Free Republic
Browse · Search
Smoky Backroom
Topics · Post Article

To: steve-b
What of nontheistic religions such as Buddhism?

What about them? Could Buddhists be justly punished for blasphemy? If they blaspheme, yes.

The problem with nontheistic religions is that in denying what is naturally knowable, the existence of God, they undercut ethics, since pantheism necessarily conflates good and evil, making a coherent ethical system impossible. The state of Indian (Hindu) society is no accident. Hinduism in practice does not promote the common good.

858 posted on 06/02/2004 7:39:31 AM PDT by Aquinasfan (Isaiah 22:22, Rev 3:7, Mat 16:19)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 823 | View Replies ]


To: Aquinasfan; Modernman; inflation; All
Sorry, but you've just past the point of rational discussion.

"The problem with nontheistic religions is that in denying what is naturally knowable, the existence of God..."

The existance of God, or any diety, is by definition not subject to proof or disprooff. It is, being religious, a matter of FAITH, not objective proof. As a religious person, you obviously believe strongly, but you could not prove the existance of God, or the "trueness" of your particular sect of his worship, to an objective person.

This is the reason your entire argument is circular. You base the entire thing on only one sect of the Christian religion, which not all humans share or believe to be true. Since no objective proof of any religion exists, we cannot and do not base laws on their tenets.

Christianity and Catholicism are not mentioned in any of the Bill Of Rights, nor the Constitution as a whole. In fact, the entire system of representative government dates to the Greeks, pagans all.

Pornography is only "intrinsically evil" to you because you interpret the Bible (which is but ONE text, with many differing interpretations and contradictory statements and parables within) to mean it so.

This "disordered" and "unnatural" nonsense is merely your way of justifying a belief you already arrived at. As has been pointed out, "disordered" does not mean "evil".

"Evil", to most thinking people, is willingly causing harm to another, or depriving them of their rights, by force or fraud. Consensual sex might be damaging in some instances, but not in all of them, thus it is not intrinsically evil.

Since no matter what logic or reason is shown to you, you keep returning to your BELIEFS, this discussion is quite pointless.

You believe that porn is evil. Fine, don't buy, view, or otherwise involve yourself in it. But since many others, including the law, do not have this belief, you cannot make a blanket statement of fact that has no backup other than your own, religious-laced beliefs. YOUR religion does not dictate the rights of others.

881 posted on 06/02/2004 8:41:56 AM PDT by Long Cut (Certainty of Death, small chance of Success...What are we waiting for?...Gimli the Dwarf)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 858 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Smoky Backroom
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson