towards a secular america — OZONE Asylum, home of the Mad Scientists

Philosophy and other Silliness

towards a secular america

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Your Text: Insert Slimies » Insert UBB Code » Close Last Tag \| All Tags UBB Help	Well, for example. I get tired of having to filter through the pomp of politics to find core issues. When my voters pamphlet makes the claim: "I-933 would limit big government" and makes the further claim that "big government" would infringe upon "American rights" in the pro-con section following the fiscal impact statements (I think the pamphlets have a pretty standard format, but if not, you get the point), it's frustrating to see a more objective matter (giving landowners the right to sue for government-initiated losses to [i]potential[/i] real estate value) argued in the context of an "American way." In President Bush's inaugural address: ([urlhttp://www.whitehouse.gov/news/inaugural-address.htmlp/url]) [quote]We have a place, all of us, in a long story--a story we continue, but whose end we will not see. It is the story of a new world that became a friend and liberator of the old ... It is the American story--a story of flawed and fallible people, united across the generations by grand and enduring ideals.[/quote] You can see a reference to transcendent civil religion here ("grand and enduring ideals") without any specific mention of these ideals. I think it's clear that these "ideals" are reminiscent of the nature-God which Enlightenment philosophers used to validate natural rights. -- So would be better off if some type of regulation existed to temper this idea? Or would it in fact dissolve the glue of American society? Many nations with strong government-civilian relationships have a civil religion without religious overtones. This would be another variant of this idea but wouldn't be classified as a "civil religion." I think its potential for abuse it what makes some type of regulation necessary. Because there is not specific boundary and we are not taught to recognize the concept in society and politics the persuasive power of civil religion is enormous. The argument President Bush made is well-crafted but is it true? He goes on to connect the "ideals" to philosophical traditions (natural rights, freedom, democracy) using the word "faith" (as in "a faith in 'x'"). These ideas aren't' necessarily American however. So maybe another question is this. Is the benefit of a civil religion that it holds society together? For example the idea of natural rights was derived from spiritual means. There is little basis for the idea that humans are equal without resorting to a higher power. It doesn't matter if we are "endowed" or "commanded" to respect this because it goes against everything nature should have "endowed" in us. I have yet to see a convincing argument for "equality" or natural rights from an anti-spiritual perspective. If there is one, then feel free to correct me. :p So another point is: I just may have over-reacted. I revise my statement to say [u][b]"Should American civil religion be abolished or taught? And if taught should it be positively or negatively, or merely to identify?"[/u][/b] It seems far too influential a factor to merely ignore. Loading...
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