tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19384577.post1564272388532558594..comments2024-03-20T19:23:09.857+02:00Comments on Notes from underground: The politics of abortion: The Moral MinefieldSteve Hayeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11283123400540587033noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19384577.post-67908660943782750762008-10-24T04:55:00.000+02:002008-10-24T04:55:00.000+02:00Tia,I've never been anywhere near South Dakota in ...Tia,<BR/><BR/>I've never been anywhere near South Dakota in my life, and I'm the last person who should participate in such debates.Steve Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11283123400540587033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19384577.post-36251178909296818122008-10-23T21:06:00.000+02:002008-10-23T21:06:00.000+02:00While I recognise the problems with the just war t...While I recognise the problems with the just war theory, I am hesitant to jettison it entirely. Matt asks when a government pulled back from war on basis of this theology. I can't claim that it did, but I do know that it was just war theology that influenced some of my white, male friends of conscript age to become conscientious objectors in apartheid South Africa and helped to undermine the legitimacy of the system they were supposed to be defending.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19384577.post-5026007381784801142008-10-23T20:50:00.000+02:002008-10-23T20:50:00.000+02:00Hi Steve,My name is Tia and I'm an editor at Oppos...Hi Steve,<BR/><BR/>My name is Tia and I'm an editor at OpposingViews.com, the debate website. Since we both cover politics, I thought I'd drop you a note. I would've e-mailed you but I couldn't find an address.<BR/><BR/>See, we're currently having a discussion about whether South Dakota should ban abortion. Measure 11 will decide just that, and South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families is debating Vote Yes for Life. You can see it here:<BR/>http://www.opposingviews.com/questions/should-south-dakota-pass-the-abortion-ban<BR/><BR/>Although vetted experts are the ones doing the debating, anyone can contribute by choosing a side and posting comments about the experts' arguments.<BR/>Check it out and, if you have the time, let me know what you think at tia@opposingviews.com<BR/>Thanks!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19384577.post-13283885240104730752008-10-23T13:14:00.000+02:002008-10-23T13:14:00.000+02:00Janet, liked the way you phrased that. "Not all th...Janet, liked the way you phrased that. <BR/><BR/>"Not all that is sinful should be illegal."<BR/><BR/>There seems to be a fear in America that if you loosen up on legislation you're somehow condoning sin. That unless you criminalize sin all hell will break loose. Well, that stance is really working for them isn't it (he says cynically). <BR/><BR/>I think the real issue here is one of power. Christendom thinkers assume the church should be in a place of power in society. Yet Jesus showed us love is the true power in the universe, and love has more to do with empowerment than with power.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19384577.post-73793810838691509312008-10-23T08:35:00.000+02:002008-10-23T08:35:00.000+02:00Matt, Yes, I can't think of any recent war in whic...Matt, <BR/><BR/>Yes, I can't think of any recent war in which the "just war" criteria have been met, even if you do accept them.<BR/><BR/>Janet,<BR/><BR/>The question of legislating morality is linked to the distinction between law and gospel. Justice is congealed love. The law cannot force people to love each other if they are determined to hate. The best it can do is to mitigate the consequences of our lack of love.Steve Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11283123400540587033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19384577.post-547065074006321932008-10-23T07:57:00.000+02:002008-10-23T07:57:00.000+02:00I think one of the reasons this discussion gets so...I think one of the reasons this discussion gets so messy is that not all that is sinful should be illegal... this is utterly impractical. Much that is sinful is "in the heart" anyway... lust, greed, selfishness etc... you cannot "legislate" against such things. <BR/><BR/>Part of the intriguing thing about American politics is a stream of thought that seems to imply one can legislate for Christian values... you can achieve righteousness by banning abortion, or homosexual acts, etc. If public prayer can be introduced into schools by force of law, God will be pleased and bless the nation. (Perhaps a caricature, and perhaps inaccurate... American friends can correct me on this). The U.S. is perhaps the last bastion of such Christendom thinking (Christian emperor who forces the people to live as Christians)... and it's a mindset that seems quite entrenched in the Christian right.<BR/><BR/>No wonder there's something of a culture class between the emerging church and the religious right... and a culture class between the religious right and the religious left. An interesting situation indeed.Janet Woodlockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15819278046170432541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19384577.post-39148975467626549842008-10-23T07:01:00.000+02:002008-10-23T07:01:00.000+02:00Just war theology degenerates into theological jus...Just war theology degenerates into theological justification for war, all war, all too easily. The prrof of the pudding is, how many cases can you think of where a government pulled back from war on the basis of this theology? Same with rationalizations for abortion. Yes, we can all think of mitigating circumstances, but do we really think this would belong in a perfect world? Life ain't that simple.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com