From: Platt Holden (pholden@sc.rr.com)
Date: Thu Dec 09 2004 - 14:16:11 GMT
Ian:
Platt:
> [Quote] For example, my hard-nosed, no-nonsense intellect tells me it would
> be a grievous error to remove from a vital, free society the idea that a
> Creator endows certain inalienable rights on every person -- like life,
> liberty and the pursuit of happiness (to coin a phrase). [Unquote]
Ian:
> I say
> I absolutely agree it would be unwise to remove the idea that those rights
> are "natural human rights", learned by generations of catastrophic mistakes
> throughout history, but why does their value depend on the supernatural
> idea that they are valid rights simply because your Creator created them. I
> genuinely have no wish to insult your spiritual beliefs, but why let them
> get in the way of a top class idea like human rights ? It's almost like you
> subscribe to the "opiate of the people" viewpoint, like the masses are
> somehow too dim to understand anything but a simplistic fairy story - don't
> want them asking too many awkward questions, give 'em religion, etc. I find
> that insulting.
Many people would find it insulting that you characterize their religious
belief as a "fairy story." As for human rights, I think it's better to
have them sanctioned by a higher power than by men or majorities who, for
whatever excuse, can revoke them "in the public interest."
But, I could be wrong. My hope was that this group could reconcile
religious belief with intellect to come up with some guiding moral
principles that would help mend the current social divide until the MOQ
becomes more widely accepted. To summarily reject those who believe in a
Creator doesn't seem helpful toward that end.
Platt
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