of the father, but if she is herself murdered while pregnant, the murderer is charged with two murders? Mankind cannot even follow their own twisted logic!

If our nation is to rise above the current immoral mess, then we must not only verbally acknowledge God as the only source of authority, but actually adhere to His standards…not ours.  We must also seek out faithful older men and women in Christ to learn from and set them up as “heroes” in the eyes of our children rather than earthly, wicked celebrities. 

What do Brittney Spears, Miles Cyrus (Hannah Montana), and similar celebrities have in common? What about Robin Williams and Heath Ledger? Elvis Presley and Philip Seymour Hoffman? In each of these examples, immorality has ruined their life; both Spears and Cyrus quickly degraded from a Disney poster-girl to, if we are honest, slut; both Williams and Ledger committed suicide; and Presley and Seymour both died because of drug addictions.  These are examples of mankind setting their own moral code.  These are but a few examples and one might argue that they are the minority.  But are they? They are not! This IS the norm for that kind of lifestyle, and yet many Christian parents point to such celebrities as examples and even encourage their children to get into such professions.  Some parents say “but look at the fame” or “look at the monetary value!” Perhaps the best argument against such a lifestyle and such immoral choices can be found in the words of Jesus in Matthew 16:26 where He asks two questions: “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

We are not to base our morals on our own opinions, nor are we base them others who have ignored the will of God.  God’s word is not an opinion and it is not fallible.  Unlike mankind, He is able to properly distinguish between right and wrong, good and evil.  Following the so-called “logic” of mankind will only cause our eternal soul to be lost.  We need to follow the principles of God’s word and not human emotion (although they do occasionally coincide).  We need to ensure that we do not fit those in Romans 1:22 who professed to be wise, but really were fools.  If our principles are built on a foundation other than Christ, then we have the wrong principles.