Society and "authorities" have muddled right and wrong really badly.
It's wrong to initiate force, to violate the property of others, and to break your word (within reason).
Most of what religion and government- and those unduly influenced by either- claim to be wrong, isn't. Much of it is merely stupid.
What sorts of things might be considered stupid by lots of people under some circumstances? Drug abuse. Promiscuous sex. Early teen pregnancy. All those things that do not harm any third person but might possibly harm the person doing them.
People had gotten used to being punished by "authorities" for doing wrong, but "authorities" wanted even more control. Stupid- when it didn't come with immediate negative consequences- wasn't easy to enforce against people, so authorities convinced people that stupid was the same as wrong, then punished them.
And "they" are still doing it. Maybe I should add "letting them get away with it for so many centuries" to the list of stupid things people do.
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The three examples you give--drug abuse, sexual promiscuity, teen pregnancy--are all moral offenses (sins) in the perceived Christian religion. Secular laws promoting one religion's beliefs, or any religion's beliefs, would seem to be a violation of the First Amendment's "establishment" clause.
ReplyDeleteSeem to be, but they get away with it anyway.
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