Moral Standards?

Can we live in a world without absolute moral standards? I would argue that we cannot; in the same way that order cannot be kept without laws. For instance, murder and rape are considered crimes and garner heavy jail time. Is that not a absolute moral standard? Would anyone argue that a rapist should go unpunished? No, because his actions were disgusting and corrupted and deserving of punishment. Our society continues to elevate the ethical perspective that states that by possessing no moral absolutes we rid the world of intolerance. First of all, this statement is ignorant because absolute moral standard cannot be simply ignored. Also, how does no moral absolutes increase tolerance? As Christians our basis for ethics is the character of God, and therefore we uphold absolute moral standards as pleasing to God. Because Christians understand that situational ethics unleashes faulty and idiotic ideas upon the world, the secular world fails to recognize the depravity of mankind. Situational ethics provides humans the ability to create their own rules and thus insure their own righteousness. It is "nothing but an excuse to do as we please under the banner of morality" (Noebel 129). They base their entire ethical system on what they consider right and wrong, but have no ability to verify that their ideas are correct. Without standards, the world would erupt in chaos. People could not be held accountable for their actions, because they could claim they did what they thought was right. Indeed, Francis Schaeffer states 'We are merely left with conflicting opinions" (Noebel 129). These conflicting opinions cannot be the basis on which you live your life- they do not agree. Christians cannot uphold the lack of moral absolutes because it defies the will of God. To state that no moral absolutes exist is flawed, as that statement describes an absolute. Situational ethics is filled with holes and contradictions and unworthy of trust.