For centuries civil law and the religious or moral law have tended to bolster each other to sustain and perpetuate an orderly society – notwithstanding the general principle of separation of church and state. Some pillars of civil law and criminal codes have roots in the Ten Commandments: “Thou Shalt Not Kill Commit Adultery Steal Bear False Witness (perjury in our modern system).” In such standards of conduct, the civil law and moral law have stood together for certain ideals and norms of behavior that have helped build strong homes and a civilization bulwarked against anarchy and decay. In modern times we have seen erosion of some pattems of living held sacred in the past – maybe not as much through change in laws as in more liberal interpretations. Now comes a government – appointed criminal law revision committee for Great Britain with a tentative recommendation that incest laws be relaxed so that a man legally can have sexual intercourse with his daughter, or a brother with his sister, if the girl is of a consenting age – perhaps 16, 18, or 21. The committee’s “working paper on sexual offenses,” as reported in the public press, stated its proposals 2 rare “provisional” and its final report will depend on public reaction. Any changes will have to be enacted by Parliament, To relax the law on incest wouldrl’t only strike at the sanctity of the home but put that basic unit of society in a position of teaching and promoting promiscuity. If we want a society that stands tall in goodness, honor, and self-esteem, we must maintain laws that will promote these goals. That judges and lawyers – usually known to foster high ethics and conduct would propose relaxing incest laws, is appalling indeed. It’s axiomatic that when you take morality out of society you put the skids to many other values basic and dear to civilization. The committee says its final proposals will depend on public reaction. We hope Britons and others concerned react with proper indignation.