Always nice to hear that someone agrees with me. I imagine that there is much we agree on. I know there is much we do not. But, I am just as happy that BTW tripping agrees with me, and the pope's views are not any more meaningful or important to me.
I will not attempt to list my known disagreements, since it is a long list. I will just state a couple of them. I read a news article recently wherein the pontiff forgave the children who had been molested by their Catholic caretakers. That was something that I felt was inappropriate, and seemed bizarre to me. I believe that Muslims, Jews, atheists, etc. are just as correct in their beliefs as are Christians. I believe that the wealth of the RCC could be put to better use than it currently is being put to. Etc.
You do not understand my view of reality, which is that your reality is completely and utterly unknowable to me, and vice versa. Therefore, I feel that I have no right to judge or dismiss your faith, nor you mine. I guess we just disagree, and I can live with that. I am not arguing with you, either. Peace to you.
You are clearly not reading my posts thoroughly, or you would have seen that I feel hurtful, harmful, hateful words and actions are ethically wrong. I agree that I judge, but I try not to judge people, but actions. I would only dismiss your view as being not for me, if it is not hurting anyone else, I accept it as being valid, true, and just as worthy as my own. If it is hateful, etc., I just point out that in my view, it is misguided. I also sense that we do not share a common definition of morality.
Well, then you are blind, cuz I have written three different times that hurtful acts are not acceptable, and you still miss that point. I am opposed to unethical acts, for the fourth time. I hope you finally can grasp that. If you feel that good and evil are not absolutes, then you and I agree, as I originally stated, in theory, that is my view also. I have contended all along that in my view, in practice, that is a useless and meaningless concept.
Fifth and final comment on this. If it is harmful, I feel it is bad. Helpful, good. As for abortion, anyone who has had one will likely tell you it is not a good thing, but a sometimes tragic, and for them, necessary, evil. My criteria are simple, and have now been given to you five times. Some subjects, such as abortion are too complex of an issue, in my view, to state an across the board yes or no.
nothing could be more wrong. I said nothing like that. If I chop off your arm, would you 'feel' bad? You are just being silly now. Also, correcting a child is a loving act, as I am sure you must not assume I didn't know. Feelings are one thing, I have hurt feelings of others, and see no evilness at all in my words or actions that did so. I am talking about things like theft, assault, etc. Why do you assume so much about my position, and why are your assumptions always that I am an imbecile? just curious.
I am one who has to admit that I have met those who stole food to survive, and I could not judge or condemn their actions. I have never had to do so. I stole as a kid, but that was clearly wrong, as there was no life or death reason. Certainly, a masochist could not go around inflicting pain on the basis that it was with the best intentions. "Do not do unto others that which you would not wish done unto you." Rabbi Hillel This quote is a fairly good one for expressing my view. Or, "An it harm none, do what you will." is another. For the most part though, I am of the view that the concepts of hurt and harm are understood and agreed to by most, with the differences and exceptions most often being in the details of the context. For example, I support capital punishment for people with multiple first degree murder convictions. Yet I cannot say that my view is ethically sound, as it likely is not. There are many more such 'hypocrisies' that I am still trying to learn how to deal with.
To me this is like asking, 'Why is torture wrong?'. The answer, in my view, is that it is wrong becuz it is causing another person distress. If one is in a struggle for life, then maybe the life being saved is an acceptable reason to do an act that is considered wrong. I would kill an attacker to save an innocent victim, if that was unavoidable, yet I am not saying that I would be doing good. I hope that isn't too wishy washy sounding.
My guess would be that they base their views on a combination of their spiritual beliefs, and their accumulated experiences. Isaac Asimov once said he is good to others cuz he hopes that others will do the same, and becuz it is part of living in harmony with others, not becuz of some afterlife reward. I guess there are a million reasons why. I know virtually zip about Rabbi Hillel I am afraid.
Capital punishment, to me, is not nearly as tortuous as life in prison. Also, I don't support it as punishment, revenge, etc. I support it for many reasons, but I guess mostly as a very personal, and not necessarily correct, way to deal with a person that I have subjectively decided, cannot be rehabilitated. The present system would have to change, and I only support it if done very humanely, with no purposeful hurtful aspect to it. I agree it is not obvious to all, but that does not change my belief. I hold some beliefs that I doubt most would agree with, but that does not make me want to think like them. The Inuit elders also wandered off on their own as well, in order to help their children survive by not being a burden on them. I do not say that my support of capital punishment is 'good', just that it is my present position, with many important conditions.
