Posted by Eugene Volokh:
Geof Stone and I Discuss Religious Reasons for Lawmaking,
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2005_05_22-2005_05_28.shtml#1117261999
on the Huffington Post; Geof's post is [1]here and mine is [2]here. An
excerpt from Geof:
George Bush appears to have no idea whatever of the difference
between faith and morality. He acts arrogantly on the premise that
cell-stem research, gay marriage and abortion are immoral, when in
fact his views are based entirely on his own sectarian religious
beliefs. His opposition to cell-stem research is no different, and
no more legitimate, than a Muslim's opposition to Bush eating pork.
Such a policy is merely faith masquerading as morality. As such, it
is profoundly, blindly, and disturbingly incompatible with a basic
premise of a well-functioning democratic society.
And one from me:
[I]t shouldn't matter whether someone supports [laws banning -- or
allowing -- abortion, infanticide, the destruction of embryos or
chimpanzees for medical purposes, or the killing of members of
endangered species might be sound or unsound] because of his belief
that laws should turn on the greatest good for the greatest number,
his belief that we are all sons and daughters of Gaea and must thus
protect our environment, or his belief in the Bible. For most,
quite possibly all, of us, our moral beliefs ultimately rest on
unproven and unprovable moral axioms. The Constitution doesn't
consign those whose moral beliefs rest on unproven and unprovable
religious axioms to a lesser citizenship, under which they may not
enact their views into law, while others with the same views that
rest on unproven and unprovable secular axioms are free to do so.
References
1.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/geoffrey-r-stone/our-faithbased-president_1757.html
2.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/eugene-volokh/faithbased-decisions_1758.html
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