It seems clear that large numbers of people today think that the
human race is, generally speaking, making moral progress. Many clearly believe
that on balance human beings tend to behave better now than they did in the
past, and that we should expect this trend to continue.
That is not to say that those who take this view think this
progress is rapid or without bumps along the way. But they do believe that the
human race is basically moving forwards morally.
In Western countries at least, this seems to be the majority view.
For example, how often have you heard someone, referring to some evil act or
other, say:
“How could this happen in the twenty-first century?”
People say things like this all the time. And when they do, they
are implying that although we might have expected the evil thing in question to
have happened in times gone by, it is unexpected in our time of greater moral
progress.
Sadly, however, this idea that people are making moral progress is
nothing more than a myth. It fails to take account of recent history or what
goes on in the world today. And it fails to appreciate the corrupt state of the
human condition.
Failure to take
account of recent history
In some ways at least, it is really quite strange that anyone
believes that people are progressing morally. Humans have been around for
thousands of years, yet recent history provides us with numerous examples of terrible
evils that have been committed.
Take murder as a key example. Is it really true that people in
recent times have been less inclined to commit murder than they were some
centuries or millennia ago? The Nazi Holocaust, for instance, that murdered six
million Jews, is still within living memory. The slaughter of millions in Cambodia Rwanda
Failure to recognize
what goes on today
Even at the present time, murder is something that occurs frequently
in our world. Islamist militants, including the group known as ISIS , are busy murdering
people whenever they get the opportunity. Drug gangs kill tens of thousands
every year. And murders as a result of domestic violence account for many
deaths.
Besides murder, there are plenty of other evils in our world that
are very widespread. Sexual violence against women and the sexual abuse of children
are both extremely common. So are human trafficking, assault, extortion and
theft.
Is it really the case that people are less likely to commit these
evils today than they were some centuries ago? I admit that I am not in a
position to make an accurate comparison, but I can’t help thinking that anyone
who says they are has a lot of convincing to do.
Human evil today is
enormous
Many other evils that commonly occur today could be added to the
above list. In short, it should be obvious that the evil that occurs in our
world at the present time is enormous.
I would suggest that those who believe that the world is slowly
becoming a morally improved place and that people are learning how to behave
better are deluding themselves. It is true that terrible evils took place in
the more distant past as they do today. But to suppose that people are
progressing morally is just a myth.
Drawing false
conclusions from progress in some areas
I think modern Westerners look back to things like slavery that
were openly accepted in the past, and they often suppose that the criminalization
of such things points to progress in people. Or they look at changes in
attitude like the way racial prejudice is less prevalent now than it used to be,
and they think this means that people are morally better than they used to be.
What they fail to recognize, however, is that other evils have arisen
in Western countries to take the place of those that have become less of a
problem. When slavery was legal, for example, freely available abortion, a
terrible offense to God, was illegal. So-called “gay marriage,” something else
that is very offensive to God, was also not on the agenda.
Fashions in morals come and go. And in any part of the world, it
is probably true most of the time that some things are changing for the better
and others for the worse. But the idea that people are progressing morally is
not supported by the evidence.
Confusing progress in
technology with progress in morality
I think another reason why many believe that human beings are
making moral progress is because they confuse advances in technology with the advance
of humans themselves. For example, when people benefit from newly invented
medical treatments, it might superficially seem that people themselves are
making progress.
This, however, is to compare apples with oranges. There is a world
of difference between technological progress and real change in the moral
status of people. Advances in technology do not carry the genuine advance of
humanity with them.
Something terribly
wrong with human beings
Looking at the world around us, then, should not lead us to
believe that human beings are making slow moral progress. Placing hope in the
moral advancement of humanity is nothing other than an exercise in futility.
In fact, I would suggest that according to honestly-evaluated
human experience, there is surely something terribly wrong with the entire
human race. Even if only a minority of us commit what are commonly viewed as
the worst types of evils, there is still something genuinely bad about all
human beings. We have all at times consciously chosen to do things that we have
known are morally wrong. And what is more, we are unable to choose to act
perfectly. It is simply not possible for someone to decide that they will live
a perfect life from that point forward. There is something morally damaged
about everyone at a very deep level.
Using biblical language, we can say that all human beings have
sinned and are under the power of sin. This is a difficult and in some ways
mysterious subject, but it is extremely serious. You often hear people joking
about sins or about acting immorally, but those who do this have been badly
deceived. To do anything wrong is to defy almighty God, and the foolishness of
that can hardly be overstated. If God is just, as He is, and if justice involves
punishing wrongdoing, as it does, then it is enormously foolish to do something
wrong. You are basically inviting God to punish you. And there is a sense in
which defying the infinite God is infinitely serious.
The Christian message
of good news
In the face of human sinfulness, however, the Christian faith
presents a message of good news. This is that God in His love offers free
forgiveness to anyone who will accept it. Nevertheless, He has arranged exactly
how we should receive this forgiveness.
Crucially, the idea, found among so many, that God forgives those
who simply believe that He exists and ask Him for forgiveness, is completely
wrong. It cannot be stressed strongly enough that just apologizing to God for
what you have done wrong will not result in your sins being forgiven. That is
not something that God has planned or does.
To be sure, apologizing and turning away from sin is part of what
is needed. But the other essential part is to have faith in Jesus Christ as the
one who saves us. We must personally claim the benefits of His crucifixion and
resurrection. We need to hold out our hand to Him, so to speak, so that He can place
the gift of forgiveness in it. This is the way of receiving forgiveness that
God has designed.
I don’t pretend to know why God has ordained this specific route
to forgiveness. Given that Jesus died on the cross for all people, I don’t know
why God doesn’t just forgive those who apologize to Him and repent whether they
have heard of Jesus or not. I don’t understand why they have to have faith in
Christ.
Nevertheless, I am content to accept that God is infinitely greater
than I am and that His ways are perfect whether I understand them or not. I am also
keenly aware that those, including myself, who have taken this step of
repentance and faith in Christ testify that it has resulted in a new form of
spiritual life.
If you have never taken this step, I would urge you to do so today.
Don’t wait until tomorrow. You could die in your sleep tonight and lose your
chance.
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