-Caveat Lector-
The Bible teaches that the condition of the heart is what matters... For
example: You can't get into heaven by simply being a "good" person, or doing
this or doing that. Sure it may not be AS bad to simply hate someone and
not act on it (according to majority philosophy), but does not acting on it
make hate right or okay? I don't think so.
Jamie
> If, on the other hand the person who
>threw the water just THOUGHT about throwing it and DID nothing, then what
is
>the harm? Until an action is taken no crime is committed. Simple. No?
No, 't ain't This issue is rooted in our Christian (or at least "Christian"
in LIP-SERVICE) heritage. Remember, one of Jesus Christ's accomplishments,
in terms of breaking new ground in Western culture, was underscoring the
"psychological" dimension in ethics and morality --what we nowadays take for
granted as "motive," e.g., in law-- as opposed to the gross physical, up to
then the ONLY consideration in religion (Mosaic Judaism).
Without honoring such a distinction, indeed, no one could ever be accused of
being a "hypocrite" -- Jesus' favorite term, BTW, used incessantly, to
describe his OTHERWISE "righteous" co-religionists. So, with Christianity,
suddenly whatever qualities of "soul" MOTIVATED an evil act are elevated to
equal significance with the ACT, even if the act itself is NOT committed
(but
the inclination is harbored, bristling at the restraint made necessary by
the
need to at least APPEAR "good," hypocritically -- which the ignorant masses
[i.e., those who throng the ranks of "believers"] STILL mistake for
"goodness.")
Likewise, where originally no distinction was made between "crime" and
"sin,"
BOTH being limited to PHYSICAL acts, NOW, post-Jesus, there IS that
distinction and a new division of the ethical sphere into (public) "crime,"
legality, and (private) "sin," morality.
In those who decry the splitting of the real world into separate and
mutually
exclusive spheres --secular "Newtonian" law for all, otherworldly "Freudian"
religion for a few--
but mostly in those too dumb to grasp any distinction here at all, you will
often find a blurring of categories in "judgment" that insists that "the
Law"
is "the Law," whether it's in the Good Book or just some silly lawbook, plus
a rather free-floating urge to "judge" and desire to punish EVERYBODY for
SOMETHING -- as if parroting the words of "the Law" was qualification enough
to play GOD. (Gotta love that god, "Jesus J. Jehovah.")
Impulses --motivation, motives-- versus acts. No actions without SOME kind
of source in the subjective realm. Nothing in the subjective realm that
doesn't seek expression in SOME form -- whether directly in action or
"displaced" safely into a realm where one doesn't "get caught," i.e.,
fantasy. (Assuming that one has "impulse CONTROL" ... )
Hence, we can thank Jesus Christ and the Bible for the so-called "knee-jerk
liberal" concern for PREVENTING (before the fact) rather than PUNISHING
(after it's too late)
harmful behavior, as well as for the idea of "rehabilitation" ("re-forming
one's heart").
It all gets very sticky if you and your partner in dialogue are unclear
about
there being at least two DIFFERENT contexts or worldviews here, or worse
yet,
if you MIX these ...
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DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
==========
CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic
screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters
and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright
frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects
spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL
gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers;
be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and
nazi's need not apply.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
========================================================================
Archives Available at:
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