I have often wondered what “natural law” is. I
observe that the idea of natural law, however, was not a mystery to the
founders of our nation. As a reminder of that, please refer to the U.S.
Declaration of Independence:
When, in the course of human events, it
becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have
connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the
separate and equal station to which the laws of
nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions
of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the
separation. (Declaration
of Independence, July 4, 1776)
Natural law is a theory in ethics and philosophy
that says that human beings possess intrinsic values that govern our reasoning
and behavior. Natural law maintains that these rules of right and wrong are
inherent in people and are not created by society, government, or court judges.
Natural Law is the unwritten body of universal moral principles that underlie
the ethical and legal norms by which human conduct is sometimes evaluated and
governed. Natural law is often contrasted with positive law, which consists of
the written rules and regulations enacted by government.
To solve an
ethical dilemma using natural law, the basic belief that everyone is naturally
entitled to live their own lives must be considered and respected. For example,
acts of violence, like murder, work against people's natural inclination to
live a good and innocent life.
Under the natural law theory, only laws that are just are to be
followed, while unjust laws may be ignored. Natural law theorists
believe that it is a basic principle of human nature to want to live a good
life, and, therefore, human laws should reflect that desire. (I do not have
to wonder how legitimate Natural Law theorists would view the practice of
abortion!)
Natural
law theory posits that some laws are basic and fundamental to human nature and
are discoverable by human reason without reference to specific legislative
enactments or judicial decisions.
Our
purpose, according to natural law theorists, is to live a good, happy life.
Therefore, actions that work against that purpose -- that is, actions that
would prevent a fellow human from living a good, happy life -- are considered
'unnatural', or 'immoral'. Laws have a purpose too: to provide justice.
The
term 'natural law' is derived from the belief that human morality comes from
nature. Everything in nature, according to natural law theory, has a purpose,
including humans. Our purpose, according to natural law theorists, is to live a
good, happy life.
Natural
law maintains that rules of right and wrong are inherent in people and are not
created by society, government, or court judges.
In
summary of the above remarks, one would think that natural law is an
instinctive appeal to common sense and human conscience. As far as it goes, I
must admit that that is probably correct. However…
It
is my belief that for the Christian, there is far more to the “natural”
comprehension of law than the human conscience. After all, there are many
people who conceive of right and wrong in ways inimical to biblical principles.
We see in our society, today, people who believe that abortion, euthanasia,
homosexuality, same-sex marriage, divorce, rioting, looting, pillaging, theft, and
adverse governmental interventions, among other nefarious things, are perfectly
within the purview of good conscience.
I
thank God, however, that He has set before us a manual that points us
infallibly to better things above and in our world, today. The Bible points out
that we, in this life, are traveling through a temporary situation, and we can
look forward to better things in the future. Let us look to Jesus, the author
and finisher of our faith, for better guidance than “natural law,” a good and
happy life, only.
Posts
