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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lane3 who wrote (78376)	10/27/2003 10:40:22 AM
From: Solon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

"But you're not going to change anyone's belief any more than you're going to change his sexual orientation by denigrating it. The only constructive thing to do is to focus on the behavior." I'm a big fan of education. And I was a huge fan of the Enlightenment. mars.wnec.edu I take your point that belief is intransigent; but it is so because in countries where extreme beliefs struggle for dominance over the minds of the populace, there is real danger in free thought. Where religious intolerance runs the show, both learning and teaching are channeled to serve ecclesiastical concerns and values. Some peope are very laissez-faire about this. Others consider mind control through fear and intimidation to rank amongst the highest crimes. Still others, unfamiliar with the true oppression of thought which exists in many countries consider it alarmist. In the ranks of those whom do recognize the human indignity of imposed belief, there are those whom consider any comment or action to be intrusive. Others believe that civilized people have a right to work on behalf of the freedom of individuals and the emancipation of humanity. Thus we have the "mind our own business" philosophy of those who watched the Taliban for years as they trifled with human life and imposed their magical and Totalitarian beliefs; and we have those who argue the right to interfere. I guess some people consider that the right to freedom of thought and to safety of person may justify assessing, judging, and denigrating the beliefs of others. Take the example of "honour" killings. Now there is nothing honourable about murder. Some people believe that this belief should be denigrated, assaulted, and assailed until it is battered beyond all hope of resurrection. They believe that religious "justifications" for murder should be smashed down and eviscerated. Others are careful not to denigrate the belief, but they will lobby for some form of punishment for the murderer. The whole edifice of education rests on evaluating the difference between beliefs and in teaching people how to assess and test for "truth" by the methodology of science and reasoned discourse. Correction...the whole secular tradition of western education involves this method. Western thought is that belief stands apart from the person, and may be praised or denounced separately from the person. I agree that we do not punish beliefs--but I think we are free to assess them...