I believe that any post that makes a serious attemt at connecting the "Christian Right" with Nazi's (National Socialists, c. 1933) is little more than baiting.
That said, I will give a bit of a response.
whenhiphopdrovethebigcars said:
I guess (dunno, correct me if I?m wrong) that the "Christian Right" is for legislating morality. I guess that the set of principles should be, in their opinion, defined by themselves (not by communists, for example, right )
How can a set of "moralities" be implemented into a (so-called) democracy without getting (even) less democratic? Societies are opened systems... they change, they are flexible. Morality is not flexible.
Speedracer nailed it very well: there are lots of things, such as killing and rape that can be made illegal and can be more-or-less enforced. Morality IS absolute and unchanging, and laws are not, but they can still reflect morality in a limited scope.
The problem is not then, technically, legislating according to what you think morality is, but OVER-legislating. It's right for the government to make illegal murder, but it's probably too far to say that they should, say, make divorce illegal. It encroaches too far on individual liberty, it's probably unenforceable, and it certainly wouldn't bring about the desired effect: the sustaining of healthy marriages.
THAT's what I mean in particular in terms of legislating morality: you can make murder illegal, but not hate. You can keep people from doing serious harm to each other, but you cannot use laws to make them morally good.
(And it's not just this faction of the right that does this: the left wants to legislate its own moral code, through the creation of "hate crimes," the V-chip, and taxes on tobacco.)
Either way, a government that implements more laws in an attempt to legislate morality does NOT become less democratic. Democracy (or small-r republicanism) is the system by which laws are passed: it says nothing about the laws themselves. You could have a country where LITERALLY everything is codified, but as long as a majority of the people approved every bill, it would still be democratic.
My personal opinion on that matter is that "Right Christians" should get their own fucking country and try their shit there and then see that it won?t function, even with them who are so perfect and have all the clean blood, those motherfuckers.
THIS is the baiting to which I was referring, some sort of insinuation about - I suppose - racists with eugenic intentions. This has NOTHING to do with Christian conservatives, and it's frankly repels that you would think otherwise.
The human race is not perfect and it seems there will always exist "evil" things like torture, terrorism, rape, arms sales, wars, greed, and so on. I absolutely, totally, fail to understand the "Christian Right". In my opinion, in their wish of ultimate control over all peoples minds, and in their egoism to think to know what?s best for everyone, they are close to the extreme views of national socialists around 1933 (even though there are lots of differences in what they believed, too).
I agree with the first half of this paragraph; the second half is a bit extreme.
Yes, certainly, bad things will always occur, but I doubt that the most within the Christian Right want to control people's minds. At most, they want to pass laws that encourage others to do the right thing. I admit, it's a fool's errand, but I don't think that makes them Nazis.
Nor do I think it's egotism on their part to think they're right. First, they have two millenia of Christianity (and an even longer history of Judaism) to back up their beliefs. And, ultimately, a LOT of what the Christian Right wants to achieve has proven to be successful. Their methods may be wrong, but look at what they want: They want most families to have fathers, a tradition that has worked for most cultures (those who disagree are the ones who believe they know better than history). They want smut kept out of the hands of minors and faith to be encouraged. MOST of their ideas have served mankind quite well for centuries.
I don?t believe the reason the "Christian Right" is that opinion bc they want to make the world a better place. I think they simply want control, power, money. Just like every political direction.
That's awfully cynical, though understandable. Honestly, there are probably a few within every political movement that are motivated by power. But it's hard to say that all people in all groups are thus motivated - particularly when politcal groups (like some in the 60's) pushed so hard for something as noble as civil rights.
You are an objectivist. You think there is good or bad or mediocre. Don?t you think that things can be good and bad at the same time? Like it also can be none of the two, neither good nor bad, just without any effect (What is a spider? Good or bad?
From my point of view: bad because I don?t like this animal, but good for the garden; bad for the flies, etc. - from the spiders point of view: nothing, because a spider doesn?t think in dualistic categories).
My beliefs?
Yes, some things are morally neutral, but they are objectively netural.
No, they can't be simultaneously good and bad.
Another example, those "moralities" (I am writing this "" not because I condemn morality - the contrary, my friend! - just because I have other, and I believe, stronger moral principles than the "Christian Right") - can you describe some? Don?t you think they would be good for some people and bad for others? Or good for a week and then bad because the world has changed?
There are, as C.S. Lewis summarized from the works of other philosophers and theologians, four cardinal virtues - "those which all civilized people recognize."
* Prudence, or common sense.
* Temperance: all things in moderation.
* Justice, which means being fair
and honest.
* Fortitude: simple courage.
(The three theological virtues are faith, hope, and love, but I'm mentioning only the basics.)
I believe these virtues are universally and timelessly good: good everywhere and at all times. In fact, I cannot imagine the opposite - a "civilization" that encouraged foolishness, excess, injustice, dishonesty, and cowardice; I certainly can't imagine such a society would long survive.
(Though, to be honest, we seem to be sliding from the virtues to their opposites, crystalizing moments like 9/11 notwithstanding.)
If I would live in the U.S., and they would legislate morality, how could I ever be safe? I would be thrown into prison I guess, for being immoral. Or maybe tortured, hmmm? How can a set of moral principles, controlled by law, executed by the police f.e., not lead to the total destruction of Americas beloved freedom?
I'm not sure how torture would come into play, and I think you would actually be quite safe, assuming you followed the rules. You're right that freedom would be, I think, compromised too much - but I don't think that justifies the really negative, inaccurate comments about Christian conservatives.