Absolute truth Quote by R.J. Rushdoony
““Those who hold to the Christian faith see law as an ultimate order of the universe. It is the invariable factor in a variable world, the unchanging order in a changing universe. Law for the Christian is thus absolute, final, and an aspect of God's creation and a manifestation of His nature. In terms of this, the Christian can hold that right is right, and wrong is wrong, that good and evil are unchanging moral categories rather than relative terms. From an evolutionary perspective, however, we have a very different concept of law. The universe is evolving, and the one constant factor is change. It is impossible therefore to speak of any absolute law. The universe has evolved by means of chance variations, and no law has any ultimacy or absolute truth. As a result when we talk about law, we are talking about social customs or mores and about statistical averages. Social customs change, and what was law to the ancient Gauls is not law to the modern Frenchmen. We can expect men's ideas of law to change as their societies change and evolve. Moreover, statistics give us an average and a mean which determine normality, and our ideas of law are governed by what is customary and socially accepted.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Biblical Basis of Law, R.J. Rushdoony, 1975
The quote contrasts an absolute, divine law seen by Christians with a mutable, statistical view of law from an evolutionary perspective, suggesting law is socially constructed and changes over time.
In simple terms: Christian view sees law as unchanging; scientific view sees law as changing.
Recognize that legal norms evolve with society.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- legal reform
- cultural anthropology
- policy making
- education
- interfaith dialogue
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How do we balance moral absolutes with societal change?
- What role should tradition play in modern law?
Absolute claims ignore cultural diversity and scientific evidence.