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Right and Wrong as a Key to the Meaning of the Universe:
"A Celebration of Mere Christianity, Part I"
On the 40th Anniversary of C. S. Lewis' Death

J. P. Moreland

J. P. Moreland examines the moral argument for God's existence. The talk is outlined around four features of the moral life, which Moreland says cannot be explained on a naturalistic basis but can be explained on the basis that human beings have a free will they can exercise to choose to be moral.

People who do not want to believe in an absolute, such as God, say they are "relativists." Moreland thinks they are really "selective relativists," for in reality they are all objectivists, because they are relativists in areas of their lifestyle where it is convenient for them to be. Thus, they are really objectivists who believe certain things are right or wrong. For example, these so-called relativists believe that "scientific naturalism" is right and any need for adherence to a moral law of God is wrong.

Relevant to all persons, explains Moreland, is a dominant world view which holds a theory of knowledge, a creation story, and a view of reality. Those who believe in naturalism have their own theory of knowledge, their own creation story, and their own view of reality. Those who adhere to the moral law of God also have their own theory of knowledge, creation story, and view of reality.

 For the moral person, the four features of the moral life make sense if there is a God but not if naturalism is true. Thus, Moreland says we can believe in moralism based on these four features:
  1. Sheer existence of the moral law itself tells us that the imperatives come from a Lawgiver.
  2. The existence of equal human rights tells us there is a God because our rights come from the fact that we are made in the image of God.
  3. Proper function versus dysfunction implies a Designer of the functional.
  4. Finally, the question can be answered, Why should I be moral? Ultimately, God demands our loyalty, and we know that it is in the best interest of others, as well as of ourselves, to be moral.

Moreland concludes that these four features of the moral life "are all signs that we are not alone in the universe." Therefore, we have a responsibility to live the moral life.

Program recording date and length: 6-19-03 ~ 59 Minutes

Order Catalog No.: 3822