The Universality of Moral Laws

The modern age is an age of petty rebellion against the natural law. Modern society is filled with pygmy iconoclasts, who target rules (often in groups) in rebellion against an inconvenient moral code.

Some simply reject the very idea of a moral code. But many who uphold the idea of a moral code justify their rebellion against it with the ridiculous claim: “The rules don’t apply to me.” This attitude stems from a tendency of fallen humanity to believe that one is exempt from moral codes by some special grace.

Men and women often claim personal exceptions to “inconvenient” or “unpleasant” moral laws. Individuals often argue this way about their taking drugs or drinking while driving: “Others will be harmed by drunk driving, but not me. I can handle a few drinks.” Couples often argue that while others may be sinning while having sex outside of marriage, they are not, because “they love one another” or “their relationship is special.”

Now, different humans often react in completely dissimilar ways to the same circumstances – one person may be seemingly unaffected by an action, while another may be completely incapacitated by the same deed. But no one is exempt from the moral law. And disobedience to the moral law has consequences both temporal and spiritual. Some avoid the temporal consequences of their actions, but none avoid the spiritual consequences.

And chances are good if a man claims personal exemptions from moral laws, he knows what he is doing is wrong, and will face both temporal and spiritual consequences for his actions. As C.S. Lewis noted in his famous essay “Screwtape Proposes a Toast:” “No man who says I’m as good as you believes it. He would not say it if he did. The St. Bernard never says it to the toy dog, nor the scholar to the dunce, nor the employable to the bum, nor the pretty woman to the plain. The claim to equality, outside the strictly political field, is made only by those who feel themselves to be in some way inferior.”

A similar situation applies to a man discussing his relation to the moral code. If a man is claiming exemption from a particular moral rule, there is little doubt that he realizes that his actions are wrong - and that he will eventually suffer for his actions.