"The great commandment in this postmodern, relativistic world of ours...

... is this: "Don't impose your morality on me."

Obviously, it didn't used to be this way. Once, if you mentioned basic moral rules like the Ten Commandments, everyone would agree that they were right. Not only were they right for all, but they were also known to all. Everyone knew that honoring parents and telling the truth is right for everyone. And everyone knew that deliberately taking innocent human life, sleeping with your neighbor's spouse, and mocking God is wrong for everyone. Today all of that has changed.

Or has it? According to University of Texas Professor J. Budziszewski, it really hasn't -- at least not in the way you might think.

Budziszewski has just released the revised and expanded version of his classic book, What We Can't Not Know. Budziszewski, a leading natural law theorist, explains that there are certain basic moral truths that all of us really know, even if we pretend to ourselves that we don't. The murderer knows the wrong of murder; the adulterer knows the wrong of adultery.

The Apostle Paul confirms this when he says in Romans 2 that God's law is "written on the heart" -- everyone's heart, even the hearts of nonbelievers. People who pose as moral skeptics are playing make-believe, and, as Budziszewski writes, they are doing it badly.

That is from Charles Colson's April 5, 2011, edition of "Breakpoint". The revised and expanded edition of Dr. Budziszewski's book, What We Can't Not Know: A Guide, was published a few weeks ago by Ignatius Press; I'll be posting an interview with the author in the near future. In the meantime, here is an excerpt from the book:

• Natural Law and Bearing False Witness | J. Budziszewski

Also see (on Ignatius Insight):

• The Scandal of Natural Law | Interview with J. Budziszewski
• Objections, Obstacles, Acceptance | Interview with J. Budziszewski