The Philosophy Of Infanticide

[seer]

It is always the "culture of the time" that determines our moral values. These values guide interpretation of the Bible.

So? It still wasn't good or evil, it just was...

What's God got to do with it? The evolved instincts of altruism, empathy, and gratitude all underpin moral behaviour. They were built into us via natural selection because they are beneficial to the breeding and survival of our species as social animals.

What about our evolved instincts of dominance, greed, lust for power and selfishness? They were also built into us via natural selection because they are beneficial to the breeding and survival of our species.

[Tassman]

So? It still wasn't good or evil, it just was...

It never is any different. The culture of the time determines our moral values and we interpret the bible accordingly. E.g. Romans 13, once used to used to support slavery, is now being used by Jeff Sessions to support immigration policy.

What about our evolved instincts of dominance, greed, lust for power and selfishness? They were also built into us via natural selection because they are beneficial to the breeding and survival of our species.

The “evolved instincts of dominance, greed, lust for power and selfishness” are detrimental to social cohesion which is why we proscribe such behaviour and have developed a system of law to control it. And this is why we socialise our children with what behaviour is acceptable and what is unacceptable according to the cultural norms of the day.

[seer]

It never is any different. The culture of the time determines our moral values and we interpret the bible accordingly. E.g. Romans 13, once used to used to support slavery, is now being used by Jeff Sessions to support immigration policy.

So, what is wrong with that?

The “evolved instincts of dominance, greed, lust for power and selfishness” are detrimental to social cohesion which is why we proscribe such behaviour and have developed a system of law to control it. And this is why we socialise our children with what behaviour is acceptable and what is unacceptable according to the cultural norms of the day.

That is nonsense, dominance, greed, lust for power and selfishness helped us evolve, to adapt and cull the weak and infirmed. These instincts are still with us today and as strong as ever.

[Tassman]

So, what is wrong with that?

So you agree with separating young children from their mothers and justifying the practice not only with a biblical text, but the same text used in the past to justify slavery? Still, it reinforces my position that social values precede interpretation of the bible, which is then used to justify said social values.

That is nonsense, dominance, greed, lust for power and selfishness helped us evolve, to adapt and cull the weak and infirmed. These instincts are still with us today and as strong as ever.

Maybe but this doesn't circumvent the need to keep them under control for the sake of a cohesive society, e.g. we don't teach our kids that "greed is good".

[Cow Poke]

No need to, the facts speak for themselves. "Prior to Roe v. Wade in 1973, evangelicals were, with a few notable exceptions, confused and uncertain about the question of abortion." So says: ‘Richard Albert Mohler Jr.,

Call yourself, Tassman. Mohler is the one who also predicted all kinds of calamity at the SBC Annual Meeting this week in Dallas. He was just as incredibly wrong about that.

Sadly, he appears to be becoming unhinged, turning against the denomination to which he had bee loyal for many years.

[Tassman]

Call yourself, Tassman. Mohler is the one who also predicted all kinds of calamity at the SBC Annual Meeting this week in Dallas. He was just as incredibly wrong about that.

Sadly, he appears to be becoming unhinged, turning against the denomination to which he had bee loyal for many years.

Oh dear!

Richard Albert Mohler Jr., is an American historical theologian and the ninth president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He has been described as "one of America's most influential evangelicals" - Wiki.

It seems that for you ALL members of the SBC referenced, no matter how senior, are "unhinged" or wrong if they disagree with the current, relatively recent party line. Was Mohler "unhinged 5 years ago when he wrote the article to which I linked wherein he said "Prior to Roe v. Wade in 1973, evangelicals were, with a few notable exceptions, confused and uncertain about the question of abortion."?

[Cow Poke]

Oh dear!

Richard Albert Mohler Jr., is an American historical theologian and the ninth president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He has been described as "one of America's most influential evangelicals" - Wiki.

I don't have to Google him, I know him personally.

It seems that for you ALL members of the SBC referenced, no matter how senior, are "unhinged" or wrong if they disagree with the current, relatively recent party line.

Ya got some of that DQ stuff creeping in there, Tassy.

Was Mohler "unhinged 5 years ago when he wrote the article to which I linked wherein he said "Prior to Roe v. Wade in 1973, evangelicals were, with a few notable exceptions, confused and uncertain about the question of abortion."?

When somebody is 'becoming unhinged", it's often difficult to tell where that began. Still, he's entitled to his opinion, wrong as it may be. He certainly was wrong about the anticipated mayhem at the annual meeting this week.

And, once again, TWO YEARS PRIOR to that, at our annual meeting in 1971, we had already resolved....

Resolution On Abortion
St. Louis, Missouri - 1971

Tags: abortion, sanctity of life

WHEREAS, Christians in the American society today are faced with difficult decisions about abortion; and

WHEREAS, Some advocate that there be no abortion legislation, thus making the decision a purely private matter between a woman and her doctor; and

WHEREAS, Others advocate no legal abortion, or would permit abortion only if the life of the mother is threatened;

Therefore, be it RESOLVED, that this Convention express the belief that society has a responsibility to affirm through the laws of the state a high view of the sanctity of human life, including fetal life, in order to protect those who cannot protect themselves; and

Be it further RESOLVED, That we call upon Southern Baptists to work for legislation that will allow the possibility of abortion under such conditions as rape, incest, clear evidence of severe fetal deformity, and carefully ascertained evidence of the likelihood of damage to the emotional, mental, and physical health of the mother.

[Cow Poke]

Oh dear!

Richard Albert Mohler Jr., is an American historical theologian and the ninth president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

Tassy, you do this a lot. When you want to argue against a position, you find somebody who is supposedly "on that side", build them up to some incredible significance, then claim they support your position.

We (SBC) have SIX seminaries - Mohler is the president of ONE of them, and none of them speak for the SBC.

[seer]

So you agree with separating young children from their mothers and justifying the practice not only with a biblical text, but the same text used in the past to justify slavery? Still, it reinforces my position that social values precede interpretation of the bible, which is then used to justify said social values.

I have no idea who is justifying what with what. I'm saying that in your relative worldview it does matter. There is no good or evil, just opinions.

Maybe but this doesn't circumvent the need to keep them under control for the sake of a cohesive society, e.g. we don't teach our kids that "greed is good".

Well totalitarianism can impose a cohesive society to, so...

[rogue06]

Tassy, you do this a lot. When you want to argue against a position, you find somebody who is supposedly "on that side", build them up to some incredible significance, then claim they support your position.

We (SBC) have SIX seminaries - Mohler is the president of ONE of them, and none of them speak for the SBC.

In many ways it's like finding a governor who said something and then proclaiming he represents the U.S.

[Cow Poke]

In many ways it's like finding a governor who said something and then proclaiming he represents the U.S.

Yeah, and Mohler got that position, in part, because he was a mega-fund raiser for that particular Seminary.

As I said before, I always thought he was a good guy, for the most part, but he seems to be working really hard to distance himself from the SBC in general, and the conservative leaders who are under fire specifically.

[KingsGambit]

Yeah, and Mohler got that position, in part, because he was a mega-fund raiser for that particular Seminary.

As I said before, I always thought he was a good guy, for the most part, but he seems to be working really hard to distance himself from the SBC in general, and the conservative leaders who are under fire specifically.

When you mean the "conservative leaders who are under fire", do you mean the two who are facing allegations regarding rape coverups/molestations, or conservative leaders being criticized for being conservative?

[Cow Poke]

When you mean the "conservative leaders who are under fire", do you mean the two who are facing allegations regarding rape coverups/molestations, or conservative leaders being criticized for being conservative?

The former. He was very much in league with them "back in the day", and I certainly understand a need to state his position that they were wrong, but I think he just went kinda extreme on the whole "SBC is under the Judgment of God' thing.

[KingsGambit]

The former. He was very much in league with them "back in the day", and I certainly understand a need to state his position that they were wrong, but I think he just went kinda extreme on the whole "SBC is under the Judgment of God' thing.

I think in the end some good might come out of this whole controversy. It's sad that it has to be aired so publicly but it never would have rose to a denomination level had there not been some sort of pressure. Of course, the most positive change is coming from people who aren't focusing on specific names of people but on what the church can do better.

[Tassman]

Tassy, you do this a lot. When you want to argue against a position, you find somebody who is supposedly "on that side", build them up to some incredible significance, then claim they support your position.

We (SBC) have SIX seminaries - Mohler is the president of ONE of them, and none of them speak for the SBC.

Not just one of many seminaries, the biggest and oldest and most prestigious: "The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS), in Louisville, Kentucky, is the oldest of the six seminaries affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). The seminary was founded in 1859 at Greenville, South Carolina, where it was at first lodged on the campus of Furman University. After being closed during the Civil War, it moved in 1877 to a newly built campus in downtown Louisville and later moved to its current location in the Crescent Hill neighbourhood. For more than fifty years Southern has been one of the world's largest theological seminaries, with a current FTE (full-time equivalent) enrolment of over 3,300 students. -"Annual of the 2015 Southern Baptist Convention" (PDF). p. 217.