OneLight Posted February 12, 2010 Group: Royal Member Followers: 22 Topic Count: 1,294 Topics Per Day: 0.21 Content Count: 31,762 Content Per Day: 5.21 Reputation: 9,763 Days Won: 115 Joined: 09/14/2007 Status: Offline Share Posted February 12, 2010 I understand why the law is legislated, but to me, that is not the root issue. The point is, we can try to legislate morality, but you are only legislating the moral. The immoral will not be legislated, so morality as a whole, can not. That is the meaning behind the statement I made that morality is from the heart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsca777 Posted February 12, 2010 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 16 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 247 Content Per Day: 0.05 Reputation: 1 Days Won: 0 Joined: 10/27/2009 Status: Offline Birthday: 11/04/1973 Share Posted February 12, 2010 We can legislate morality, but good luck trying to enforce it, or come up with a moral framework that everyone agrees with. In practice, we legislate about things that negatively impact upon society or impinge on other people's rights and freedoms. We don't legislate against lust, for example. How would that be policed? We legislate against murder, because that impinges upon other people's rights. Unless people are delivered from lust, there's absolutely no way you can legislate against lust. Only the Lord has the power to deliver people from it and even then it can be a truggle to control where your eyes look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nebula Posted February 12, 2010 Group: Royal Member Followers: 10 Topic Count: 5,823 Topics Per Day: 0.75 Content Count: 45,870 Content Per Day: 5.93 Reputation: 1,897 Days Won: 83 Joined: 03/22/2003 Status: Offline Birthday: 11/19/1970 Share Posted February 12, 2010 So, should we do away with stealing laws because the laws won't keep people from stealing? Is it not the same idea? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsca777 Posted February 12, 2010 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 16 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 247 Content Per Day: 0.05 Reputation: 1 Days Won: 0 Joined: 10/27/2009 Status: Offline Birthday: 11/04/1973 Share Posted February 12, 2010 So, should we do away with stealing laws because the laws won't keep people from stealing? Is it not the same idea? no, it is not the same idea. Stealing is easy to define and easy to know. lust is not so easy. Also, stealing is an action, lust is not if it doesn't go any further than that. If you lust after someone, although it is sin before God, your not comitting an act whereby stealing is actually doing something bad to someone. You can never control what a person's thoughts are and people can have some sinful thoughts going on in their minds. There's no way that be legislated against. Only God can see the heart and the thoughts on people. Of course, God has His law of righteousness, but know matter how you strive for perfection, you'll never succeed 100% when it comes to that. That's why we need His forgiveness and grace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nebula Posted February 12, 2010 Group: Royal Member Followers: 10 Topic Count: 5,823 Topics Per Day: 0.75 Content Count: 45,870 Content Per Day: 5.93 Reputation: 1,897 Days Won: 83 Joined: 03/22/2003 Status: Offline Birthday: 11/19/1970 Share Posted February 12, 2010 To borrow a quote I heard: "I do not know if we can have a heaven here on earth, but I am sure we need not have a hell here on earth." So you can either justify hell on earth or you can work towards a heaven here on earth. Your choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorningGlory Posted February 12, 2010 Group: Royal Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 1,022 Topics Per Day: 0.16 Content Count: 39,193 Content Per Day: 6.08 Reputation: 9,977 Days Won: 78 Joined: 10/01/2006 Status: Offline Share Posted February 12, 2010 You can never control what a person's thoughts are and people can have some sinful thoughts going on in their minds. There's no way that be legislated against. Only God can see the heart and the thoughts on people. Of course, God has His law of righteousness, but know matter how you strive for perfection, you'll never succeed 100% when it comes to that. That's why we need His forgiveness and grace. Absolutely. What an awesome God who created a way to absolve us of sin and bring us to Him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nebula Posted February 12, 2010 Group: Royal Member Followers: 10 Topic Count: 5,823 Topics Per Day: 0.75 Content Count: 45,870 Content Per Day: 5.93 Reputation: 1,897 Days Won: 83 Joined: 03/22/2003 Status: Offline Birthday: 11/19/1970 Share Posted February 12, 2010 Also, stealing is an action, lust is not if it doesn't go any further than that. If you lust after someone, although it is sin before God, your not comitting an act whereby stealing is actually doing something bad to someone. You can never control what a person's thoughts are and people can have some sinful thoughts going on in their minds. There's no way that be legislated against. Only God can see the heart and the thoughts on people. Of course, God has His law of righteousness, but know matter how you strive for perfection, you'll never succeed 100% when it comes to that. That's why we need His forgiveness and grace. Good point! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nebula Posted February 12, 2010 Group: Royal Member Followers: 10 Topic Count: 5,823 Topics Per Day: 0.75 Content Count: 45,870 Content Per Day: 5.93 Reputation: 1,897 Days Won: 83 Joined: 03/22/2003 Status: Offline Birthday: 11/19/1970 Share Posted February 12, 2010 and how do you work towards heaven here on earth? by passing laws to make people "act" the way you want them to, or by bringing them to a loving relationship with Jesus? You can't force people into a relationship with Jesus any more than you can force laws on anyone. Now the OP is about a general legislating morality question, is it not? If we do away with all legislation that has a "moral" element to it, what laws will we have left? The argument isn't what is the best way to change society, but can moral behavior can be legislated or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nebula Posted February 12, 2010 Group: Royal Member Followers: 10 Topic Count: 5,823 Topics Per Day: 0.75 Content Count: 45,870 Content Per Day: 5.93 Reputation: 1,897 Days Won: 83 Joined: 03/22/2003 Status: Offline Birthday: 11/19/1970 Share Posted February 12, 2010 It is the morality that the society as a collective has agreeed upon, not what one group or another feels is right or wrong. And that is the heart of the debates we have, isn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Butero Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 You can't force people into a relationship with Jesus any more than you can force laws on anyone. Now the OP is about a general legislating morality question, is it not? If we do away with all legislation that has a "moral" element to it, what laws will we have left? The argument isn't what is the best way to change society, but can moral behavior can be legislated or not. it was your quote, not mine. as for legislating morality, yes of course every law has a bit of morality in it. It is the morality that the society as a collective has agreeed upon, not what one group or another feels is right or wrong. That is not entirely true. Society as a whole elects people to represent us, and most of the time, those people used a certain amount of deceit to get elected about what they stand for. Those representatives passed laws based on their morality, which at times went against the will of the majority. At other times, activist judges went against the legislature and the people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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