The Mind of Alan

[ Alan's note: I wasn't saying that atheists don't have morals -- just that their "absolute moral authority" is themselves. (I would also suggest that many of them who have great problem with "forcing" them to obey my God's morals have no problem forcing me to obey their morals.) I just don't think they have the "higher ground" by not having religious beliefs infect their political views. Both opinions are equal, should be given even weight in a debate, and then the public should decide...

Also, I suspect you have fallen for a popular misconception. Atheistic governments have been responsible for far more deaths and crimes than Christianity has. Things like the Crusades and Inquisition don't even start to compare with what atheistic governments did last century alone -- Stalin, Mao, Hitler, etc. -- all based on atheism, not religion (and Stalin and Mao each killed far more each than Hitler).

The difference is that "Christians" who have committed atrocities have ignored the teachings they claim to be following, whereas those who have tortured and murdered in the name of communism and other atheistic government systems have been true to their belief systems.

I'm not saying we are better than atheists -- we have all fallen short. It is not fair, however, to say that the greatest cruelty has been done in the name of religion -- at best you can only say "equal" cruelty has been done. Atheists are just as prone to be merciless. ]

[ Alan's note: Would you agree that a law is just that says that a public billboard cannot picture naked people having sex? Is that not a moral law?

I don't think anyone has a problem with civil or moral laws -- they just have problems with the laws they don't agree with.

Please don't get me wrong. I personally believe that, generally, the only laws that should be made are those that protect me from you (and visa versa). What you do to yourself, as a whole, should be up to you. That, of course, sounds simple on the surface but still requires judgment calls -- not everything that can hurt others is physical (e.g. the billboard I mention and the children who would see it)... ]