Does the Universe have a Moral Code?

The universe we live in, does it operate according to any moral code? Are we bound by any such moral code in our lives? The morals we have as human beings, for example, killing is wrong, taking another person’s belongings without his knowledge or his express willingness is wrong and so on, where do these come from?

The question boils down to whether the Creator of this universe, if there is one, is the supreme moral giver? If He created the world and all that is therein, then it is natural to expect that He would have laid down a moral code or rules according to which humans will live their lives. Such a God will have to be a moral Person Himself. He cannot be a whimsical or flippant or an immoral God. He will also have to play by the rules He has set for others and cannot break His own rules with impunity. Do we have a God like that?

Well, others may argue that there is no God who created this universe and the lives we see in it, but these have evolved over millions, if not billions of years, from smaller living beings to the more advanced and complex beings like humans. The theory of evolution and the survival of the fittest by natural selection will fall into this category. If that is so, how then did morals in such an evolved world come about? Did morals also evolve like the life forms?

These are the many questions we grapple with as we consider morals and moral states in the world we live in. Lots of morals have lost their meanings in our twenty-first century world, but still we say that corruption in political and business circles is wrong. Why? Where does that moral come from? We appreciate people who give away the fortunes they have earned, by hook or crook or by honest means, to philanthropy. Why is it appreciated? Giving to the poor and helping the helpless is considered good. Where does that moral code come from?

Let us take the argument of evolved morals. It is argued by the atheists mainly and also by the religious evolutionists that the morals we see in the world today have evolved along with human beings and the other creatures. How? They say that being honest in business transactions produced good will and trust and enhanced business. Thus it was advantageous for people to be honest and so that trait evolved, became strong, and got passed on to the next generation, as it helped the survival of the business class in particular and the community in general.

Speaking truth was preferred in the community for it helped integrate the members in trust based on mutual dealings of truth. It became an evolved trait as it helped the community to survive better. Sounds good; the only problem in this sort of argument is that there are traits among us humans and other animals, which are not really beneficial to the human race or the other species.

For example, in an evolutionary scenario, where survival of the fittest leads the pack from the front, how do we justify taking care of the sick, suffering and the old? Euthanasia would have been the norm, if evolution was the case. So how come we appreciate taking care of the vulnerable sections of the society, without resorting to mercy killing en-mass? It is a difficult stand to defend.

The failure of evolution to give satisfactory answers to such questions leads us to explore the possibility of a Creator God, who created the heavens and the earth and all that is there in and also laid down as to what is right and what is wrong. The question ultimately boils down to, can we be good without God?

In a situation where there is only the mechanical evolutionary force to grind us the living beings, then the cold and stark fact would be, the extermination of all weak beings, by nature or by human effort assisting nature. As we do not see that happening in our world, then we have to decide that there is something more than just a mechanistic natural selection operating in our lives.

A Mother Teresa is appreciated because she took care of the dying and the terminally ill and homeless on the streets of Calcutta. People of all religious hues in Calcutta and around the world see the beauty of her heart and elevate her even to the level of a demi-goddess, personification of love, humility and sacrifice. Why do we do that? Is it not because she reflected a love, that is unconditional and all-giving, which can be seen only in God?

A mother’s love for her child whom she bore for nine months and fed with her own blood and sweat, is it a reflection of something bigger, a greater love that could be shown only by the Creator of this universe? Is that why we are able to show such a love and also appreciate that type of self-sacrificing love, because it is a reflection of heavenly love? I agree, human love is always laced with a minimal of self-interest, but still it shows the type of ultimate love, a self-less love that can be seen only in God and definitely not a product of an evolutionary force?

Well, the next question would be is there a God who is so loving and self-giving as to be looked upon as a model, whose goodness we could reflect and learn from? Bible talks of such a God, who came in the form of human Jesus, and gave his life for the humankind, as a penalty for the wrongs of the world. God paid the ultimate price for saving humanity from sin and suffering and from the ultimate penalty of separation from the true God forever in eternity. If that was not love, then what is?

Bible also talks about a Creator God who created everything on earth including human beings and laid down the rules for man’s conduct in the form of Ten Commandments, which Jesus upheld and summarized to two important commandments: to love God and to love our neighbor. That is it; in these two all the commandments of God are covered.

This Creator God of the Bible, who is expressed in Jesus, is also a moral God. He is the Truth, he is the Love ultimate, He is honesty personified, He is faithful, righteous and just. No one, not even the opponents of Jesus, could find any fault in Him. The whole of Bible talks about the faithfulness of God to the many promises He has made and how He is truthful and just. He is so just that He had to extract penalty for the unjust worldly beings from His own Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus died on the cross paying that penalty.

There is a moral God, the Creator of this world and He has laid down the moral code for us His creations to follow in our lives. Only when we break these rules and stray outside do we face the difficulties that confront us in our lives.

Well, one might ask, why then do good people often suffer in this world? Why is suffering in this world created by a Good and Loving God? Now, that will be the topic for my next blog!

Nice to be back after a break for Christmas and New Year and getting in touch with you all!

Wishing you all, a very Happy and Meaningful New Year!