You're Not the Boss of Me!

Obvious thought of the day...

Most human institutions in Western Civilization today demand a double standard: 1) that they be free from the restraints of religion, and 2) that they have the jurisdiction to restrain religion.

We hear (through the media, mind you) that many scientists feel that morality taking its root in a religious authority has no place in saying whether or not science should pursue certain procedures. Yet, we also hear from some scientists that they can disprove religious beliefs. Isn't the height of hubris to think that you cannot be restrained yourself but that you can restrain others?

Likewise, some say that law and politics should be free of any taint of religion...and yet those same people would say that the law and government can dictate when, where, and how religion can be expressed.

It seems to me that many people live by a double standard: they would allow human disciplines to impose themselves upon religion in ways that they would not allow religion to impose itself upon human disciplines.

Is it going to far to say that, in divorcing our human institutions from religious ones, we have let them slip under diabolic influence? Is that too dramatic an explanation for why many of our institutions lean towards hatred of religion?
If all religion were just another human institution, why wouldn't it get the same respect as other human disciplines?

Comments

[Lindsay]

I know *exactly* what you mean.