An excellent article about legislating morality

[tim_duncan2000]

For as we've seen, liberals and libertarians themselves appeal to certain moral principles in defending their favored policies. So how can they consistently criticize conservatives for doing the same? Isn't the liberal trying to "legislate morality" when he advocates redistributing wealth in the name of fairness? Isn't he thereby "imposing his moral views" on the wealthy? Aren't libertarians also "imposing their moral views" on liberals by trying to stop such redistribution? If libertarians who think that redistributive taxation amounts to theft could enact a law forbidding it, wouldn't this too amount to "legislating morality"? And if a liberal or libertarian responded by saying "Well, my moral views are the right ones!" why wouldn't this be just another instance of the same sort of dogmatic intolerance that conservatives are so often accused of?

http://www.techcentralstation.com/053105C.html

I always hear liberals complain about how conservatives (or the "Christian Right", which is almost interchangeable, even though not all conservatives are Christians and vice-versa, but I digress) are always trying to legislate morality, but yet they do it too.

 

[Adam's Apple]

Liberals always accuse conservatives of the very things they themselves are guilty of. That's a page right out of their handbook.

 

[Bullypulpit]

<blockquote>For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. - <i>Matthew 25:35-36</i></blockquote>

Some 'Christians' have forgotten or, more likely, ignored that parable. It is their duty as Christians to see to the needs of those who are without succor or surcease. If the government does this, what are they complaining about? After all, the government only acting according to Christian doctrine, which they want it to do anyways.

 

[no1tovote4]

<blockquote>For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. - <i>Matthew 25:35-36</i></blockquote>

Some 'Christians' have forgotten or, more likely, ignored that parable. It is their duty as Christians to see to the needs of those who are without succor or surcease. If the government does this, what are they complaining about? After all, the government only acting according to Christian doctrine, which they want it to do anyways.

Christ never once said that they should take their responsibilities and assign them to the Government, or that one should take from others to feed another. This is a incredibly personal religion that speaks of your own personal responsibilities, and not to those of the government. It especially never orders people to enforce the collection of money from others to pay for their personal responsibility to the less fortunate and to assign that responsibility to others.

 

[5stringJeff]

Christ never once said that they should take their responsibilities and assign them to the Government, or that one should take from others to feed another. This is a incredibly personal religion that speaks of your own personal responsibilities, and not to those of the government. It especially never orders people to enforce the collection of money from others to pay for their personal responsibility to the less fortunate and to assign that responsibility to others.

You always beat me to the punch!

Bully, Republicans believe that the admonition to help the poor is an individual responsibility, not a government one.

 

[Hobbit]

You always beat me to the punch!

Bully, Republicans believe that the admonition to help the poor is an individual responsibility, not a government one.

That, and I think my money could be better spent. I'd rather give my money to a charity that funds homeless shelters and provides food to those who can't afford it than to have the government wrench the money out of my hand so they can spend it on condoms to hand out or give it to some welfare mom who's too lazy to get off her fat butt and actually work for a living.