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Religion's impact on society
Religion's impact on society
Religion's impact on society
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In his article “Why the Secular Needs the Sacred,” William Kirk Kilpatrick writes a legitimate repudiation of a fallacy that conjectures that secular legal authority is a propitious substitution for religious principle. He initially propounds that insufficient morality is the result of apathy, toward religion, as opposed to an aversion. He proceeds to show that human law is ineffective unless buttressed by Devine counsel: some form of truth must be accepted as a postulate. Kilpatrick subsequently shows that without a solid moral basis, authority structures begin to deteriorate. He concludes by showing that secularism is better understood as a false religion. It is important to recognize the importance of the sacred in every part of human life, especially in the so called sacred areas.
Critical Evaluation of Work
Kilpatrick rightly deduces that religious morality is the foundation of law. In speaking of parental rights he notes that “the law never pretended to grant that authority; it was merely recognizing an existing order”(152). According to
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While some certainly do maintain this attitude, many seem to be scornful toward the Devine foundation of law. One example of this contempt is an opinion piece written in the Washington Post by Garrison Keillorin which mocks Roy Moore for his belief in the utility of Devine law. (This piece was written more than a month before this same newspaper released an accusation of wrongdoing toward Moore). Keillorin’s piece is a sample of the true vitriol that many hold toward God as the source of law. Kilpatrick is wrong to assume that Americans are indifferent to divine law, when in reality many are opposed to
“ It remains to be noted that none of the great constitutional rights of conscience, however vital to a free society is absolute in character. Thus, while the constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion goes a long way, it does not serve to protect acts judged to be morally licentious, such as poly amorous marriages. Children cannot be required to execute the flag salute which is forbidden by religious belief… Similarly freedom of speech, often defended by the courts, does not extend to the seditious utteran...
In the Light of Reverence is a film about the destruction and exploitation of the sacred lands of the people who have worshipped them for years: the Native Americans. Freedom of religion is something Americans take pride in. However, many religions are still looked down upon for their practices which is displayed clearly in this film. It upsets me greatly to hear how ignorant many people are about the Native American religion. They call the prayer bundles “dirty laundry” and say nature has no “similarities with the church at all” (In the Light of Reverence). Religion has never had a specific definition. All religions have different practices and themes. It just so happens that Native Americans practice their religion in regard to nature. Nature is sacred land to Native Americans and as one women said in the film, “you can’t have a religion without the land” (In the Light of Reverence). Native Americans have always believed that natural world is holy. Destroying the Earth will never lead to world peace (Lyons 11). I agree with the Native Americans that we need to have more respect for the Earth we live on. Chief Oren Lyons said in his essay, “we need to learn how to respect nature” (Lyons 6). If we keep treating the
The pro-life stance on abortion is often associated with and defended by traditional Christian beliefs , ; however, this paper will argue that it can and should be defended with secular arguments that appeal to reason and our shared human condition. This paper will try and counter the notion that the argument is simply another battlefield where religion and secular thought meet. Rather, it is an important issue that carries with it heavy implications not only for the religious but also for the secular. The major arguments discussed include the emotional and physical toll on the mother, the societal toll of having abortion legalized, and the rights attributed to every human being; first, however, the stance taken in this paper will be further defined and clarified.
Our culture has a stringent belief that creating new life if a beautiful process which should be cherished. Most often, the birth process is without complications and the results are a healthy active child. In retrospect, many individuals feel that there are circumstances that make it morally wrong to bring a child into the world. This is most often the case when reproduction results in the existence of another human being with a considerably reduced chance at a quality life. To delve even further into the topic, there are individuals that feel they have been morally wronged by the conception in itself. Wrongful conception is a topic of debate among many who question the ethical principles involved with the sanctity of human life. This paper will analyze the ethical dilemmas of human dignity, compassion, non-malfeasance, and social justice, as well the legal issues associated with wrongful conception.
The occurrence and prominence of secularization has become a prevalent feature of contemporary Western society. Steve Bruce’s Book titled ‘God is Dead’, as it may be controversial outlines the debate of surrounding secularization and its occurrence. His argument is put forward in an academically stimulating and compelling way in his exploration of secularization; by building on the work of key sociological thinkers mainly Durkheim, Marx and Weber to looking at contemporary sociological thinkers such as David Martin, Abercrombie and Turner. By examining their explanations and theories of secularization and also exploring his own views I feel
Wood, James E, Jr. "Religious Human Rights and a Democratic State." Journal of Church and State 4(2004):739. eLibrary. Web. 31 Aug. 2011.
Abortion has been a political, social, and personal topic for many years now. The woman’s right to choose has become a law that is still debated, argued and fought over, even though it has been passed. This paper will examine a specific example where abortion is encouraged, identify the Christian world views beliefs and resolution as well as the consequences of such, and compare them with another option.
Life is unpredictable that always contains the contradiction. Nothing appears to be fully good or fully evil. Based on that idea, Snyder invented a term “the other side of the sacred” in his books The Practice of the Wild. This term emphasizes the balance between the positive and the negative in every sacred thing. From that belief, Snyder affirms the importance of acknowledging the concurrent existence of the good and the bad to help humans survive and live a better life.
Slezak, P. "Gods of the State: Atheism, Enlightenment and Barbarity." Politics and Religion in the New Century: Philosophical Reflections (2009): 20. Web. 20 Oct. 2012.
Charles Taylor, in his “subtraction story,” says people now have secular minds because of “science and objective reason.” A secular way of life gives a person everything they need without having to deal with the morals of religion. In Taylor’s “A Secular Age” he disagrees by saying secular ways of life are no different than the religious beliefs; the secular people have just come up with different ways of thinking about how life should be lived and the views they should have. He says people with a secular view “are subject to their own array of serious problems and objections.”
The role of religion in politics is a topic that has long been argued, and has contributed to the start of wars, schisms (both political and religious), and other forms of inter and intra-state conflict. This topic, as a result of its checkered past, has become quite controversial, with many different viewpoints. One argument, put forth by many people throughout history, is that religion and the government should remain separate to avoid any conflicting interests. This view also typically suggests that there is one, or several, large and organized religions like the Roman Catholic Church, which would be able to use their “divine” authority to sway the politics of a given state by promising or threatening some form of godly approval or disapproval. By leveraging their divine power, individual figures within a religion, as well as the religion as a whole, could gain secular power for themselves, or over others. A second view, which was developed by many theologians through history, suggests that that without religion there would be a general lack of morality in the people and leaders of a given state, which would give way to poor political decisions that would not be in the interest of the people and perhaps even God (or the gods). This argument, however, does not address the fact that morality can exist without religion. In sociology, it is commonly accepted that social norms, which include morality, can result from any number of things. Religion, laws, or the basic desire of survival can all create these norms, so it suffices to say that as a society, our morals reflect our desire to live in relative peace through the creation of laws that serve to help us to survive. The argument of whether or not religion and politics should mix...
Schick, Theodore, Jr. "Morality Requires God... or Does It? The Council for Secular Humanism. 17 July 2002. Article from Free Inquiry Magazine, vol.17, number 3. www.secularhumanism.org/library/fi/schick_17_3.html
Secularised ethics can be defined as “The basic principles of right action, especially with reference to a particular person, profession etc.” Christian ethics however cannot be as simply defined. Ethical values of Christians cannot be reduced to a set of rules that can be easily followed and obeyed. A definition that gives an idea of Christian Ethics can be given in this form,
From a Deontological framework perspective, this constitutes a division between a person’s duties to obey God’s intentions and the intended parent’s desires. The Natural Law further supports this indicating that the ideal environment for a child to be welcomed is through the heterosexual embrace of sexual intercourse; this act being performed outside of marriage violates one of
For thousands of years, religion has exerted a great influence over economic and political life. Even today religion is called upon to support rulers, contacts and other legal procedures.