A MORAL WRONG CANNOT BE A CIVIL RIGHT

BISHOP BRIAN J. KENNEDY, O.S.B.

HOLY TRINITY CELTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH

1703 MACOMBER ST., TOLEDO, OHIO 43606

http://www.celticorthodoxy.com/bkceltic-orthodox-church

It is popular among hedonists, pseudo intellectuals, Apostates and recalcitrant

school boys to question the existence of objective moral values. They hold

high the banner of relativism that reads “What is moral for you, may not be

moral for me”. This inanity bears the subtext, “What is true for you, may not be

true for me”. They believe the world has no objective moral compass. If they

believe nothing is true, they must confirm nothing is false. There can be no

evil because there can be no good; there can be no right because there can be no

wrong. Of course, this only is brought against those who disagree with them. If

they are in agreement with an issue, then truth suddenly becomes absolute and

tolerates no other view. If it removes the shackles of restraint and gives free

license to the animal instincts it is desirable, good and natural. If it

releases man from guidelines and from personal responsibility it is lauded as a

true doctrine of the dogma, “If it feels good, do it.”

The Creator has built into man the ability to determine objective morality, it

is called the Conscience. There are three kinds of conscience:

1. A true conscience

2. A false conscience

3. An indifferent conscience.

It is obvious to all, objective moral values do exist but we suppress this inner

voice and perceivable reality and disregard the implausibility of relativism.

True objective moral values exist independently of the desires and rationality

of human beings. We can righty call them moral facts. A fact is qualitatively

different than an opinion, which is a matter of personal preference. When we

say that objective moral values exist, we mean that a statement like, "Murder is

evil," is making a claim about some objective moral reality in precisely the

same way that the statement, "I am male," is making a claim about objective

physical reality.

One who disallows absolute values and absolute truth is in fact denying the

existence of God and His Word. God IS truth and His Word is absolute,

definitive and binding on all men. This statement is my premise. This premise

is warranted because it cannot be disproven. To address this issue without

reference to God’s Word is fantasy and self-delusionary.

While all objective moral values are based explicitly or implicitly on God’s

Word and their reality imbued into the human conscience and human psyche, there

exist some external evidence.

1. Objective moral values exist as basic standards in all cultures and among

persons of all ethnicity.

2. The people who disallow the existence of objective morality still act as if

objective morality exists.

3. There exists a universal human intuition that certain things are objectively

good or bad, right or wrong.

4. The majority of philosophers recognize the existence of objective moral facts.

It is obvious to all honest people objective moral values exist and all humans

have immediate, intuitive knowledge of their existence. To deny objective moral

values exist is an illusion.