Moral law vs. Civil law essays

Moral law vs. Civil law essays As long as there have been laws emplaced, many moral and civil boundaries have been of great dispute. Problems arise when the two unavoidable laws clash when what is morally right is not always legal. This battle is ancient and is even written about in Antigone. There are times when moral law is more important than civil law, civil law overrides moral law, and several ways that the correlate with each other. Regardless of any society, culture or environment a person is brought up in, all human beings are born with the instinct of a desire to do things that make them feel comfortable and right with themselves. Because of this instinct, Antigone found herself feeling that her brothers unrest was more troubling than the penalty of death enforced by her uncle. Antigones conscience was strong enough to overpower her common sense that death would follow as a direct result for her actions. Such actions can be witnessed to this day, in which Gods law is stronger in some peoples consciences than the instinct of self preservation. Antigones actions are a strong example of moral law. There are times, however, when civil law is of more importance than moral law. Although someone may feel strongly about what they see as morally right, or Gods will, there may be civil boundaries that prevent them from turning their opinions into violent acts. For example, many members of the group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) have radical opinions on the treatment of animals, but even though they may feel that fur is not morally right, civil laws prevent them from throwing buckets of paint on people who are wearing fur in the streets. These laws are important because they protect people from getting hurt by others who are carrying out moral law. The two do not always work against each other, however. For example, the First Amendment is a law that allows people to ha...