[Rhodes22-list] Reply to non sailing topics by Bob K, Mike W, L. Sailor, ...

[DCLewis1 at aol.com]

Ed,
 
If I could respond to your post: “Laws should not be used to compel  
acceptance of a belief contrary to ones religion. “
 
I think laws and religion are entirely different things.  Clearly our  
Christian heritage and our legacy of English common law has played a role in the  
development of our laws and legal system, but if you really get into it I think  
a whole lot of our laws go back to the Romans, and even further back.  Laws  
commonly define how we should interact in practical ways that work and  those 
ways often contravene religious dictates.  Examples:
- There are  instances where children of parents of some Christian sects, I 
think it’s the  Christian Scientists, were removed from their parents custody 
because their  lives are at risk and the parents decided, for religious 
reasons, to refuse  service.  Courts intervened, the children’s lives were saved, 
life went  on.
- I understand the Rastfuteens (sp?), a religious sect principally out of  
Jamaica, have really worked marijuana into their religious ceremonies.   That 
doesn’t mean the use of marijuana is allowed in the US in the name of  religious 
freedom, instead the law forbid it on other grounds.  (Note, this  example 
should not be construed to mean I am for or against the use of  marijuana, it’s 
simply an example to show that the law does not allow unfettered  use of any 
behavior.)
 
So laws and religion are 2 different things, and there are instances where  
law compels behavior (or non-behavior) regardless of religion.  Think of it  
this way: who’s going to punish you?  With laws you are punished in the  
here-and-now.  With religion there is a promise that you will be punished  in the 
hereafter.  Each punishment system operates independently.
 
The above is about law and religion, lets consider beliefs.  The  statement 
is “Laws should not be used to compel acceptance of a belief contrary  to ones 
religion”.   Each of the 19 terrorists that participated in  9/11 “believed” 
they were doing what their religion required.  You would  claim the law should 
not stop them, that to stop them would be Stalinist?   I don’t think so, nor 
do I really think you think so.
 
JMO
 
Dave