Sunday, February 7, 2010

Are your morals against the law?

Oh Answers in Genesis, how I love your emails. They're as entertaining as the majority of TV shows that get poor ratings. You've titled this letter "Are your morals against the law?" and I get the feeling the answer I'm supposed to be inferring is 'yes'. Insulting, but let's move on, hm?
A: There’s no doubt America was founded on Christian principles based on the Bible. In fact, just two generations ago, the majority of Americans supported prayer, Scripture readings, and Bible instruction in public schools. Britain’s Common Law also was founded on biblical authority. In both countries, people also supported displaying nativity scenes, crosses, and the Ten Commandments in public places. Gay marriage and abortion were outlawed.
I find room for doubt. I don't have to be any kind of historical scholar to reason that "just two generations ago" is not the same as "two hundred years ago." Don't pull that crap on me. And what does the Britain Common Law have to do with the way America was founded? BS. Name me one "Christian principle" that America was founded on that is uniquely Christian in nature. (Hint: freedom of speech and freedom of religion are not in the bible - in fact, they are spoken against. boom! roasted.) It's not even that I don't support the display of nativity scenes, crosses, or the Ten Commandments in public places, because I don't care. I just don't think they should be displayed on government property because that violates the separation. The Ten Commandments are largely unrelated to US laws at all, except for the "don't kill" and "don't steal" ones. And of course there is absolutely no place in a government building for "no other gods except for Yahweh." If you want to put up your plaques on private property, go ahead. But not in state-owned buildings. Oh, and interracial marriages were also illegal. Does your bible support the ban on black/white or white/asian love?
Today, however, it is very obvious that the population as a whole does not see the Bible as the absolute authority it once did. For instance, pollster George Barna found that in the United States, “A minority of born-again adults (44 percent) and an even smaller proportion of born-again teenagers (9 percent) are certain of the existence of absolute moral truth.” Similar surveys in the United Kingdom reveal even lower percentages.
Wait - you're equivocating "lack of certainty of absolute moral truth" with "the Bible is not the absolute authority"? I swear AiG, you just love equivocation. I don't find the Bible a source of "absolute moral truth" because it isn't one. It's full of stories about god-approved/-commanded genocide, rape, slavery, torture, polygamy, and dishonesty. If there is such a thing as absolute moral truth, it won't be found here.
So what has happened? Why the dramatic change? Why is the moral position of previous generations being outlawed more and more? What has driven this moral collapse? Why is this war going on?
Wait, is not supporting prayer in public schools a mark of moral collapse? Aren't crime rates lower now than they were "just two generations ago"? Maybe, in this age of easily accessible knowledge and free speech, it's easier than ever to check religious claims against fact and find them wanting.
Whereas Christian thinking once permeated the public education system, today the Christian God, prayer, Bible study, and biblical creation have all but been excluded from the system. Now, generations (including the majority of students from church homes) are being trained in a secular (anti-God) religion. They are being indoctrinated to believe that the universe—and all that exists within it—can be explained without God.
That's because it can. The Christian God, prayer, and Bible study have no place in "the system" except for in religion class. Because that's what it is. You wouldn't have it any other way if this were somehow a "Muslim" or "Mormon" nation. And don't get me started on biblical creation. It's not science. It never has been. To teach it as such is a disgrace to real science and to pretend that there's some kind of discord among scientists (as you would preach) is simply dishonest. Because there isn't. And you aren't scientists. You're propagandists. You pretend to be an authority on a subject and permeate religious fundamentalist circles with your disinformation. You are either ignorant or knowingly deceitful. So no, I won't give you my money.

And to answer your initial question ("are my morals against the law?"), no. And neither are christian morals. There's a difference in a belief in right and wrong behavior and the belief that your religion should be spread all over our government. And the latter is what should be illegal.

7 Comments:

Brandon said...

It seems to me that most people are more concerned with doing the right thing than they are with being the kind of person that does the right thing -- there's a difference -- and unfortunately this leads to all kinds of mess, like the clumsy haymakers that groups like AIG try to land on people they perceive to be a threat to their narrow legalistic view of God's word.

Anonymous said...

Drew,
Why are you so angry and bitter against a God who loves you, in spite of what you think of Him?? Do you really think you're blazing a new trail here, discovering new specious arguments that no one has ever thought of before (and ultimately been shown to be shallow, arrogant and pointless when it comes down to the important things in life?)
Dad

Drew said...

I'm more frustrated at answers in genesis because of the constant nonsense they put out. I might not be coming up with anything new, but I think that what I am saying is sufficient. I haven't really ever seen anyone respond to the aig newsletter though, so maybe in that way I'm doing something different.

Anonymous said...

Who is Jesus?

Drew said...

That depends. Are you asking who he was historically, or what I think he is as compared to what the bible says he was?

Anonymous said...

Who do you say Jesus is?

Drew said...

Didn't know the guy. I have a very select few books that claim to speak on his behalf, though they differ in crucial areas where one would expect harmony. I don't know much about him from history since every contemporary historian was silent about him. His teachings didn't seem to make much of an impact on the world until the Romans made Christianity the official religion. And I don't find the claims of the religion particularly convincing on almost any level.

So I'd have to say that, if he existed, he was probably some itinerant rabbi or just a man who was claimed to be some pretty bold things. Ultimately I can't know because I wasn't there and not much is known about him, if anything.

Can I ask you a question in return? Who do you say Muhammad is? Who do you think Krsna was? What about Appolonius of Tyana? Or Osiris? You can answer any of those.

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