January 12, 2007
Can, or should a liberal government, worry about the virtue of its citizens and see public life as a kind of exercise in civic and even moral education? If so, how can this be done in a way that isn't coercive and doesn't simply look for already existing overlap among people's different views? Is this the way to create the basis for something public so that we enjoy a good in common that we can't enjoy alone?
Is this a way to rescue morality out of just being identified with the Judeo-Christian tradition and so place our everyday debate about morality and politics within an Enlightenment tradition? Those in the Judeo-Christian tradition often assume that the irreligious have no ethical system, no values or morals that act to "temper" our "base" instincts. Or they say that secular values are "relative" and only Christianity can justifying fundamental values. Or even more extremely, that our secular value system gives rise to totaitiarianism.
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Fundamentally, among all the religious traditions of the wrld, ONLY Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are inherently (and aggressively) associated with an expansionistic ideal (and an attitude of not only cultural, but also social and political, superiority) that irreducibly intends (and actively pursues) the self-appointed destiny of total world-domination (or global totalitarian "Rulership").
Likewise, by their very nature, these three religious (and comprehensively and irreducibly cultural, social, AND political) traditions are, perpetually, in an intentionally performed state of competition, that always seeks (and frequently achieves) conflict, confrontation, and even aggressive warfare with one another--and even with all other religious, cultural, social, and political traditions, systems, or institutions in the world.
Perhaps you noticed that the recent circus around the funeral of the late pope and the coronation/installation of the current one was in effect a celebration and declaration of WESTERN imperial power.All the benighted ghouls and their money men that presume to run the world were there.
I wonder if Jesus would have been invited to such an occasion?
And ever since then right "catholics" (especially in the USA) in particular have been talking up this imperial project. There was an article in an influential journal a couple of months ago which openly stated that ALL other religions are inherently false and that the ONLY source "truth" is the catholic church.
Meanwhile check out the article in the Oz today by Angela Shanahan re the "catholic" counter-reformation.
These two references provide a Spiritually inform critique of christian and "catholic" delusions.
1. www.dabase.net/proofch6.htm
2. www.beezone.com/AdiDa/jesusandme.html