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Dec. 7, 2005 Calling humanists narcissistic because they don't revere a higher power seems pretty hollow. What appeal can such a view have for a non-Christian? For that matter, why does this have any appeal for a Christian? The first commandment isn't to love your neighbor or your children, it's to confirm that God is good and big and great and large. What kind of an ego does this guy have, that his very first commandment is to love him above all else? After all, what practical impact wold it have for an all-powerful God if he was loved second, say, after your own kids? What harm can come from choosing your family over God in a certain situation? Why didn't the guy say, “No, God, I will NOT kill my son! I know you can smash me like a bug, but I will not kill my own flesh and blood, even if you command me to do so!” God should have said, “Excellent. You have passed the test, your love exceeded your fear, you have shown true self-less courage and love, good work, carry on”. What about the guy that made a promise to God that he would kill the next person to enter his house? Oops! It was his own daughter, so he proceeded to set her on fire. Damn those promises to God! Damn them to Hell! An all-knowing being couldn't say, “WAIT! I appreciate your promise, I can see into your heart, I know you are good and want to kiss my feet, but it's your own daughter!” Or, “God, I know I made this promise, but I will not kill my daughter, can I have another chance and do some good charity work instead or something? If you want to kill us both, so be it, but I will not willingly kill her with my own hands.” Morals are relative. I know how that sounds to many people, but it's true. Every society in history and today has a moral code, regardless of religion. Some of those morals we, as Westerners for the most part, find, well, immoral. Take the amazon tribe that has sex-induced orgies, including minors, before a hunt. Immoral? Well, if a Junior High coach smoked joints with the girl's basketball team and then had sex with them before the game, yeah, I'd call that immoral. But then again, a Junior High team isn't a group of hunters that likely bond and form a more cohesive unit, in the amazon. But wait! Stop the show! What was the age of consent “back in the day”? Usually, right after the first period which is often JR High age. Does time change morality? YES, it does. Many things change our notions of what is right or wrong. The definition of cruel and unusual punishment, for example, changes. Putting people in stocks or hanging them upside down for days in jail used to seem just fine, moral even, for a society to use against its prisoners. There was a case against prisoners in early America being fed lobster – the challenge was that it was cruel and unusual punishment! In those days, lobster was plentiful and cheap and considered junk-meat, so naturally, they fed it to inmates. Jesus broke at least one commandment – he dishonored his mother. Lets also not forget that the 10 Commandments and even most of the Bible stories can trace their origin back to pagan/polytheistic religions. Given all of this, I can't help but wonder at why anyone would consider humanist philosophy narcissistic. After all, humanists don't claim to know absolutely what is right and what is wrong. Humanists don't claim to have answers to the deepest mysteries of the universes, nor do we claim that everything was put here, and revolves around, mankind. Narcissistic? I don't think so. ------------ About the author Frederick Smith: I enjoy writing about the positive virtues of humanism - humanists are the good guys. I now have a blog that I will start to increasingly maintain and update. Here is the link: fredsuberview.blogspot.com/ This is my second foray into the UK writing discordia. This time around, I want to be a tad more raw - maybe a bit edgier (does that sound "art-see"?) Maybe I'll address even more issues that most Americans consider taboo... About my personal background and life: I was born, I got some education, worked, ate, and had some kids. It seems I like to write � something that was unknown to me until relatively recently...How's that for detail? ;) Hate mail is welcome unless you are from the Army Of God. Please! It's not that I mind seeing pictures of aborted fetuses in my inbox, but once you've seen one you've pretty much seen them all... Email: dahlek65@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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