Is it wrong to judge how people behaved in the past based on today's morals?
Jul 17, 2018 22:12:47 GMT
Post by Toasted Cheese on Jul 17, 2018 22:12:47 GMT
Because not all laws and circumstances are the same?
If I was to criticise the faithful for doing this it would be because the laws of the bible are said to be given authority by the inspiration of a purported supernatural, rather than the due processes of men, where that source and authority remains questionable. The laws of men have been established through such quantifiable things as precedent, the weighed arguments of men, custom, debated legislative decision and the structures of working justice etc. The difference is everything. However this observation does not mean that the moral dictates of any scripture of whatever source are necessarily wrong in and of itself.
As an atheist I don't pick anything from the Bible, or any other scripture, to follow by way of a moral law. Away from this however it might contain some useful rules for living, especially in the more empathetic NT while, as already noted, some law in scripture does correspond to secular law, such as the proscription on murder. But I think you would know that.
And you still haven't told me why law, of any sort is necessarily irrelevant - at least enough for you to decide to ignore it. Is it because it would bring more advantage to society and greater justice to all? Or because crime will still be committed 'anyway', so as not to bother chasing it? Would you still take such a laissez-faire attitude if you and yours were severely wronged? I doubt it.
"There's no moral obligation to obey the law" is not the same as nor does it entail "Don't enforce good laws"
"The laws of men have been established through such quantifiable things as precedent, the weighed arguments of men, custom, debated legislative decision and the structures of working justice etc"
Yes because the human race has such a good track record of making good ethical judgements. This is just argumentum ad populum basically.
"As an atheist I don't pick anything from the Bible, or any other scripture, to follow by way of a moral law. Away from this however it might contain some useful rules for living, especially in the more empathetic NT while, as already noted, some law in scripture does correspond to secular law, such as the proscription on murder. But I think you would know that."
lol try reading that again.
"B-b-but the law says I shouldnt" is such a juvenile attitude, equivalent to "But my mom says I shouldnt". Grow a pair and stop letting people tell you what to do.
Lugh, where does your awesomeness stem from? 
You will not convince an obstinate and inflexible mindset like Flaneur, even though he prides himself on his supposed and questionable logic. Laws were born out of religion, so any secular law is also born out of the principles of religious restraints. It seeps through and within and creates a virus in the thought process and corrupts.
People are not being free, because they believe in something else being the higher power, regardless of it being a God or the system which conditions us to become a slave to it. Rules and regulations only, to make one obey. Great point also about enforcing 'good' laws within oneself. That just stems down to attitude and behavior and having respect for each other. Laws even break their own laws, because they are not malleable. Consequence will also ensue from every action, but as a human race, we need to realize that each individual is their own law and higher power, not what some abstract and dubious someone or something institute tells us to do.