The Natural Law does exist. Those who want to pervert the traditional understanding of sex and marriage, deny this.
Some proponents of the Culture of Death want to pretend as though no morals are binding on all people. Your truth is yours, and mine is mine. They want to pretend as though no one owes anything to anyone else, not even a mother life to her own child.
Their theory of moral relativity is devoid of truth and exists only in their dreams. Here in the real world, certain moral obligations exist for all people, for all time.
I will give you the following text as an example that the Natural Law can be found in all societies, in all justice systems, in all of time. Maybe not entirely and perfectly in each and every one, but aspects of it.
ONE EXAMPLE
Let me present to you this text:
“First of all, Nature has endowed every species of living creature with the instinct of self-preservation, of avoiding what seems likely to cause injury to life or limb, and of procuring and providing everything needful for life — food, shelter, and the like.
“A common property of all creatures is also the reproductive instinct (the purpose of which is the propagation of the species) and also a certain amount of concern for their offspring.
“But the most marked difference between man and beast is this: the beast, just as far as it is moved by the senses and with very little perception of past or future, adapts itself to that alone which is present at the moment;
“[W]hile man—because he is endowed with reason, by which he comprehends the chain of consequences, perceives the causes of things, understands the relation of cause to effect and of effect to cause, draws analogies, and connects and associates the present and the future—easily surveys the course of his whole life and makes the necessary preparations for its conduct strangely tender love for his offspring.
“She (Nature) also prompts men to meet in companies, to form public assemblies and to take part in them themselves; and she further dictates, as a consequence of this, the effort on man’s part to provide a store of things that minister to his comforts and wants—
“[A]nd not for himself alone, but for his wife and children and the others whom he holds dear and for whom he ought to provide; and this responsibility also stimulates his courage and makes it stronger for the active duties of life. {13}
“Above all, the search after truth and its eager pursuit are peculiar to man.
“And so, when we have leisure from the demands of business cares, we are eager to see, to hear, to learn something new, and we esteem a desire to know the secrets or wonders of creation as indispensable to a happy life.
“Thus we come to understand that what is true, simple, and genuine appeals most strongly to a man’s nature.
“To this passion for discovering truth there is added a hungering, as it were, for independence, so that a mind well-molded by Nature is unwilling to be subject to anybody save one who gives rules of conduct or is a teacher of truth or who, for the general good, rules according to justice and law.
“From this attitude come greatness of soul and a sense of superiority to worldly conditions” (emphasis added).
WHAT’S IT SAY?
I think this was a very well-written document outlining the ways in which human nature compels each of us to act in certain ways. It commands us to take certain actions.
This text speaks to the truth that our human nature is rigid and makes demands of us. We are obligated to care for others, especially our spouse and children, for instance.
The text makes lucid many ways in which our ability to reason as humans sets us apart from other animals. We also pursue the truth, of which animals do not truly have a concept.
SO, DO YOU KNOW WHO WROTE IT?
This text cannot be found in the Jewish or Christian Scriptures. In fact, it is not found in any religious holy book.
This was written by Cicero, around the year 44 BC, or so. It is a portion of his text, titled De Officiis (meaning On Duties or On Obligations) ({11} IV).
As you can read, according to Cicero Natural Law does exist.
SO WHAT?
I wanted to point this out, for all those who say there is no Natural Law binding to us all. They claim morality can be created at will by men.
By doing this, they think they can justify abortion, contraception, homosexuality, euthanasia, and other components of the Culture of Death.
They also think any appeal to Natural Law must be a religious notion, and so they think they can dismiss it out of hand.
This text written by Marcus Tullius Cicero, the great Roman philosopher, some 45 years or so before Jesus Christ was even born.
According to Cicero Natural Law, as he describes it, helps to show all men for all ages share in the same human nature. Meaning all men have the same moral laws to upkeep. Whether they live in the year 44 BC in Rome, or in the 21st Century in the USA or elsewhere.
YOUR TURN
So, who is with me? Understand my point?
I am intending to post more examples of the Natural Law in other times and cultures in the future, to further prove my point.
What do you think of Cicero’s De Officiis?
