The Future of Morality

This is a script I recently wrote and will likely be my next animation:

*A man from the future appears in the 21st Century and approaches a pastor in his church*

Futureman - Pastor, Mrs. Johnson forgot her purse.

Pastor - Oh, she’s probably still in the parking lot, I’ll run it out to her.

Futureman - No need, she’ll be back to get it in exactly 3,2,1…

*Mrs. Johnson enters*

Pastor - How did you…

Futureman - She’s actually going to wait here for approximately five minutes, because it’s going to start raining in 3,2,1…

*starts raining*

Pastor - My god.

Futureman - Not god. I’m from the future. I came back in time to seek the counsel of a man of god.

Pastor - Counsel? The future? I...I don’t know if I believe this.

Futureman - I’m not asking you to take it on faith, pastor. I’ll take you into the future with me. I’ll show you myself. And then I’ll bring you back to the here and now, where you belong.

*pastor, speechless, mouth agape*

Futureman - We desperately need your advice. Can we go now?

*pastor nods*

*Futureman uses device that makes them disappear*

*They reappear in a wasteland, near a village*

Pastor - Where are we? When are we?

Futureman - 3500 years into the future, in a place that was once known as Texas.

Pastor - It seems so primitive.

Futureman - Most of the world is, compared to your time.

Pastor - What happened?

Futureman - There was a massive collapse. War. Starvation. Disease. You name it. It happened.

Pastor - My god.

Futureman - That’s why we need you, pastor. You see, we don’t know what to do.

Pastor - Do about what?

Futureman - From a moral standpoint, we’re at a loss, pastor. You see, we embraced moral relativism long ago, but there are those of us who question whether that was a wise course of action, question whether that was actually what led us to these trying times. We came back and retrieved you, because we seek the advice of someone who believes in moral absolutes.

Pastor - In that case, I’d be more than happy to advise you. Subjective morality is foolishness, and I’m willing to bet it almost certainly led you to whatever tribulations afflict your right now.

Futureman - Very good. This is our dilemma. *gestures toward primitive looking people dressed in rags, with children playing, women cleaning clothes outside their huts, etc*

Pastor - Those women and children? What about them?

Futureman - Do you see that band of marauders in the distance? We have the ability to stop them from what they’re about to do, but we are uncertain if it would be moral to interfere. You see, they’re going to attack these people and utterly slaughter them. They’re going to kill every man. They’re going to kill children, toddlers, and even babies. They’re going to plunder, pillage, and rape. They will take people as slaves. The rest will be killed. And then they’ll burn this place to the ground. Should we stop them, pastor, or should we leave them to this awful fate?

Pastor - A wise man of my time once said “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

Futureman - So we should stop them? Are you saying that would be the moral thing to do?

Pastor - Yes. There is a definite right and a definite wrong, and they correspond with God’s very nature. To allow babies to be butchered is objectively against what is moral.

Futureman - Are you certain there is no circumstance in which it is moral to butcher babies?

Pastor - My god what a question! Of course there is no such circumstance. You asked for my counsel as a man of a better, wiser time - as a man of god who believes in the morality you people seem to have abandoned - and now I’m giving that counsel. Do not allow those children to be slaughtered, sir!

Futureman - I’m afraid I can’t do that, Pastor. We’re going to have to stand here and watch them be killed.

Pastor - But why? I thought you wanted my advice!

Futureman - Because we cannot interfere. You see, I lied to you about a key detail of our situation. We didn’t travel 3500 years into the future. We traveled 3500 years into the past. These people are the Midianites, who you believed were slaughtered by the Israelites on God’s command, a command to kill every male adult, child, and baby - to slaughter every non-virgin female - and then to take the virgins and plunder for themselves.

*the sounds of the slaughter begin and the pastor looks away*

Futureman - Look at them, pastor. Is this objectively moral? For years, you taught people that this was justified, because the Midianites convinced some of the Israelites to believe in other gods, but is that not what all religions do? Do those who proselytize deserve to have their children killed? If I’m not mistaken, you come from a time and place that values freedom of religion, so which is it? For years you taught that God commanded them to slaughter these people, because they led God’s people astray, but isn’t that exactly how terrorists justify their violence? Look at them! For years, you taught people that the slaughter of these children was a gift, because it sent them to heaven, but is that not a justification to kill every child? For years, you taught people it wasn’t rape, because the Israelites married captive women, but do you think women so freely desire to have sex with the men who kill their families? You want me to stop it now that it’s before your very eyes, pastor, but when it was in your holy book, you told people it was okay. Watch as they kill children - blameless children - and then remember that you yourself justified it, all while claiming to have the moral high ground - an objective moral code rooted in God’s nature. Watch! If you can justify this as moral, then what can’t you justify, pastor? Your disgust right now, is born of a moral direction that emerged not because of your religion - but despite it.

Pastor - Please stop it!

*He is horrified and crouches down, covering his face*

*He appears back in his time, back in his church, relieved. He's holding a bible, but suddenly drops it, as if frightened of it.*

Numbers 31