Are somethings illegal because they're wrong or are somethings wrong because they're illegal?

Law is an attempt to codify ethics. Ethical and equitable behavior between people is the goal of all laws--or at least, it should be.

The exception to the rule is victimless crimes. Drug laws, prostitution laws, and the like have no victims. Nobody gets their rights trampled, nobody gets their feelings hurt. I like to call these church laws, and it's ironic that these are often illegal due to them being "immoral" according to someone's religious dogma. Common sense would dictate that if there is no victim, then there is no crime; "no harm, no foul."

Getting past that, your original question seems like a matter of opinion on the surface. It is not. We have been taught since birth that things like drug use and prostitution are immoral, and so we are naturally prejudiced to believe that they are wrong. Let's take a less controversial example and see if our opinions change. Let's say that there is a law against wearing red bow ties. Nobody's rights are trampled by someone wearing a red bow tie, but the law is in place nonetheless, and it is a valid law. Is wearing a red bow tie now "wrong" simply because it is illegal? Of course not. No harm is being done, and the world is in no way a worse place for someone wearing a red bow tie, legal or not.

Things are only wrong because a social majority agrees upon it so. Things are only illegal because a social majority agreed to enact laws against such behaviour.

There are plenty of things that are legal but wrong and plenty of things that are wrong but legal.

The answer is Yes and Yes. Murder is illegal because it is wrong. blue laws made some things wrong because they were illegal.

The laws of the United States are related to right and wrong, or in other words, common sense or God's right way. This has to do with our being one nation under God, and the fact that there is NOTHING about a so-called "separation of church and state" in the Constitution (my $500 reward still stands for anyone who can point out those words).

This, of course, is what the liberals don't understand. They want to do away with sound law and sense altogether, so that they can murder according to a "choice" or screw another man in the butt, then marry him. Or remove a person's right to defend himself or herself/family.

Here's a question that is along those lines:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AofwQ...

My answer fits this question as well.

both