Considering he’s a religious studies graduate student, it’s sad that Daily Forty-Niner columnist Christopher Herrin seems to have a misunderstanding of what morality is when he calls for it to change in regards to marriage.
Morality is something higher than Mr. Herrin or any other human. It is absolute in its judgment and cannot be altered.
For example, morality says rape is wrong. Even if there were only one woman alive on earth, it would still be wrong to rape her to repopulate the planet, even though that action might benefit the human race.
This is because moral law doesn’t look out for the selfish interests of an individual or group. Rather, morality defines what is righteous and evil by the standards it sets up.
“How do we then discover moral law if humans aren’t the ones to construct and deconstruct it?” asks the self-interest-seeking liberal that is Mr. Herrin.
My answer: through religion.
Because of the awesome power of moral law, it needs a being higher than any other to tell us what it is. Only such a divine being has the authority to tell men and women what they can and cannot do morally.
“How dare you!” respond Herrin-like liberals. “It is arrogant and dangerous to demand people subject themselves to one religion. Besides, we support the separation of church and state.”
Well, I never called for the United States to abide by moral law. In fact, I am perfectly willing to live without it in regards to the state — if liberals are willing to do the same.
However, liberals like to propose that California voters were wrong to vote for Proposition 8 because it is morally wrong to discriminate. They go further and demand, like Herrin did, that other people conform to their view of morality.
Therefore, it is the liberals who are trying to force their religious viewpoint on the populace in regards to marriage.
Should liberals actually abide by their separation of church and state rationale, passage of Proposition 8 was good since it was a brilliant example of people democratically choosing the legal rules by which their society shall govern.
Yet the liberals are fighting against this action of the people. As a result, liberals show both their lack of knowledge about the nature of morality and their lack of respect for democracy.
Brian Cuaron is a junior English major and an assistant city editor for the Daily Forty-Niner.
