>>>>It is "wrong for religious people to claim ownership of morality" because it assumes that moralilty is derived from religion.
>>

I'm curious Rich, where do you think morality comes from? Webster defines moral as:
"of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behavior : ETHICAL"

So the question of who sets those standards appears. It seems even some athiests believe the law comes from, at least, a belief in a higher power. Sartre, an existentialist, said "If God is dead, everything is permitted."
If man is the ultimate arbiter of right and wrong, who is to say who is right? Are you right because you have a stronger army, police force, etc.?


I've been dealing with criminals for 30 years and have never heard one say he was a bad person. I've had murderers tell me "I'm not really a bad guy." Of course, that begs the question, how do we decide who is good and bad.

I know you've heard it said, "you can't legislate morality." I disagree. I don't think you can find any law that doesn't have a moral underpinning. The oldest known book of laws, "The Code of Hammurabi", has many references to God. The "Ten Commandments", according to my faith, emanated from God, himself. All these laws are about morality. Left to our own designs, we would be in total anarchy because we are basically selfish. Morality has been defined for thousands of years based upon a belief in God.

What's your take?