Posted on 12/15/2010 9:18:21 PM PST by This Just In
So, Why Is Incest Wrong?
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
There are certain questions now pressed upon us that previous generations would never believe could be asked. One of these is thrust upon us by events in New York City, where a well-known Ivy League professor has been arrested for the crime of incest. What makes the question urgent is not so much the arrest, but the controversy surrounding it.
David Epstein is a professor of political science at Columbia University, where his wife also teaches. He previously taught on the faculties of Harvard and Stanford. Last week, he was arraigned before a judge in Manhattan, charged with a single count of felony incest. According to authorities, Professor Epstein was for several years involved in a sexual relationship with his adult daughter, now age 24.
Though the story was ignored by much of the mainstream media, it quickly found its way into the cultural conversation. William Saletan of Slate.com, who remains one of today’s most relevant writers working on the issues of bioethics and human nature, jumped on the story with a very interesting essay that openly asked the question many others were more quietly asking: “If homosexuality is OK, why is incest wrong?” Related Posts
* Homosexuality and the Bible — One Very Wrong Way to Deal With the Text * America’s Debate over Homosexuality: Are Christians On the Wrong Side of History? (Audio) * “Rights Talk” Collides with Right and Wrong * “Both Wrong and Dangerous” — Scientists Have Worldviews, Too. * “The Land of Never Wrong” — The Real World of Big-Time Sports
(Excerpt) Read more at albertmohler.com ...
RE: RAND PAUL’S MORAL COMPASS
It’s time to take moral issues away from
Govenment and return them to the family.
The “Hearth” of the Matter, By Jo Nuvark
When CONSCIENCE has lost its delicate sensibility, and its power of direction, there seems to be only one method of restoration, and that is by placing it alongside of a pure standard of right and wrong, as the magnetized iron which has lost its virtue is restored by being bound up for a time with a correctly pointing magnet. McCosh
Most can agree that society’s sense of right and wrong is blurred. The “world” reaches into our home through movies, literature, television and music. Much of it is positive, then a lot of it is coarse, offensive and blasphemous. My nine year old son, who attends a conservative Christian school, takes a full four days to memorize his weekly Scripture verses, yet he will easily pick up “street talk” and aggression from a 20 second commercial or a casual encounter with a mouthy peer. Though we can’t control all of it, through discernment (Ephesians 5:10 and 11), we can identify the “enemy” and prepare a strategy.
Ignoring this enemy is as foolish as ignoring a serious illness... it will eventually undermine your sensibilities and send you adrift into confusion and acceptance of what God tells us is not acceptable to Him (Ephesians 5). Satan is a liar and a deceiver (II Cor. 11:3). He has the knack of disguising evil with enough good (or humor) to make it palatable. What we absorb is really poison (Proverbs 23:6, 7 and 8) can cut us off from our loving Father in heaven (Psalms 30:6 and 7).
Fundamental to discerning right from wrong is reading your Bible. I have found Scriptures relevant to my every need, speaking to every modern application. Your Bible is true north!
The Holy Spirit makes us aware of areas in our lives that are not pleasing to Him (Romans 6:12, 8:26, 27, Galations 5:16, 17). The Scripture “edifies” this awareness. If one of our children displays an unacceptable behavior, together, we search out what God has to say about it (Ephesians 6:4). If correction is necessary (Jeremiah 10:23 and 24, and Hebrews 12:10), I want my children to know that I’m not just making this stuff up! God made provision for everything, through His Word, use it.
Women who love the Lord God and desire an intimate relationship with Him through His Son Jesus Christ, need to be bold in their home and set a standard, not only for their children, but perhaps for themselves and their mates as well (I Peter 3:1). God knows we cannot be perfect (Psalm 143:2 and Galations 6:5), but if you’ll let Him, He will guide you lovingly into Christ likeness (Romans 8:29 and 30).
Even secular experts agree that children model their parents. Fathers and Mothers impact their children more profoundly than we could ever imagine. So the term “walk the talk” becomes significant (I Timothy 4:12). Bring it home, set bold standards and set your compass in a direct line toward Jesus Christ.
Great article! Thanks!
There’s a war on, manc. Those who choose to fight on the wrong side will be noted and they will eventually lose.
You’re welcome Susie.
I wrote that article when my kids were still
in elementary school. They are tested “Walk
Talkers” nearing their thirties.
We raised them on God’s Word, not our word.
Our children are proof that practicing righ-
teousness works.
I am glad some fool didn’t make that mistake with me. We would have had a serious problem.
On the other hand, he might have thought you were not capable of taking good care of your daughter. Some fathers have never changed diapers or even fed their children. I have no way to prove it but, I don’t believe mine ever changed a diaper in his life.
Michael Savage has talked about this a lot; how men of his father’s generation didn’t watch babies being born, didn’t babysit, didn’t change diapers, and didn’t use mouthwash or deodorant.
Heck, Savage said that he wasn’t even allowed to have stuffed toys as a child because it was considered effeminate.
incest implies coercion.
The guy in question claimed he never had sex with his daughter until she was of legal age, but as a doc I question this. I suspect he “felt her up” or had non intercourse, priming her to obey him.
even brother/sister incest implies coercion, often because the girl involved lives in a dysfucntional family where girls are taught to “obey” men.
It’s not only a Christian taboo: the legend of Oedipus showed even an “accidental” incestuous marriage was seen with horror, and Paul, in Corinthians, admonishes a man who lived with his father’s wife, pointing out not only was it against God’s law, but because it was horrifying the local pagans.
Finally, it’s the genetics.
Even cousin marriage in Europe led to congenital deformities and hemophilia which resulted in destroying the monarchies.
Look at King Tut’s congenital deformities and check how Egypt had quite a few dynastic changes...every few generations there was a new dynasty, probably because Egyptian pharoahs married their sisters (or more commonly, half sisters).
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Please ping me to note-worthy Pro-Life or Catholic threads, or other threads of general interest.
God bless you!!!!!
I try to hold the fort too.........
Given that we're speaking of biology and evolutionary taxonomy, it probably isn't best to use a dictionary that's almost 2 centuries old.
No we’re not animals.
Of course we are. What else could we be? Plants? Fungi? If we don't belong to kingdom Animalia, to which kingdom would you assign us?
Let's try a quick exercise. All humans are mammals. Agreed?
Mammals are by definition animals. Agreed?
Therefore all humans are animals. Agreed?
When’s the last time you witnessed an animal design a car, or seek to develop a more efficient tool to build a house?
Since humans are animals, the answer is "quite recently". As for the toolmaking capabilities of non-human animals, it should be born in mind that h. sapiens is the most intelligent animal on the planet to date. As such, it should not be surprising that we have more capability to put abstract thought into action than any other animal.
We are not animals. Our species is not the same.
A species is a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. Non-human animals are by definition not our species.
Some of us Freepers happen to also believe humans have something no other life on the planet was gievn, a spirit, which informs out human soul, the behavior mechanism. That’s where we get that antiquated idea of right and wrong. You’ve heard of it?
On occasion, yes :-)
I'm speaking strictly from the viewpoint of the science of biology; as such, I'm not taking mythology into account.
And here I was about to have some modicum of respect for you. Are you a leftover/n00bie from the evo/crevo debates at FR?
Lecture not intended, though at times I
feel the church is still sucking on pablum.
Time for God’s people to grow up and
be stand up Christians.
Hope is good. Lead by example my FRiend.
You don't respect someone just because they look at human biology from the perspective of the biology of science?
Weird...
Are you a leftover/n00bie from the evo/crevo debates at FR?
From context, I can only assume "evo" means evolution. What in the heck is "crevo"?
Mr. Obama spent two years at Columbia College and graduated in 1983 with a major in political science. He did not receive honors, Mr. Connolly said, though specific information on his grades is sealed. A program from the 1983 graduation ceremony lists him as a graduate.In addition the incest and adultery practicing married Professor David Epstein also has taught at Harvard. In other words, Obama and Epstein walk in the same socio-political circuits.http://www.nysun.com/new-york/obamas-years-at-columbia-are-a-mystery/85015/
Will Michelle approve of incest for Barack? Or will she adopt a DADT policy?
I lost an urge to respect you when you deemed belief in spirit to be mythology, thus impugning fellow freepers. [In my best Vader voice ...] 'I find your lack of faith disturbing.' But we have several like you around so you won't get lonely. expose yourself ... er, I mean, enjoy yourself, it's later than you think. I do smell ozone in your near future however, n00b.
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