• If our beliefs or actions are in opposition to the societal values and norms, is it right for a government to make these actions illegal?• In denying homosexuals the right to marry, are we taking away one of their fundamental rights as human beings?
• If a person is homosexual, should they have to conceal their feelings in order to please society and conform with its norms?
• In retrospect, should we let religion/culture define what is legal or illegal?
• How do we gain our sense of right and wrong? How do we justify it?
• In retrospect, should we let religion/culture define what is legal or illegal?
ReplyDeleteIf we do not include religious aspects in our laws, then what and who will define and create laws. even though there are specular countries that pretend to ignore religions when it comes to talk about law making,but it actually relies on religions a bit, since it contains some aspects of it. Otherwise, why is it a crime to kill someone? who can argue without referring to religions that murder is unethical and prohibited. all the religions say: "You shall not murder" and so does all laws of all countries.
We find that some cultures and religions are indeed more flexible and "open-minded" than others. But none of them permits homosexuality, and that affected people, which made this to be uncommon. In Morocco for instance, there is not such a gay movement that is influential and powerful to let people think about another perspective. That is why homosexuality is perceived to be a "crime" not only in Morocco but in other countries as well. I think that it is inevitable; the fact that letting religion and culture define what is legal or illegal.
Even if you are not religious you will probably agree that killing someone should be a crime, so I'm not convinced that people need religious law to decide what is right or moral. I'd be interested to know what you think should be done about the natural phenomenon of homosexuality. Do you really think it is a crime?
ReplyDeleteI think religion should be the last element to define our social norms, and either way, unfortunately a large number of our social norms are either immoral or wrong. Homosexuality is a natural form of the human being, and should be celebrated the same as homosexuality. We can see that religion is indeed the wrong tool to determine what is legal and is illegal that in fact in most developed countries church and state are separate. This shows that the government, a secular one, is the best decision maker it terms of policy and legislation, in this case concerning even homosexuality, and that religion should be completely left out of the process. To me it is blatantly obvious what should be done, and that social pressures should be abolished to create a more open-minded society, and that religion does exactly the opposite of that. It is a tool of control and one that hinders progress since it is traditionalist, and should have no say whatsoever, in anything, ever. Lastly, if we take a look at laws based on religious teachings, we find that most of the time those laws are the ones violating human rights, like freedom of speech, sexuality, person, press etc. So why include religion at all?
ReplyDeleteI believe that religion and culture are both man-made. Should we follow them and abide by their rules and restrictions just because powerful men were able to pass them as being the "norm"? What is the "norm"? Culture and religion, whether we admit it or not, shift throughout the centuries. They gain new values and set of rules as societies develop. Maybe these changes take so much time to settle that they do not appear to be revolutionary, but they do occur. Just a hundred years ago, women in Morocco were not allowed to go out of their houses. They moved from their parents' house to their husbands' once in their life. However, the culture has shifted greatly and we can see women parading in their bikinis in Moroccan beaches now. My point is, I believe that culture and religion do define the norms of the societies, and they play a major role in defining the rules. They are, in a way, a pillar that organizes the society and differentiate us from animals. However, they should be open to more change and I say immediate change. Homosexuality ceased being a taboo subject, and I think that religions and cultures should update their stands on the subject. If religion or culture contradicts with what people want, what people need, then should there be any religion or culture domination?
ReplyDelete