The first four chapters of Mere Christianity progressively discuss the existence of a Natural Human Law. First if we feel that there is something outside of us that is a standard for life. it continues by discussing the differences between it and our conscience. Then whether it is just a Life-force or an intelligent being.
Many people think that society is what told us how to behave and that in different societies there would be different moral codes. History has disproved this time and time again reaching all the way back to a pillar in early Mesopotamia that had laws inscribed on it similar to those of the ten commandments.
Also for the code to be decided by society it would have had to been created by men, and one thing seems so much more justifiable to one than the other. But yet we all have a certain code that we all adhere to, which is not our conscience.
Our conscience presents us with decisions. Lewis gives the example of a man drowning. In our minds there are two conflicting choices. We can save the man thus endangering ourselves, or we can ignore it, further guaranteeing our survival. Therefore it can not be our conscience something else must decide between the two.
That is where the moral code comes in. We know we should help the man a we are so inspired. The moral code is not decent behaviour but behaviour that we know is right. Behaviour that is biblical and Godly. We naturally want to do the best we can.
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Lewis' example of a man drowning was very interesting. We have instincts both to save and ignore the man, but our natural human law is really what would lead us to save the man, not the basic instinct. The law goes beyond instinct, behind it, and it is what allows us to deny our urges, or decide if giving in to our instincts is appropriate..
ReplyDeleteDaniel pretty much said what I was going to say, but I'll throw a couple things out here anyway. It's pretty evident from Lewis' example that the moral law isn't simply what society has told us as we grow up; but even the laws of society are sometimes derived from the moral law. The law in America declares that murder is a crime. But is it a crime simply because society claims it to be so, or because the moral law says it's wrong?
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