It seems, over the last few years, that there has been a strong movement to invalidate religious arguments in the public policy debate. The claim is that religious beliefs are not founded on any concrete evidence and are therefore invalid as a basis for public policy. This is especially evident in the debate over gay marriage. Many Christian believers do not want the government to support gay marriage because the Bible is so clearly against homosexuality. Those in favor of gay marriage believe that these Christians are unfairly enforcing their own moral beliefs on everyone else and that those moral beliefs are empirically unfounded and therefore invalid.
There are a few problems with this argument. For one, the idea that religious beliefs are empirically unfounded is extremely short-sighted. But that is not my focus today. What I take issue with is this idea that my religious beliefs can not inform public policy in regards to morality. The law has always been founded on some kind of moral code. That’s what law is at its root. For centuries, that moral code has been informed by religion. Why then, should I now have to give a secular argument for my moral beliefs which are founded in my religion? The idea is ludicrous, offensive, and oppressive.
This does not mean that everyone must found their moral code on religious principles. I have no problem allowing the secularists to base their morality on whatever philosophy they choose. Even if it is a godless philosophy. That is their right and their choice and they are free to voice that opinion as loud as they wish. Do not, however, claim that I must fall back on your same godless philosophy when explaining or defending my own moral code.
I have decided that when I am asked why I support any given social policy, I will not shy away from explaining my beliefs as they are founded in my religion. I will not seek for secular explanations of eternal moral principles. Don’t ask me to give an explanation for morality that excludes our Creator, because I don’t think such an explanation exists.
