The sources of hate have historically been from one’s family and/or the society at hand. But now a popular source of hate is the internet. People can learn hate by surfing and finding something that resonates with them. Something that fits their personality and their situation. Either way, hate is a learned phenomenon. Then it […]
Abortion Is Justifiable Because An Unborn Child Has Less Value
If abortion were murder then society as a whole would treat it as such with comparable penalties. But when we look at abortion throughout history, even including the modern Christian right, we don’t see any group asking for the death penalty for the mother who aborts/kills her unborn child. Why is this? The only possible […]
Hinduism Is A Sin Against The First Commandment
When I read this article “Opinion: Christian conservatives betray their values in criticizing Ramaswamy’s faith” I was disappointed to see the author confusing Christian values with American values. Because they aren’t the same. And God spoke all these words: ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land […]
America’s Shameful Christian Legacy
America’s Christian legacy is nothing to be proud of. Anymore than our legacies of slavery and genocide. These three legacies are painful stains on America’s past and something our society and government have been working on rectifying for years. And we are still paying the price for these mistakes. But we have acknowledged them as […]
Why Isn’t Religious Freedom A Sin?
Homosexuality is clearly a sin against Leviticus 18:22. But isn’t religious freedom an equal – or even greater sin as it violates God’s First Commandment? Many cite Leviticus 18:22 as why they oppose all forms of homosexuality and LGBT rights. But in the same breath they defend religious freedom, as referenced in the First Amendment […]
Building better pro-choice arguments
The pro-choice community needs to build stronger arguments with fewer obvious weaknesses, based on this fundamental assumption: If all pro-choice arguments started from this foundation it would eliminate many weaknesses because: And this assumption (that the younger an unborn child is the weaker it’s right(s) (to life)/(moral) value) is supported by this recent poll https://maristpoll.marist.edu/polls/abortion-rights-in-the-united-states/ […]
All abortion arguments are balance-of-rights arguments
The secular version of a balance-of-rights argument compares the rights (to life) of an unborn child to the rights (to life) of the mother. The religious version compares the (moral) value of an unborn child to the (moral) value of the mother. Four types of abortion arguments Any argument that justifies killing an unborn child […]
If Abortion Is Murder…
If abortion is murder then why is there an exception for the mother who has the abortion? Why can others be charged with being an accessory if the murderer herself isn’t charged. This inconsistency supports that the argument that pro lifers don’t actually think abortion is murder, but that it is in fact a religious […]
The ultimate question in the abortion debate
These are the questions that are generally posed as the ultimate question in the abortion debate. “Who has the authority to decide the issue?” is the ultimate question in the abortion debate. If God is the moral authority then the next question is “Which God?” There have been thousands of religions throughout history, representing an […]
There is no consensus about when personhood begins
When personhood begins is of great importance to the abortion debate. This article identifies 5 stages at which personhood might begin. Related posts: Critique of “Arguing From Equality: The Personhood of Human Embryos” The ultimate question in the abortion debate A Secular Prospective On Abortion Anti Abortion Laws Violate Religious Freedom For Jews
Why Women Aren’t & Shouldn’t Be Punished For Having An Abortion
Even though “abortion is murder”, the pro life community is saying that women should not be punished for having an abortion because they are victims of the abortion industry. Or victims of the pharmaceutical industry. Or victims of their own ignorance about the “true” nature of abortions. But the real reason women are not and […]
Kudos To The Christian Right
Kudos to the Christian Right for their stunning political victory in overturning Roe v. Wade. In spite of the fact that the majority of Americans favor legalized abortions. They accomplished this by 1) building a propaganda machine that 2) drove a fund raising machine that 3) built a political network with a disproportionate influence on […]
Children Have Never Had Rights Equal With Adults
Lack of capacity is one of the few legitimate reasons to deny someone’s rights. All societies throughout history have acknowledged that children have fewer and weaker rights than adults based on their lack of capacity. And unborn children have the fewest and weakest rights of all. There is no reason to assume that an unborn […]
Laws Supporting Religious Freedom In America
Natural Right The framers [of The United States Constitution] generally held that religious free exercise is a natural right that belongs to all individuals. Article II of Delaware’s 1776 Declaration of Rights, for example, states “that all men have a natural and unalienable right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own […]
Vague Laws Used To Silence People World Wide
Many/most authoritarian governments can’t survive with a population that has access to a free flow of information. So to keep their citizens ignorant, quite, and in fear of speaking out or organizing they make up laws to silence them. Here is a list of these laws I have come across in news articles. These laws […]
Human Rights v. National Interests
Human right should (always) have priority over national national interests. But this is often times not the case. Many governments in the world are top down authoritarian governments who prioritize their health and existence over the rights and interests of their citizens. These repressive governments are in a position to pass and enforce laws to […]
Is Theism A Religion?
I ask this question in contrast to the “Is (A)theism A Religion?” question to see if the same logic applies. Theism has one and only one belief. That a god or gods or super natural entities exist. Belief systems based on these assumptions are generally called religious world views, or religions. But is a single […]
The Source And Measure Of Morality
The source and measure of morality is human nature. Morality is a reflection of what each of us expects for ourselves. It is a function of human consciousness and our own self awareness. Without self awareness there would be no morality. Many arguments about morality are based on the false dilemma fallacy. Otherwise known as […]
Why Studying Religions Is A Legitimate Secular Activity
On first blush you would think that studying religions is a waste of time because they are all based on false Gods. But if you go one layer deeper and consider that these false Gods were created by their underlying societies, then you see them in a different light. Studying religions is actually a study […]
How Authoritarian Governments Work
Authoritarian governments work by gathering the elites in a country and forming a system that benefits them at the expense of the masses. Authoritarian governments are systems that depend on the support of those elites who have sufficient power and resources to benefit from the arrangement. They consider the rest of the population to be […]