MORAL ABSOLUTE TRUTHS: AFFIRMED OR DENIED

This years hottest issue was all about the Vhong Navarro Mauling Case which
happened last January 22, 201! " lot o# people were now having their own gut
#eelings, analysis and conclusions about the incident which stained a great i$pact to
every peoples daily conversation! %hen Vhong was interviewed by Mr! &oy "bunda, he
narrated the whole story o# what really happened to hi$! 'e na$ed na$es that were
accountable behind the $auling incident! (eniece Corne)o and Cedric *ee! (eniece
was the one who$ Vhong had visited in her condo at +orbeswood, Taguig City where
the incident too, place and Cedric was said to be the head o# the said $auling case!
%hen &oy "bunda as,ed hi$ i# they have an inti$ate relationship with (eniece he
denied it, but he publicly revealed an honest con#ession that i# there is one thing that he
was sinned o#, that would be his $ista,e to his girl#riend! That is the botto$ line o# this
very controversial issue! -eading between the lines would give us a clear conviction
that Vhong Navarro cheated his girl#riend which is the root o# his $essed up! "lthough
we pitied so $uch o# what happened to hi$, but we would always loo, #orward #or the
reality that he deceived his partner! That is an absolute truth! &ut, is there really such
thing in li#e as $oral absolute truths. %hat about the di##erent )usti#ications o# $oral
absolute truths #ro$ Vhong Navarros side to (eniece Corne)o and Cedric *ees
versions. %ho a$ong the two sides who are telling the truth. "s this case is not yet
over, we will never ,now!
/n order #or us to )usti#y i# $oral absolute truths e0ist, let us #irst de#ine what truth
is! "ccording to Merria$ (ictionary, truth is the real #acts about so$ething, a state$ent
or idea that is true or accepted as true! Mahat$a 1andhis version says this way that
Morality is the basis o# all things and that truth is the substance o# Morality! /n scripture,
it was stated in John 4:16 that Jesus Chrst s the !a" an# the truth an# the $%e!
There are a lot o# de#initions with regards to the de#inition o# what truth is! /n the world o#
ethical relativists, they argued the uncertainty o# truth! %hat is right #or you $ay not be
right #or $e! 'owever, there are so$e people nowadays who slowly e$braced the
belie# o# ethical relativis$! Now, the point is, i# they $ade such conclusion that the right
#or hi$ $ay not be right #or $e, is )ust li,e saying that one plus one e2uals three, and
that is so ILLO&ICAL! 3n a wider perspective, the scientist clai$ed that the earth is not
the center o# the solar syste$, yet the sun does! 4cience as everyone ,nows, it is
based #ro$ scienti#ic evidences, which the tagline in a particular T!V show in "&45C&N,
43C3 says that HINDI NAGSISINUNGALING ANG EBIDENSYA. /# there is no such
thing as absolute truth, then there is nothing ulti$ately right or wrong about anything!
+or instance, what will happen to a person i# he ignores the red light in tra##ic signals.
(e#initely that persons li#e will be at ris,! 3r, #or an instance, i# the person thin,s that
hitting or touching a burning wood could har$ hi$ or could not in)ure the other being,
then why should we treat those burn victi$s i# in that conte0t there are no absolute
standards. %hy should we advice those children to stay away #ro$ the burning sur#ace,
i# the burning itsel# is )ust a $atter o# ones perspective. %hy would a govern$ent $ade
such natural laws against ,illing, $urder, robbery, e0tortion, etc! i# there will be no
absolute $oral standards to #ollow! Now, let us go bac, to Vhong Navarro $auling case!
'e was so certain that i# there is one thing that he was sinned o#, that would be his
stupid $ista,e to his girl#riend, because he cheated her! Now, who says that cheating is
)ust a $atter o# personal taste. %ho says it is right. %ho says it is wrong. /# we
account that cheating is not wrong, there#ore we are trying to T3*6-"T6 those
/NT3*6-"&*6 "CT4! /# we then account that what Vhong did is $orally wrong, then
&o#'s (
th
Co))an#)ent that thou sha$$ not *o))t a#u$ter", is true and is absolute
that to cheat is $orally wrong! +ran,ly spea,ing, our standard o# what is $orally wrong
and right is in con#lict! The verdict o# ethical relativis$ is that our standards #or what is
$orally right and wrong is )ust an individual pre#erence, or its )ust a $atter o# ones
personal taste! /# we will a##ir$ to this belie# then a$$ +eo+$e !ou$# ,e %ree to #o
!hate-er the" !ant.)ur#er/ ro,,er"/ *heatn0/ stea$n0 an# a$$ e-$ a*ts1 /$agine,
how horrible our world will be i# there is an absence o# $oral absolute truths7 /ndeed,
$%e !thout )ora$ a,so$ute truths s #an0erous/ an# s %ata$1
Truth again is proven by evidences and is accepted as true! Now, the $ain
2uestion8 /s there really an evidence #or the e0istence o# $oral absolute truths. 9es! /t is
our CONSCIENCE! /t is an inner voice which tells us so$ething i# our actions are right
or wrong! Conscience is innate within us and is 1ods gi#t to hu$an,ind! The &ible
describes the role o# the hu$an conscience in Ro)ans 2:14.16: 3In#ee#/ !hen
&ent$es/ !ho #o not ha-e the $a!/ #o ," nature thn0s re4ure# ," the $a!/ the"
are a $a! %or the)se$-es/ e-en thou0h the" #o not ha-e the $a!/ sn*e the" sho!
that the re4ure)ents o% the $a! are !rtten on ther hearts/ ther *ons*en*es a$so
,earn0 !tness/ an# ther thou0hts no! a**usn0/ no! e-en #e%en#n0 the)1
Ths !$$ ta5e +$a*e on the #a" !hen &o# !$$ 6u#0e )en7s se*rets throu0h Jesus
Chrst/ as )" 0os+e$ #e*$ares18 *et us go bac, again to Vhong Navarros $auling
case! The whole nation sy$pathi:ed with what happened to hi$! Now, whats ironic is
that Vhong publicly revealed his con#ession that i# there is one thing that he was sinned
o# that is his $ista,e to his girl#riend! 'e cheated her! -eading between the lines would
tell us that Vhong said this because o# his conscience which 1od said that it is written in
our own hearts! /# we see, to scrutini:e and analy:e his revelation, the presence o#
conscience thus wor,ed in hi$! Mr! &oy "bunda did not #orce Vhong to ad$it it publicly,
but he chose it and he initiated it! The action is thus voluntary #or hi$ to ad$it the truth
that he cheated his girl#riend! /n that conte0t, we could perceive that Vhong con#essed
his wrong#ul act to his partner, si$ply because he was guilty! "s stated above, that
conscience is an inner voice which tells us i# this particular action is right or wrong which
$ade us to #eel guilty i# there is so$ething wrong! /$agine that une0plainable #eeling
when you #eel li,e youve done so$ething wrong and i$agine that #eeling when you
were able to #eel that guilt #eeling when you have hurt so$eone! This #eeling is not the
#eeling o# sub)ectivity or pre#erence, because it is &o#'s 0%t that is #elt through &o#'s
nter-enton and is guided to what we so called the assess$ent o# an action to whether
it is $orally right or wrong!
There $ay be a lot o# con#licts with regards to the 2uestion i# $oral absolute
truths e0ist or not; but there is only one thing that is certain, and that is our bias5 OUR
CATHOLIC FAITH1 /# we truly believe in 'i$ as well as the BIBLE which served as the
bases #or living with $oral absolute truths, then the e0istence o# such is indeed not
dubious! Jesus Chrst s an u$t)ate e+to)e o% )ora$ a,so$ute truth1 1od is the
creator o# all things, thus beco$ing the standard #or what we truly believe in! /# one
person ulti$ately believes the e0istence o# 1od, then that person would de#initely ,now
that he was created #or a strong purpose, and that he would only do what 1od
co$$ands hi$ to do which is then guided by ones $oral conscience which is innate to
us! 1ods undying love #or us as stated in Jere)ah 91:9 3I ha-e $o-e# "ou !th an
e-er$astn0 $o-e: I ha-e #ra!n "ou !th $o-n0.5n#ness8 per#ectly showed to us
that $oral absolute truths e0ist, because 1od on the #irst place would not give us 'is
co$$and$ents in 60odus 20 i# 'e did not love us! 1ods co$$and$ents there#ore
proved to us to be $orally guided! Moreover 4t! <auls letter to 1 Cornthans 19:4.;:
3

Lo-e s +atent/ $o-e s 5n#1 It #oes not en-"/ t #oes not ,oast/ t s not +rou#1

It
#oes not #shonor others/ t s not se$%.see5n0/ t s not eas$" an0ere#/ t 5ee+s
no re*or# o% !ron0s1

Lo-e #oes not #e$0ht n e-$ ,ut re6o*es !th the truth1

It
a$!a"s +rote*ts/ a$!a"s trusts/ a$!a"s ho+es/ an# a$!a"s +erse-eres8 would
e0plain to us that everything that is not present on 4t! <auls description about *ove is
there#ore a product o# an evil act! Now, i# you are as,ed, is there a love i# so$ebody
would ,ill, $urder or cheat. 3# course there is none, #or a real love ,eeps no record o#
wrongs and LO<E DOES NOT DELI&HT IN E<IL BUT REJOICES =ITH THE TRUTH1
Maybe the very $ain reason why this world o##ered a lot o# 2uestions about the
e0istence o# $oral absolute truths is to STREN&HTEN ONE'S FAITH1 The ulti$ate
evidence #or the e0istence o# $oral absolute truth should be re$e$bered what the boo,
o# John 4:16 state# that Jesus Chrst s the !a"/ an# the TRUTH an# the $%e1 /n
conclusion, why would certain people con#lict their $inds to the belie# o# others i# you
already ,now where you ca$e #ro$! /# certain person would be as,ed8 %ho is your
CREATOR. /# he answered &OD; then that is the MORAL ABSOLUTE TRUTH1
PRESORES, DERMAELYN J. BSED-3