(September 20, 2011 at 2:05 pm)downbeatplumb Wrote:I was referring to animal behaviour. From your point of view it may be that you see people as "evolved" animals, and so would possibly come to the conclusion that I was suggesting all the same principles apply to human behaviour.(September 20, 2011 at 2:50 am)Carnavon Wrote: I am no expert on animal bedhaviour so I would really be stupid to argue on this. The alternative to "evolve" would be that it has been "programmed. I think some of the old behaviourists called it "instinct". Is it not a possible alternative - whether you agree with it or not?
Programmed eh. Are you suggesting we are all part of a super computers game of 'the sims'?
This is certainly a more plausible argument than some ridiculous god thingy.
But overall evolution is the most plausible explanation for social behaviour as evolution has a good track record in this area.
There is no need for the god hypothesis.
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From a Christian perspective, humans were made in God's image and thus not "evolved" animals. But we are getting away from the issue of why some things are right and some are wrong.
Now if we do not have a set standard, anything goes because we (being whoever markets his/her ideas the best/have the power to decide) consider it to be "right"/better.
If it is individual choice there is even less agreement of what is better/right.
I am sure that most people would agree that helping others would be good? Why would it be ?
We are also convinced (most of us) that to murder people would be wrong. Why would it be?
Is it a moral law that has been "written" into our hearts and arrived at apart from "logic" - a standard outside of ourselves?
CS Lewis wrote this in "Mere Christianity":Think of a country where where people were admired for running away in battle, or where a man felt proud of double-crossing all the people who had been kjindest to him"
There is however a much bigger issue at stake here than arguing the basis for deciding what is right and what is wrong. If there is a "Law Giver" that set the standard and there is a day of judgement where those that transgressed the law is punished with eternal damnation, it becomes much more important than our little chats about morality and how we arrive at it.
An argument was raised that "I am not so bad". Most people would say they are kind of nice if you asked them. But answer the simple little questions:
Have you ever taken anything which does not belong to you? If we are honest, we will all say, yes we have. That makes us.....thieves.
Have you ever lied about something? Again the answer is yes. That would make us ......liars.
Have you ever hated somebody without a cause? Most of us will answer yes (racists/sexists etc). That, according to the Bible makes us....murderers.
Now if you have these few things on your rap sheet, it is unlikely that an earthly judge will look kindly on you, how much more a holy God?
That is the basis on which we know that all are guilty.
But the good news is, that Jesus took all our sins (transgression of the law) on Him and paid the price.