The Role of Humankind in ‘Objective’ Morality
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Re “What We Bush Voters Share: In God We Trust,” Commentary, Nov. 8: David Klinghoffer is wrong in claiming that morality is “objective” because it comes from God. Every religious moral tradition upholds divine principles, but they conflict in real life. Do I lie to prevent a greater crime? Fulfilling God’s commands requires judgment. So what makes morality “objective”? Klinghoffer falls back on the authority of “an ordained religious hierarchy” to determine God’s will in the real world.
But in his religious orthodoxy, Judaism, rabbinic authorities are keenly aware that they are not prophets. Interpretations are debated and conclusions are criticized because humans are fallible. Dissenting, minority views were preserved in the Talmud precisely because the rabbis couldn’t know which opinion was best in God’s view. They also knew that circumstances might change, allowing a previously dissenting view to become law.
Recognizing that a moral command or principle comes from God does not make its human application divinely “absolute” or “objective.”
Rabbi Mike Comins
West Hills
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