"it's legal" -- legislation and our highest court of appeal

Legal–you here this term referenced all of the time. If it’s legal, it’s okay. If it’s legal it is moral. Somehow the two are often equated. But many legal things are not moral–drunkenness, sexual promiscuity, and dishonesty in relationships come to mind, and not everything that is moral becomes moral simply because someone somewhere wrote a law to that end.

Yet, we live in a culture where it almost seems like the highest court of appeal is legislation. If we can enact new legislation we will overcome discrimination, ward off hatred, ensure fairness, and basically create a better world. And so the lawyers and legislators of the land have somehow become the arbiters of what matters most. You can have your “private” religious or ethical views, but if you are really serious about life, if you really want to affect society and people in a deep and meaningful way, you have to somehow get it written down somewhere. You need legislation.

Please don’t misunderstand. I am not saying that legislation is wrong, for clearly it plays an important role in any civilized society. Nor am I saying that morality and legislation are somehow separate categories that ought not intrude on one another. Yes, you can and must legislate certain (not all) types of morality. You have to say that some things are wrong and that violators of certain moral guidelines will be held accountable. So, I am not in favor of ignoring (good) laws or minimizing the importance of creating and enforcing them.

All I am saying is that there is more to cultural change than what some guys and gals in Washington (or wherever) decree. Indeed, I would suggest that as significant as it is to legislate certain things, it is even more important that we take our cues from a higher source.

I know that making such statement often creates more questions than it answers. After all, whose particular cues should be taken most seriously? Granted, there is a lot of debate that must take place in any type of moral discussion. But, perhaps that is in fact a good thing. If you believe–as I do–that we are made in God’s image, that God is a talking deity, that he has spoken in the past and will continue to speak in the present, then you have to trust that honest discussion will provide an avenue to truth. In other words, God has a way of sneaking into our world and impacting our thoughts and lives. And he can do so not only through legislation, which clearly has its place, but especially through the everyday lives of thinking, praying, wondering, doubting, and (ultimately) believing people.

Allow the law-makers to make their laws. Get involved in helping to shape such legislation, accepting that this is indeed one way in which God works through people in our society. But never limit yourself to human statutes, laws, and the like. We can and should and must appeal to laws when discussing morality–in fact a violation of the law is itself immoral unless that law specifically demands that we violate a higher/divine law–but the greatest form of appeal is that which not only transcends but actually informs the best kind of legislation. Jesus once said it this way: “Set them apart in the truth; Your word is truth.” May this truth guide us in our legislative choices. More so, may it draw us closer to the true originator and supplier of what matters most.