[avb3]

Originally Posted by Mistagin

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So if you win the fight, then we will be ruled by those with an atheistic worldview (if there is such a thing). Hmmm not so sure that would be any better than what we've got now. Nations ruled by atheistic governments / rulers haven't exactly given the world anything to desire! One thing about it, to truly have an atheistic worldview government / schools / courts mean there would be a small pool to draw leaders from!

Religious leaders of nations have done such a great job over history, haven't they? Iran - religious leaders run it, Hitler, practicing Catholic, endorsed by Pope Pious the what ever number he was, King Henry the Eight, established Church of England, King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile established the Spanish Inquisition.

All religious people. And let us not forget those wonderful religious leaders who sent children on a Crusade to get slaughtered.

Yeah, I feel really comfortable with the precedence set by leaders who are religious and use their religion to run their countries.

For one thing, we'd have to scrap the entire legal / justice system - since ours is rooted in the Judeo-Christian worldview, and society still seems to hold to the validity of at least some of the 10 Commandments and their inherent principles.

Code of Hammurabi was in fact much more comprehensive as a civil law instrument then the 10 Commandments or many of the Moses statements. Much of the 10 commandments and Moses subsequent statements mirror the Code of Hammurabi.

Your argument falls apart; lots of moral law available prior to the bible, laws that are still applicable today.

I think, no - I believe, that there have been immense contributions to creating good societies and a lot of very good things to enhance life by people who have dearly held religiously based worldviews. And there still are. In fact, I would go so far as to say the roots of our Western civilization were very heavily shaped and influenced by people with religious worldviews. Has that been so bad it now requires, in your estimation, the dis-allowance of religious peoples' voices in vital areas of society like government, education, and the courts?

Actually, as I indicated above, yeah, lots of harm is done in the name of religion. Many religious people do good, and so do some of the organizations, but that does not detract from the fact that much of the world's wars are and have been because of religious differences.

By the way, I hold to a Biblical worldview shaped by the Reformed Christian theological tradition - and I'm proud to say so!

I assume that means you hope to be one of the 144,000? Wasn't Calvin the one who copied Vlad Dracul of Transylvania and tortured some of those opposed to him, and then put their heads on a stake? Nice guy to model a religion after.