Finally, the next natural law essay.
Natural Law – The Commandments Part 2
The last time, we took a relatively in-depth look at the first three, or theistic
commandments and just how they can be understood from a natural law perspective, or
rather three different natural law perspectives. Today, we continue with a brief survey of
the next seven or social commandments. Since they all have a fairly obvious relevance
to the well-being of society our procedure will be somewhat different here. Instead of
looking at them from the material/subjective, philosophical and theistic perspectives as
before, we will mostly confine ourselves to a relational perspective, looking at the basic
meaning of each commandment and what sort of situations each relates too. So, let’s get
started.
The Fourth Commandment – Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother
This commandment is certainly not a favorite today but it is absolutely essential. First,
it is necessary because it is through the action of our mothers and fathers that we exist at
all and their subsequent care and sacrifice get us through our most vulnerable years and
teach us how to be responsible adults ourselves. And responsible adults are responsible
citizens who are a benefit to their society rather than a burden on it. Even if there were
no commandment, a very basic material sense of justice would require that some sort of
recompense be offered.
Through this sense of honor and respect towards those who have come before us, we also
learn to respect and honor employers, elected officials and the laws they make. Without
this basic respect, the rule of law would itself be called into question.
It should be noted that respect, honor and obedience only go so far. If any authority is
attempting to abuse its power to contravene higher law, then it is not to be obeyed. For
example if you were required to kill your ailing grandmother for the good of the state.
The Fifth Commandment – Thou Shalt not Kill
Most people do not question the validity of this commandment. After all, it is difficult to
disagree with a commandment that prohibits the taking of human life for anything other
than purposes of defense. Still, let’s clarify that a little bit. First of all, the intent is not to
prohibit killing in every instance, but rather to prohibit the taking of innocent human life.
Meaning that killing to defend yourself, another person or your country is permissible if
there is no other alternative.
Included as innocent human life are also the unborn (the most innocent of all) and
euthanasia. Both of these actions are prohibited simply on the basis that human life is
unique and a gift not to be squandered or taken from anyone else.
The Sixth Commandment – Thou Shalt not Commit Adultery
It is obvious how adultery can affect a marriage, but how does it affect society? Simply
because of the fact that is affects the marriage. When one spouse cheats, the trust
of the other spouse and that of any children involved is greatly damaged. This can
color all future relationships to the extent of doubting the validity of marriage and of
wanting to avoid children so they may not suffer similar pain. This obviously affects the
development and even the existence of future generations and so of society.
The Seventh Commandment – Thou Shalt not Steal
This is another easy one. Theft, of money, property, goods, ideas, etc deprives a person
of what is rightfully theirs, undermining basic motivation for work as well as fostering a
culture of fear and suspicion that can contribute to a sense of isolation from other people,
thus fragmenting society.
The Eight Commandment – Thou Shalt not Bear False Witness
Again, most people would certainly agree that lying should be avoided, certainly in the
case of falsely accusing people of action that they have not committed. But beyond such
obvious injustice, lying in general (to our spouse, to our employer, priest, friends, etc)
is yet another action that can understand the basic fabric of society. This is because our
laws and even daily interactions assume that most people have a basic concept of truth,
that it is important. We simply could not function if we always assumed that everyone
was out to swindle us, from the stock broker to the mechanic changing our oil. We trust
them to do their job. That is we trust them to not bear false witness as the nature and
quality of their work. Without this basic level of trust we all would soon be nervous
wrecks constantly looking over our shoulders for the next person trying to put one over
on us.
The Ninth Commandment – Thou Shalt not Covet thy Neighbor’s Wife
Alright, the other commandments all involve certain actions, even honoring our mothers
and fathers, while beginning in the mind certainly must result in some sort of concrete
action. So, it’s easy to see how these have an effect on the stability of society and thus
reflect the natural law. But how does coveting play into this? After all doesn’t it simply
happen in the mind? The answer of course is no. True, initially certain thoughts may
enter the mind and then leave; a situation that simply reflects the human condition. Even
the greatest saints suffered temptations. However, once those thoughts are entertained,
they can fester and eventually may come out in various little ways. One may begin
treating one’s one wife poorly, or seeking to undermine your neighbor’s marriage in
subtle ways. All of this violates the natural trust that one’s spouse and one’s neighbor
has a right to. And it goes without saying that if things continue in this direction then
violation of this commandment can result in the violation of the commandment against
adultery.
The Tenth Commandment – Thou Shalt not Covet they Neighbor’s Goods
This one of course works just like the ninth commandment. “ like my neighbor’s table
saw,” a thought which is harmless enough. However, this thought can eventually morph
into envy and now I find myself angry that he has one and I don’t. If unchecked, such
an attitude can damage one’s relationships not only with one’s neighbor but one’s
family as one becomes obsessed. Naturally, this situation could lead to violation of the
commandment against theft, or even against killing in certain circumstances.
We’ve completed our brief survey of the seven social commandments and how they
relate to the stability of society. The implicit assumption is that the stability of society is
bound up with the natural law and is itself desirable from the perspective of the natural
law. But is it? And if so, what sort of society? Is the natural law as reflected in the
commandments the only guarantor of a stable society? We will begin to explore these
questions in the next essay as we look at the place of the natural law in the public square.
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