Absolutists

The basis for writing a hub on this subject came from reading the blog of another person. I have long held the same beliefs he expresses in the following (He is a friend and is aware that I am using his quote):

"I always feel a little worried when I meet anyone who has complete and truly unshakeable belief in anything.I'm not against faith as such, I hasten to declare. Millions among us have faith in a divine authority. Christians, Muslims, Bhuddists (more or less), Hindus and many more divisions, offer us a pattern for life and hope for the greater future. We (mostly) believe in our nation, our system of government, our politicians, our friends and our family, and there's nothing wrong with that. It isn't the institutions that worry me – it's the "true believers," those whose faith forbids thought or question."

There are absolutists on all sides of this issue. There are absolutists who insist that America is a Christian nation and that our laws, rules, and method of living should be based on Christian principles as stated and interpreted in the Holy Bible. The Bible is considered by these individuals to be God's words, even though the printed word was transcribed from the original Greek and Hebrew and printed/scribed onto papyrus, skins, or other material by humans (man). For many of these "true believers", there is no room for disagreement or question, since the words came from God, the ultimate and "absolute" authority.

Then there are the absolutists that insist we should have prayer in our public schools. These are predominately Christians who are surely not thinking about Muslim children prostrating themselves on prayer rugs. Nor do I think they are considering Jewish, Hindu, Hmong, Buddhist, and many others, least of all, atheists. But the absolutists are surely out there with their message that there is only one way-God's way (as they interpret it).

There are also absolutists of the Islamic faith. Certainly, if they believe "there is no God but Allah and that Mohammad is his prophet", this belief is as valid as Christians' belief in God and Jesus. Within their belief system, they have developed a pattern and structure, that governs their life and provides comfort. Their Holy book, the Qur'an, was also written by humans and contains some of the same history as the Holy Bible. The Qur'an is the word of God as they understand it and how it was revealed to Mohammad by the Angel Gabiel over a 23 year period. As long as they live and practice these beliefs and don't force them on others, there should be no conflict. However, when some Islamists become violent because someone printed cartoons of Mohammad or named a Teddy Bear Mohammad, that defies all reason.

Many Pro life advocates belief that life becomes at conception and, therefore abortion is murder- the taking of a life. This is often religion based, i.e., the life is God created. The pro life advocates tend to be absolutist, i.e., their belief forbids thought or question. It rather begs the question as to why God would give (or allow) a female to become pregnant through rape or incest, or even a 12 year old girl with her 14 year old boyfriend.

The subject can be argued adinfinitum. I only take issue here with the absolutists.

Gun control is a very emotional subject in the United States. The most vocal absolutists insist there should be no controls and that the second amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees them the right to keep and bear arms. I doubt the framers of the constitution foresaw the development of bazookas and AK 47's. Moderates have agreed to some controls, e.g., registration of hand guns to keep them out of the hands of known criminals and the mentally unstable. But the absolutists are still out there.

Regarding health care, there are still absolutists out there who regard any health care plan as socialized medicine and, therefore bad. I wouldn't begin to know what is the best road to follow on this subject. But, I do believe, that in a society such as ours, health care should be available to all, not just to the wealthy class.

We must all learn tolerance. We can believe in that which we were taught/ and or learned and what gives us comfort. But we must be willing to concede that others can have different beliefs. Most of us want nothing more than to provide for our families and raise our children to be productive citizens.

Diversity will enrich us.

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