Morals

[PonderingJak]

I have heard that one of the arguments supporting God’s existence is that everyone has a sense of morals. But are babies born with morals at birth? Young children usually don’t know the difference between right and wrong until they are taught. Can’t morals be developed from empathy, the fact that if they did not want something to happen to them, they shouldn’t inflict it on other people?

 

[JerryZ]

I have heard that one of the arguments supporting God’s existence is that everyone has a sense of morals. But are babies born with morals at birth? Young children usually don’t know the difference between right and wrong until they are taught. Can’t morals be developed from empathy, the fact that if they did not want something to happen to them, they shouldn’t inflict it on other people?

If what you say was true then we should see some variation in this across different human groups across the globe. And yet even in totally isolated tribes we can see that some tenets are very similar.
for example some cultures will kill and eat humans (from other tribes or groups) but killing within their own is severely punished with death or even worse.
The reality is that humans show a consistency of moral beliefs that transcends religions and civilizations. They are hard to explain by simply attributing them to learned behaviour.

 

[St_Francis]

Also, while children might need to be taught to *behave *morally, they can certainly pick up basic moral wrongs against them They will take another child’s toy with impunity, but scream when the other child takes a toy from them!

Also, parents *appeal *to children’s moral sense: Do you think it’s fair for you to take his toy?

 

[JustaServant]

Does the doctrine of original sin imply children are born knowing how to sin?
I’ve heard Calvinist preachers say they do.

 

[JerryZ]

Does the doctrine of original sin imply children are born knowing how to sin?
I’ve heard Calvinist preachers say they do.

It is not so much that we are born knowing how to sin, rather our nature is wounded by original sin, all humans are. As a result we have a proclivity to choose what is not good for us
So is not that we know how to sin, we don’t know how or are not willing to resist the temptation.
This is why we need to be infused with sanctifying grace in order to resist it.
At least I tend to see it that way

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