Natural vs. Divine Law

Natural and Divine Law When examining the ideas and relations of divine and natural law many variables must be taken into consideration. Social norms, evolution, and religion must all be taken into account. When examining natural law we need to examine not only what laws come from morality, but at what point did morality come into existence, and how that morality came to be. Evolution is the key factor in determining what is considered moral, and what is considered necessary. Looking at the state of evolution that different cultures are in can help show how natural law has evolved over time. This relation will also show how divine law has been adapted from natural law and has become a major factor in how society governs itself in our modern world. Small tribes in South America are a good place to start when considering the stage at which evolution subsides to morality. When a tribesman runs into a stranger he has two options, flea or fight. Because environment has not allowed these people the ability to have a safe reliable source of food, establishing territory becomes very important. Small wars are often fought between villages over small amounts of land. As tribes must maintain a certain amount of land to hunt, fish, and gather food for its people. At this stage in evolution the ten commandments would not be applicable. They can’t. So when our lonely tribesman comes across someone he does not know he must assume that he is there to steal his food. At this point he can fight off the enemy, or give up his land. When it comes to morals vs. needs for our tribesman, needs will always win. Jumping to a more civilized group of people, lets look at Moses and his followers. These are a people that had permanent cities, farm lands, and infrastructure set in place. Strangers came in and out of town on a daily basis and although wars were still fought over land, there was no need to assume that any stranger coming into town was there for that reason. In this level of