Interesting points 4Runner. But wouldn’t you agree that while these items were put into religious practice because religious practice was the standard for society? And now with a global perspective – each of the religions grate on each other?
While from a historical perspective you might be right, shouldn’t these arbitrary restrictions be removed? What is the reason for these social codes to remain in today’s more modern world?
Divorce is legal in this country. Aren’t the rules against it in some religions just keeping their power structure alive? Is it in societies best interest to not allow divorce?
Just picking on the Catholic church for a second, weren’t their rules (like all religion) just created to give power to a group of people (priests)? It seems to me that throughout the history of that institution, there has been more hypocracy than in most other religions. It is a religion that feeds off of the hungry and uneducated, and creates arbitrary rules of behavior which enslave its population. I always think of how Latin being required (because the locals didn’t speak of it) and they finally capitulated. And of course the humility and poverty (but not for the higher ups – after all some pigs are more equal than others!) The priest was the final judge, the rod he kept was eternal damnation. Judaism encourages scholarship in all of its people (male historically though!), as the Amish do in their meetings and others. Catholicism keeps the people at a different level then their priests.
Most appalling is that the morality rules aren’t very moral at all (example letting a woman die during childbirth instead of the child), no abortions even in case of horrific birth defects or rape, and the long list of other things which most people in most societies would view as outrageous by normal codes of ethics. Especially in these modern times.
I wish more people (ahh the apathy of most Americans!!!) would rise up against the intolerance and would also try to change our government from engaging in the same behaviour overseas with poorer nations.
