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To: ReignOfError
"We are clearly operating under differing definitions of "absolute.""

Obviously. Under whatever definition you're using, there are no absolute rights. That's, because more than a few people can and will violate them.

"If the right to religious exercise were absolute, human sacrifice would be a protected religious expression."

Free exercise of religion is an absolute right. Human sacrifice is not. In short, the sacrificed can't give up his right to life, in the same way one can't voluntarily be someone's slave. It has to the fact they're not free to change their minds after the fact, the inherent fraud involved and the victims are likely to be minors, or equivalently incompetent.

Whats your def of absolute right? Example?

195 posted on 07/09/2005 10:23:52 PM PDT by spunkets
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To: spunkets
Under whatever definition you're using, there are no absolute rights.

No, there aren't. That was my point. Most of the gnarly legal questions we face deal with one person's rights colliding with someone else's. Any right, taken to the Nth degree, will eventually infringe on the rights of someone else.

You have the right to speak, but not to slander. You have the right to bear arms, but not in my house without my permission. You have the rights to life, liberty and property, but can be deprived of any or all of those by due process of law. You have the right to remain silent, but even that is conditional. Ask Judith Miller.

Free exercise of religion is an absolute right. Human sacrifice is not.

Then free exercise is not absolute. If you can't practice human sacrifice, and your faith calls for it, your exercise has limits. Limited is not absolute.

Whats your def of absolute right? Example?

Definition: An absolute right is one that can never be legitimately denied or restricted under any circumstances whatsoever. I'm a reasonably well-educated guy, and I'd like to believe that I understand the word "absolute."

Example: Conscience. That's the only absolute right I can think of. You have the absolute right to hold any religious or political opinion, because your thoughts can't infringe on anyone else's rights. There are limits on how you can talk about or act on those thoughts, which makes all other rights less than absolute.

197 posted on 07/09/2005 10:51:25 PM PDT by ReignOfError
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