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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank

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To: Lane3 who wrote (52545)7/6/2002 5:36:47 PM
From: J. C. Dithers  Read Replies (2) of 82486
 
for the believing Christian, death is no big deal.

Yes, that quotation can be mocked with reference to suicide bombers.

Yet, isn't there is a more profound side to it? In a world ruled and animated by pure rationality ... could it ever make sense for anyone to sacrifice their life for another? We have heard stories, and some are true, of soldiers throwing themselves upon a grenade to save their comrades in a foxhole. For the Christian who believes that "Greater love hath no man but to lay down his life for another," this is an act of faith and morality (as it is for believers in other religions).

But what is it for the rational humanist? Can it be anything other than an act of madness? Of stupidity? A reflection of a latent death wish in a disturbed mind?

From the standpoint of logic and rationality, could any circumstance be thought of wherein it would make sense for one person to give up his or her life for that of another? How could it be argued that any other life is more valuable than one's own?

And if we look for an answer through the lens of rationality ... would it make for a better world?
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