"As a christian religeous argument about morality, this seems pretty much out on the ragged edge of bizarre."
Romans 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves
So...let me get this straight. If you are not a christian, but you behave consistently with whatever morality you choose to have you are saved? Righteous? Handstamped? Good Housekeeping approved? So long as a socio-path does whatever he pleases, he's saved/righteous because he's internally consistent?
Not quite. You don't choose what your conscience tells you. It's preprogrammed. If you obeyed your conscience your entire life, you would not sin, and you would have no need for Jesus to have paid for your sins.
But we know that nobody has or will do this.
Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
So long as a socio-path does whatever he pleases, he's saved/righteous because he's internally consistent?
First, lets define socio-path. Dictionary.com describes a socio-path as a person having an anti-social personality disorder, but I thought a socio-path is one where the person had zero ability to distinquish right from wrong. In short, he either has no conscience or was born without a conscience.
Personally, I don't think anyone is born without a conscience. If true, then to either develop either an anti-social disorder, or to completely eliminate one's own conscience, then the person would probably have to violate his own conscience. And if so, he has sinned and is condemned.
But what if it is a physical mental health phenomenon, where the person is born with an impaired or non-existent conscience. Then the Lord is just going to have to judge that. Only the Lord knows the full circumstances and the full ability of the person to recognize right from wrong. I can't see judgement occuring where their was no conscious awareness of sin. Scripture doesn't really cover this scenario that I'm aware of, so I doubt it exists. If it does, I have no doubt that the Lord will deal with it appropriately.
On the otherhand, we are all His creation, and I don't think that He necessarily owes us eternal life, simply by virtue of having created us.