tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post4809726633118834978..comments2023-10-24T04:29:23.693-06:00Comments on Atheist Ethicist: Dear Reader: Some Comments on ContextAlonzo Fyfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05687777216426347054noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-10276734495248269952007-01-29T17:08:00.000-07:002007-01-29T17:08:00.000-07:00This becomes the issue. Most of us are politely u...This becomes the issue. Most of us are politely used to not questioning someone's religious beliefs. And many religious people get quite upset when their beliefs are questioned. Yet questioning the beliefs, ideas and actions of others and ourselves is what we do on a continual basis.<br /><br />No belief system should be given a pass on this. We don't give economic beliefs a pass, or political beliefs, or cultural beliefs, but the tendency has always been to say nothing if someone has a strange religious belief.<br /><br />If someone had a religious belief that as part of their religious ritual pedophilia was practised, the majority of us would question that because there is a strong cultural abhorence of pedophila.<br /><br />Yet, it is tolerated when some religious people claim that homosexuals should be incarcerated because in their religious belief system, homosexuals are an abomination.<br /><br />We are certainly not consistent when it comes to questioning religious beliefs.beepbeepitsmehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12931640447011071849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-51801677529088035472007-01-29T13:23:00.000-07:002007-01-29T13:23:00.000-07:00Alonzo,
Sorry, but I can't buy your assertion tha...Alonzo,<br /><br />Sorry, but I can't buy your assertion that "Those who refuse these tests for religious reasons are no better than those who plant the bombs full of nails in a shopping area, except these parents set of their bombs in their own nurseries."<br />I believe there is a vast difference. Yes, both are badly misguided, but in the case of bombers, they are deliberately conducting an action they have strong reason to believe will kill many people.<br />The parents on the other hand have good reason to believe that most of the time the actions will have no bad consequences. Most babies are healthy. What they are chosing to do is subject their children to a risk. That risk may not be terribly high, but it is real.<br />Let's compare that with parents who take their children for unnecessary car rides. Accidents kill far more children than rare diseases or terrorist bombs. Shall we conclude that every parent who puts a child in a car, or allows them to be in any environment with higher risk that absolutely necessary is indistinguishable from a terrorist bomber?<br />To convince me, you'll need to do a better job of supporting the idea that accepting risk to life and killing people are the same thing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com