| | So, the foundation is laid. Absolute truth exists.
Now, where does it come from?
A metaphor.
This is an interesting thing to consider. Let's start with something simple, like the rules of football. Within the realm of the National Football League, the rules of football are absolute. If an offensive lineman moves before the snap, he is in the wrong. If Terell Owens celebrates excessively, he is in the wrong. Now, how the referees view these rules and call them doesn't affect the absolute nature of the rules. They're still absolute, even if the refs make a dumb call. Football rules have changed over time, too.
But what makes them absolute?
Well, the powers that be - the commissioners, the owners, maybe the coaches...not sure, but definitely people in authority get to make and modify rules. So why is grabbing someone's face mask illegal? Because the authorities declared that to be a bad thing. Now, it's just logical to us. I doubt you'll find very many people who would say that players should be able to tackle people by their face masks (Even though it used to be legal!) It's interesting, isn't it, that when rules are set, they become so commonplace that the majority can't imagine the sport without them! (Changing the touchdown from siz points to 8? Yeah right!)
So basically, they're absolute because people higher than the sport and in control of the sport say so.
Universal morality?
Now, let's bring it back to morality. We have these rules in life. Yeah, you can say murdering is wrong because the government says so, but at some point the founding fathers had to write that law based on their own ideas about the moral right and wrong-ness of killing someone else. Besides, there is no culture that looks upon murderers as heros. Perhaps people who kill people from other tribes and other cultures, but I challenge you to name me one culture where people think it is noble and right to kill good people within the culture, or steal from them, etc. In what culture is theft seen as a good thing? What about lying? Sure, in America being dishonest is so common, but no one ever is glorified for dishonesty; in fact, what I've found is that politicians can get skewered or even impeached for telling a lie.
All I'm trying to say is that there are universal morals, even though we don't always adhere to them. For more information on this concept, read "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis. Also, this link (click here) does a good job with some basic responses to moral relativism and arguments supporting absolutism.
The tie-back to the metaphor.
If you're still with me, then we agree that there is such a thing as absolute morality. Morality that transcends culture. So then, who makes the rules?
Football players do not make the rules of football; rather, it is the higher authorities who do so.
Human beings do not make the rules of life; rather, it is a higher authority who does so.
What authority is higher than humanity?
God.
In the next post, we'll look at what God has to say about truth.
|
| | Posted 3/27/2007 6:26 PM - 4 Views - 2 eProps - 1 Comment
- recommend
  - recs0
- share
- email
 - sent0
|
