ETHICS AND MORALITY. BY DEFINITION? DEFINE BEFORE YOU DISCUSS. PT 3.

HUMANIST-  The belief that all decisions regarding moral behavior, either individually or as a society, can be found through intellectual reflection and discourse.  It rejects any faith based grounding of proper ethical behavior.

Christian Humanist-  Accepts the Divine nature of Jesus, but believes that God gave man the ability and mental discipline to find ultimate truths regarding proper moral behavior.  Scripture is not the source for finding ethical absolutes.  The Gospels may be correct, but must be judged on a case by case basis.

Secular Humanist-  Believes that faith based institutions have no place in deciding public policy or law.  Religion is purely an individual choice, and should not influence the legal system in any way.  A Secular Humanist is not by definition an Atheist.

Deistic Humanist-  Closely resembles the Christian Humanist.  Believes in an ultimate power (God), that is the prime mover in our universe.  However, this power created the laws of nature and set reality in motion, but leaves the concept of morality as something the human mind can comprehend without Divine interference.

Keep in mind these are my definitions.  You are free to disregard or accept them. My main goal is to show that we often use blanket definitions on certain belief systems.  However, some of these systems are not uniform, and vary in how they view the nature of God, Reality, Morality, and the Universe in general. 

FEATURE ARTICLES. WHAT DOES THE U.S. CONSTITUTION ACTUALLY SAY ABOUT RELIGION? PT 2. Eternal Vigilance.

In part 1, I quoted Article six of the U.S. Constitution.  I pointed out that this section of the Constitution, along with the First Amendment, are the only two places that religion is referred to in the entire body of the document.   I will now quote from the Bill of Rights, the section that references religion.

First Amendment-  "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."

There you have it.  These two passages make it clear what role religion would play in the development of the new republic, and at no time do they contradict each other.

• Congress would not address the subject of religion in any way.
• There would be no religious test to hold public office.  One need only swear allegiance to the Constitution
• Since religious freedom is considered a right that every American has, it cannot be taken away.  In other words, creating and passing legislation that removes this right is not possible.

For those who claim that the founding fathers had an agenda that would establish Christianity as an essential part of our legal system, and that it is justified within the body of the Constitution, ignore certain details.  None of the following appears within the ratified document;

• God.
• Jesus.
• Christian or Christianity.
• Prayer.
• Bible. 

In fact, the only word that could possibly be a reference to a Supreme Being is the use of the term "Lord".  However, this word is used only once in the following fragment; "...in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven...".  This was a common way that dates and times were presented in print, and was not considered to be an expression of faith.

It is amazing that many of todays Lawmakers wish to regulate public policy according to the faiths and beliefs of certain segments of American society.  This completely ignores the obvious intentions of the Framers of the Constitution.  Why would they make it the law of the land to require no religious test to hold public office, and then seek to Legislate by Doctrines found in certain faiths?

(See PT.3 in a future posting.)

Date- 11/11/2013.

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FEATURE ARTICLES. WHAT DOES THE U.S. CONSTITUTION ACTUALLY SAY ABOUT RELIGION? PT 3.

In continuation of this article, I would like to address another Church\State issue that is often used as political rhetoric to smear opponents. 

The PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE- An expression of loyalty to the Republic and the Flag used to start many public and private meetings in the U.S.  It is most often referred to in the tradition of being recited by school children to start each day.

The Pledge was written in 1892 by FRANCIS BELLAMY, a Baptist Minister.  The following is the original text published by Bellamy;

" I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the republic for which it stands,

one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

As you can see, contrary to those who don't bother to check basic U.S. History, there is no reference to religion or faith within the wording.  It is an oath that binds the individual to the responsibility of being a citizen.  This includes recognizing the Flag as the symbol that represents the physical embodiment of the meaning contained within the Pledge.

Yes, I know the current version includes the words "...under God...". However, this version was adopted in 1954 and was the last of four changes that were made in the text since its' inception.

This change insults all Americans, for it implies that one is not truly loyal to the United States, until they repeat an oath that is purely religious in nature.  This flies in the face of the intent contained within the wording of the Constitution.  It is simply a way to circumvent religious freedom that is guaranteed to all citizens.

Date- 12/17/2013.

Fiction- Stories, Myths and Legends. A TALE OF WORSHIP. ( First published on examiner.com, and partially rewritten.)

A long time ago, there lived a King who loved his country.  

The people were, for the most part, very happy. 

However, there was one big problem.  Although the country was united, religion was still a problem.  The King came to realize that to truly unite the citizenry, a single religion must be adopted.  So the King turned to his wisest Adviser and asked what he should do.  The Adviser replied, "Bring in all the most educated, that they will present the best case."

So the King sent for the wisest scholars who would present the best reasons to define God in a way that would unite everyone.  In the end, only three were left, those whose words that the King found the most valid.  The King said " Let us decide now," and turned to the three and said, "Give me a reason to select you, and no other."

In the first case a wizened old man bowed deeply, and said, "It is obvious, the Sun is God.  This orb is the reason we have the most fertility, for when it shines the most, it is when we can plant and harvest the most food.  When the sun shines least, our crops do not grow."

"Ah," the King nodded , "sounds very good, who will dare to disagree."  In that instance the second scholar approached the throne.  "Your highness," he began,  "the Sun is indeed powerful, but it is the Clouds that are truly divine.  Not only can they block sunlight, but they provide us with life giving water to drink.  Our crops need water or they will die."

The King sat and considered this new testimony.  " Very compelling," he said to the second scholar, "perhaps you are correct."

At that moment, the third and final scholar spoke.  "Your highness, they are both wrong.  The earth beneath our feet is truly where we find God.  The soil nurtures the seed that grow our crops and provides us with plants that heal the sick.  Trees from which we build the shelters that protect us from the weather, are provided by the ground in which we walk upon."

The King frowned.  What should he do?  In frustration, he dismissed all but his trusted adviser.  To him he turned and said, "Give me council, what am I to do?"

The adviser thought for a moment and then replied; '' In each case, your majesty, we find a belief that we are are controlled by outside sources.  These sources must be worshiped, or we will be punished.  However, in no case is this true.  We plant crops according to the time of year that in the past has given us the best results.  We do not worry about droughts because we have created reservoirs in case of need.  Our soil is worthless unless we fertilize properly and rotate our crops."

The King was in despair.  "What are the people to believe, how should I rule?"  The adviser looked the King straight in the eye, and with a dignity that is born of confidence replied; "Perhaps they should believe in themselves.  For our ability to use and understand the natural resources around us, to the benefit of all, is where we truly find the hand of the Divine."