"If alcoholism is a disease, then the use of drugs, which becomes a habit, is a ‘disease.’ Taking this reasoning to the absurd, any bad or immoral choice we make that becomes a habit could be construed a disease, including child abuse, spousal abuse, assault, domestic violence, rape, pornography, aggravated battery, petty theft, robbery and murder."
That was from a column by one Sammy Sorrel, national director of United Citizens for Legal Justice Reform – of which I have never heard – in the Saturday Albuquerque Tribune.
In the same paper, syndicated columnist Betsy Hart says we have terrible social problems because our society is afraid to make "value judgements." She continues: "We are utterly loathe to stigmatize any behavior…" Rathelr than live in a "therapeutic nation," we should, she concludes, recognize the "extraordinary power of sin."
And also in yesterday’s Tribune Terry Mattingly, its syndicated religion columnist, reports on a Pew study of press attitudes. One result: 91% of journalists on the national level and 78% of the locals – asked if "belief in God… is necessary to be moral," said "No."
Gosh, I love it when we argue the nitty-gritty. Mr. Sorrel, in particular, states his premises cleanly and logically.
He and Hart are correct, the debate is…or should be…moral thinking versus the kind that looks to disease or some other malfunction to explain the kind of behavior we abhor.
Now I know the moralists predominate, but I figure they have a tough road to hoe. We have thought in moral terms since Abraham, if not earlier, and after all these years of Judeo-Christian "civilization," we still perform cruel acts.
My question is, how long? How many more centuries do we wait for humans to become "moral?"
Isn’t it time we look at ourselves differently, explore new ways to reach cooperation and love? (In fact, we have made some progress when we have defined the problem in terms of health, as with alcholics.)
But then again, who am I to speak? I belong to that majority of news people who think you can be "moral" without religious belief.
Worse yet, when I think about Osama bin Laden and George W. Bush, I wonder if religious belief isn't an "enabler" for folks who want to kill. Yeah, religion may make it unlikely that you will behave in a "moral" fashion.