[2327] in Depressing_Thoughts
Re: The role of religion
redskin@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (redskin@ATHENA.MIT.EDU)
Fri Sep 13 17:11:59 1991
In my opinion, a more accurate versions of Rhu's answer is
"Because I beleive that god says so."
Where, of course, "god" is to represent whatever concept of the
supreme being(s) you or your religion holds to be the accurate
representation.
But, the argument from belief can be used to justify ANY set of
ceremonies. In my opinion, (I'm an agnostic), that makes it totally
useless as a moral justification. It is a justification for
ceremonial observances only within the framework of a religion/system
of beliefs. As an absolute justification for labeling such
observances "right" or "wrong" it simply is irrelevant.
In my opinion, Rhu's long answer strikes a lot closer to being a
justification for deciding whether it is right or wrong "to observe
certain ceremonies." One should ask what the effect of observing them
is - primarily the ethical effect, but also how they affect your
ability to deal with the rest of the world, and their effect on the
celebrant's mental state.
