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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lane3 who wrote (216729)	8/23/2007 8:40:56 AM
From: Brumar89	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793750

No one's commandments are legitimately binding on those of other religions. Zero. That's where we get into trouble--trying to impose our commandments on others. Well, thats not true. All of us (in this society) consider commandments forbidding murder and theft, as examples, as binding on everyone. All of us in this culture consider "honor killing" wrong and we're think its wrong for Muslims too. Honesty is a universal moral injunction we all insist should apply to others. The issues mentioned above are chosen as examples of the principle - that there are universal moral precepts. Theft and murder are illegal because they are not conducive to any healthy society and are so recognized. Deference to the person and property of others is the most basic element of civilization. That they are also commandments in some religions may give them added weight but they would also be illegal in societies of atheists. People don't consider theft and murder wrong merely because some legislators decided to pass laws on the matter. Suppose I were to take someone out on the ocean beyond the territorial waters of any state or nation - would it be moral for me to kill them there? Of course not. Even you, I'm sure, consider there's a universal moral precept binding here even if there is no legal jurisdiction. We've had societies of atheists (the USSR, China, etc) and in those societies the state had the right to murder at will. Though the state did monopolize that right. Sexual morality is a commandment that applies to those of the religions that command it. There's nothing universal about it. No, people who consider adultery and abuse of children wrong, consider it wrong for everybody. Pressing it as universal is problematic. What other consenting adults do in private is not appropriate for legislation in a free society. Sure. You're mixing up morality and legality though. They are related but not identical.