An argument often used to support the existence of a Creator is that there are certain absolute fundamental moral values which are common to every society, and that these values must come from a higher being. When these values are violated, our conscience feels pangs of disturbance, hence our conscience must be divinely given.
I feel this argument is not valid.
Are there really absolute moral values? Let us look at the first commandment: Thou shalt not kill.
For many ancient societies, the duty of a son to avenge his father's murder was sacrosanct - take Hamlet for example. The ancient Chinese felt just the same way. Yet today, we believe in the law taking its due process, and some societies believe that the death penalty should not be given out no matter what the situation is. Many nations impose capital punishment that would not have been imposed in another nation, for instance the mandatory death sentence for selling or transporting drugs where I stay.
Clearly there is no absolute moral value here.
Another touted "absolute value" is the prohibition against stealing. But if we look into folklore, Robin Hood is regarded as a hero. In an era where the rich lived large and the poor went hungry, a thief like him WAS a hero, but in a more egalitarian society he would not be one. Here again the idea of rules that always apply fail.
Therefore we can see that there are no absolute moral values, as they change to fit the situation in different times and places. If there are values that coincide between societies, that is because such values are those that help most societies survive and prosper.
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