Superior to Instinct

Humans, the crowning achievement of God’s creation, are not governed primarily by instinct. Instead, we are free moral agents with a conscience and the capacity for love. (Genesis 1:27; 1 John 4:8) As a result of all these gifts, we can make just and moral decisions that sometimes reflect extraordinary love and self-sacrifice.

A person’s attitude and behavior are, of course, largely a product of the moral precepts and spiritual tenets that he was taught, or not taught, from infancy. As a result, people may differ in what they consider to be right or wrong, acceptable or unacceptable. These differences, in turn, can lead to misunderstandings, intolerance, and even hatred, especially when such factors as culture, nationalism, and religion exert a strong influence.

How much better the world would be if the entire human family adhered to one set of standards that reflect moral and spiritual truth, just as we obey the one set of physical laws that govern the universe! But does anyone have the ability and the knowledge to set universal standards? And if so, will he or has he? Those questions will be considered in the following articles.

Guidance That Surpasses Instinct

“If personal morality comes down to nothing more than the exercise of free choice, with no principles available for moral judgment of the quality of those choices, then law will inevitably be used to fill the resulting moral vacuum.”​—DR. DANIEL CALLAHAN.

CALLAHAN’S concern has become all too real, for the growing moral vacuum in many parts of the world has forced governments to pass countless laws in an effort to curb crime. At the first-ever Nigerian Mothers’ Summit, the president of Nigeria expressed his deep concern about the country’s future. He had in mind, not politics or poverty, but “a much deeper problem”​—the “general erosion of . . . core values within the family, at work, in the community and nationally.”

In Britain a survey of 1,736 mothers found that “the traditional family unit is in meltdown due to plunging moral values and the rise of single parents.” In China too, morality is taking a nosedive. People there are having sex earlier in life and with more partners than ever, reported Time magazine. “It’s my life, and I can do what I want,” said a young Chinese woman who boasted of more than 100 sexual partners.

Moral erosion has also affected those in authority. “People no longer look up to their leaders as strong moral exemplars,” stated Javed Akbar in Canada’s Toronto Star newspaper. Politicians, heads of corporations, and even religious leaders “appear to lack the proper moral fibre,” he said.

Why the Slide?

A number of forces are driving this downward trend. One is a general spirit of rebellion against traditional values. For example, a poll taken in the South in the United States revealed that the majority of college-student respondents felt that “right and wrong is a matter of personal opinion.”

Political writer Zbigniew Brzezinski touched on another factor. Today’s society, he wrote, “focuses largely on the immediate satisfaction of individual desires, in a setting in which individual and collective hedonism becomes the dominant motive for behavior.”a Moral autonomy, greed, and self-gratification may have a certain appeal, but are they conducive to genuine happiness, contentment, and better relationships with others?

“Wisdom is proved righteous by its works,” said Jesus. (Matthew 11:19) Are people happier and more secure because of the plunging values? Reflect on some of the results: heightened mistrust, insecurity, failed relationships, children growing up without a father or a mother, pandemics of sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies, drug addiction, and violence. These realities clearly do not spell satisfaction and success but, rather, sorrow and failure.​—Galatians 6:7, 8.

Having seen similar problems in his day, Jeremiah, a prophet of God, made the following inspired observation: “I well know, O Jehovah, that to earthling man his way does not belong. It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step.” (Jeremiah 10:23) Yes, God did not create us to be independent from him, to choose right and wrong for ourselves. What may seem good to us may, in fact, be very harmful. “There exists a way that is upright before a man, but the ways of death are the end of it afterward,” says the Bible at Proverbs 14:12.

An Enemy Within!

What is one reason why we need guidance on moral matters? Because our hearts can deceive us. “The heart is more treacherous than anything else and is desperate. Who can know it?” says the Bible at Jeremiah 17:9. If you knew someone who was both treacherous and desperate, would you trust him? Of course not! Yet, each of us has a heart that can manifest those very traits. Hence, God gives us this forthright but loving warning: “He that is trusting in his own heart is stupid, but he that is walking in wisdom is the one that will escape.”​—Proverbs 28:26.