Morality & Politics

Introduction

Ideally, neither morality or politics would ever enter into a discussion of evolution theory, for the simple reason that they are irrelevant. However, in reality the issues of morality and politics almost always enter the discussion because creationists have trouble separating them from each other, or from science. Therefore, one should be prepared for these subjects.

When creationists and secularists debate, the secularists often argue that morality should be separate from the law. This is a mistake because the inevitable rejoinder is that you need some system to determine what laws should exist, and if that system is not morality, then what is it? What secularists should be saying is that there is a difference between personal ethics and social ethics. Personal ethics govern the way you live your own life, and social ethics govern the way other people should be expected to interact with one another in society. The law governs social and material ethics, not personal ethics.

For example, virtually all moral codes agree that it is unethical to be dishonest. However, the law is unconcerned with personal dishonesty until you deal with other members of society in some materially significant way, such as breaching a business contract or misrepresenting a product for sale. So the most obvious question to ask any creationist about the fusion of morality and politics is: if the law is intended to promote personal morality, then why is there no law against telling lies? Virtually every moral code on Earth prohibits the telling of lies but the law does not, unless business dealings are involved.

Of course, even if one miraculously secures agreement from the creationist that the law does not exist to regulate personal morality, that does not resolve the moral argument; it only takes politics out of the equation. The moral question remains, and as irrelevant as it is to the question of scientific validity, you may want to be prepared for the kind of arguments you are likely to hear.

Atheist Morality

Biblical Morality

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