Jesus Camp

[dar512]

Originally Posted by Pangloss62

You really sat your kids down and said "You really shouldn't shoot people for fun."? Was there something they did to make you do this?

There are lots of ways to pass on beliefs that don't require a lecture.

Originally Posted by Pangloss62

Regardless, that sounds more like rational advice than a "belief."

One man's rational advice is another person's belief and vice versa. That's the problem and that's where I think you are fooling yourself. Life is never going to break down into the nice tidy pigeonholes that you seem to want it to. It's why two very rational and very logical people can still disagree on major issues.

Originally Posted by Pangloss62

Should one shoot or kill people as punishment? In self-defense? As a military action? Maybe you're the one making neat little packages. I never said or even implied life is simple.

When you imply that all of life should be handled "rationally", then you are trying to make life simpler than it really is.

Originally Posted by Pangloss62

Generally, I try to stay away from using "right" or "wrong" as absolutes. Such concepts do absolutely nothing to encourage or prevent what are considered "right" and "wrong" anyway.

Doing the rational thing is not always the right thing.

If you use only rationality as a measure, then people would follow the current legal standards and whatever their peers would applaud. So, assuming you are white, then not allowing blacks into your store in the 1940s would be completely rational. It's what the law expects and your peers applaud. In fact, if you did allow blacks into your white store, you would lose the business of your, wealthier, white patrons.

That doesn't make it right.