Comments - They booed Ron Paul for espousing the utilitarian "Golden Rule." - Civil Discourse Now2024-03-28T10:21:11Zhttp://civildiscoursenow.com/profiles/comment/feed?attachedTo=6316350%3ABlogPost%3A14712&xn_auth=noPaul,
First, why do you use t…tag:civildiscoursenow.com,2012-01-21:6316350:Comment:150042012-01-21T11:18:08.474ZMark Smallhttp://civildiscoursenow.com/profile/04vjqivrcsdny
<p>Paul,</p>
<p>First, why do you use the phrase "self-avowed atheist"? I never hear anyone referred to as a "self-avowed Christian." Grammatically the statement is accurate, but the nuance is that others who are atheists either do not realize they are atheists, or keep their belief secret. The phrase implies that a person who declares himself or herself to be an atheist is somehow strange. However, one Gallup Poll puts the percentage of atheists in the United States at 15%.</p>
<p>Second, my…</p>
<p>Paul,</p>
<p>First, why do you use the phrase "self-avowed atheist"? I never hear anyone referred to as a "self-avowed Christian." Grammatically the statement is accurate, but the nuance is that others who are atheists either do not realize they are atheists, or keep their belief secret. The phrase implies that a person who declares himself or herself to be an atheist is somehow strange. However, one Gallup Poll puts the percentage of atheists in the United States at 15%.</p>
<p>Second, my glasses are not rose-colored. They are bifocals and probably need to be replaced. It is the age "thing." You say, though, that with "a secular viewpoint" I "should not be pointing out the religious hypocrisy of others..." If I were critical of the inner workings of a particular congregation—their budget for purchase of hymnals, for example—I would agree with you. There are forces in this society that want to place their religions into the political system. Amongst the most extreme of these is dominionism. Perhaps I am inaccurate in my assessment of the composition of the audience at the debate te other night, but given it was in South Carolina and the debate was amongst candidates of the Republican Party, I would think a majority of the audience were of some evangelical Christian belief. Therefore, they wish to place their beliefs at issue. Consequently, criticism of their hypocrisy is fair play.</p>
<p>Finally, I read the links you posted. None of them dissuades me from interpreting the Golden Rule—again, a utilitarian view of interaction with others that pre-dates the time when Jesus Christ supposedly lived—as a general statement of behavior. First, most of the biblical passages are from the Old Testament. That is a rather primitive book and portrays a rather primitive supreme deity. Second, none specifically states, "Oh yeah, and by the way, the do unto others thing only applies to interpersonal relations." Congressman Paul was correct to apply that rule or sentiment to nation states. I do not see an asterisk in that passage of Matthew, or a footnote saying something to the effect that it does not apply to relations between countries or somehow is limited to individual humans.</p>
<p>I learned my lesson yesterday and drafted this on WordPerfect. I appreciate your comments and the thought you put into the topic. I look forward to further dialogue.</p> Paul, I spent 20 minutes writ…tag:civildiscoursenow.com,2012-01-20:6316350:Comment:150012012-01-20T11:27:19.210ZMark Smallhttp://civildiscoursenow.com/profile/04vjqivrcsdny
<p>Paul, I spent 20 minutes writing a post in response to your very thoughtful contribution. Unfortunately, I hit the wrong button and what I had written vanished. I shall write more later.</p>
<p>Paul, I spent 20 minutes writing a post in response to your very thoughtful contribution. Unfortunately, I hit the wrong button and what I had written vanished. I shall write more later.</p>