March 26, 2005

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Morality and Reality

The issue is even more basic than Brooks' piece portrays.

Life is God-given. If you don't believe in God or a Creator, then all morality becomes human based which puts those who believe that on a slippery slope of relativism that leads to abortion (for any good reason) and 'assisted' suicide or murder (for any good reason). If one arrives there, why must suicide be physician-assisted? Why not let it be assisted by any competent person 'of authority?' This moral relativism seems to provide outs for people struggling with the hard decisions required of morality based on belief in a Supreme Being.

Medical and genetic technology are taking us to places where, absent belief in God and the transcendental/spiritual dimension of life, mankind will have no moral compass, thus no line between good and evil...no such thing as sin. Absent a basic morality, it can rationalized that no choice is evil. Under that scheme, can a general breakdown of our system of Judeo-Christian based laws and anarchy be far behind?

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