Why should religion have say? Well, for one, religion is where we get our morals and values from.
I disagree. I would even say I'd disagree even if you were Muslim by the way. I don't think religion byitself is the causation of morality. I believe religion is one of the variables that influence the development of decision making and ethical values but I its not the cause of morality in itself. Put a child in an areligious family that just believe in good will towards others the child would possibly come out with the same ethical standards just as the child in a religious family. Ethical values are developed on several levels and cannot be attributed to one specific factor.
Without morals and values, how can one evaluate the most sensitive of issues.
In addition, we have to consider that morals and values are subjective so our perspective on right and wrong are not always compatible even for evaluating the most sensitive of issues.
Take abortion for example, when do you believe life starts? If you believe life begins at conception, how could you possibly in good conscious believe that abortion can be permissible. How can you stand by and let it happen?
I have my opinion about abortion and frankly, no human knows when life starts except God. Even in doctrinal faiths we still can be for certain that we know scientifically speaking unless we simply take this issue on blind faith. But even if a woman chooses to abort her "soon-to-be-human" child that is her choice conscious or not. But again, abortion is a iffy situation I don't know if you want to use that example as theree are extraneous variables to consider.
Murder, Domestic Violence, even property rights can all be a product of your religious convictions. Why shouldn't they play a part in your decision making?
A decision in what?
If you are a person of true faith and not someone who just is because they want to fit in, then you believe that certain things are divinely mandated and/or regulated.
Well to Muslims here, I'm not a person of true faith. And to others, because of my nationality and non-support of the opinions of other Muslims, I'm a so-called Muslim so of course the remark above would NOT apply to me so I would probably say things are not divinely mandated (sarcasm used here).
Even if things are divinely mandated does not give policy makers the right to implant their religious values in their decisions especially in a court of law. The founders of the United States did not make laws and policies on the basis of their faith (The Church of England) nor was that something they wanted to consider but rather, policies and laws that can be universally applicable to all beings regardless of nationality and ethnicity of course this thought is in theory. How can we have laws and policies that are derivatives of religion especially the Abrahamic religion when others may not share the same ethical and moral standards? A Buddhist may want to have an abortion so who is anyone of any other religion going to tell this person they cannot have one because its immoral? So again, possibly all of us may believe things are divinely mandated but every single individual on this planet may not always agree on this.
Secularism gives troublemakers fuel.
I don't see how you have yet proven your aqrgument Angela. Secularism is telling religions to be in their sector and telling the government to not interfere with religion, but when you brought up abortion you are bringing up a controversial issue. It's funny, the government doesn't force the many Hispanics who come to the United States to not come here illegally to have their children just to become citizens however I have spent many times arresting moralist relgious nuts who believe in life because they threw molotov cocktails in family clinics. So who is moral here? I don't want religious values in my courts, or businesses where objectivity should flourish. I am 25 years old much younger than many of the geezers here ( no offense but I make it a point to call people geezers since many of you make it a point to point out my age instead of my maturity) but frankly, I believe religion much like my connection with God should be private. I don't think a Moromon judge in a Mormon court (or any other religious court) is capable of making objective decisions.
I think you know that Angela. This goes for any court that uses religion.
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