There are too many laws these days. In some places you can’t cross the street without breaking the law. Other places you’re a criminal if you buy too much cold medicine. And there’s a global push for new laws against blasphemy.
Which is why I’m actually excited about the new religious push for civil disobediance:
Conservative Christian leaders unveiled a declaration Friday calling on Christians not to comply with rules and laws forcing them to accept abortion, same-sex marriage and other ideals that go against their religious doctrines.
To be clear, I consider the specifics of their position ludicrous. It’s difficult for me to imagine laws that would force pregnant women to accept abortions, or heterosexuals to enter into same-sex marriages. Nonetheless, if such laws were passed, I’d stand opposed with my falsely-religious brothers and sisters.
And what’s even more promising is that their opponents disagree only on the specifics:
D.C. Council member David A. Catania (I-At Large) said, “It’s a shame they don’t extend the same efforts to issues that really matter, like health care and homelessness.”
Again, it’s difficult for me to imagine laws that would force people to purchase health care or mandate that they become homeless, but against such laws I’d stand with the D.C. Council as well.
And when the anti-blasphemy laws come down the pike, hopefully the religious nuts and the politicos will stand with us!
Code fail. This is why I like preview buttons.
@Twewi, you said…
There are many who consider forcing people to get car insurance to be wrong too. And thus see forcing people to get health insurance to be yet another horrible example of this kind of wrong.
Okay, but it still doesn’t fit with the examples given of things like forced abortions, homelessness, etc. which are unarguably wrong. It’s hardly difficult to imagine, as he said.
You’ll change your mind about forced car insurance when you get an accident with someone who doesn’t have it, was completely at fault, and doesn’t have any money… One does not have to drive, so in my mind there is no problem with forcing people to get car insurance if they want to drive. I mean, we force people to get their car inspected, and that costs money…
Forcing people to purchase health insurance is a little bit trickier, because there is no “opt out” (akin to just not driving). A better model, IMO, would be to have free health insurance for everyone and pay for it with tax money. That’s effectively the same thing, but more palatable for some reason. (If this is a problem, then perhaps we should stop forcing people to buy roads, buy militaries, etc…)
@James Sweet, you said…
There are many people who consider those things being forced to be wrong too.
Well, what works on Gelgamek isn’t necessarily gonna work well for us here on Earth.
I’m more interested on these laws that “force people to accept abortion” (etc etc).
I did have a lively conversation online with someone a few years back, who was really bothered about the government taking away his “Right to protect the flag from desecration,” which I don’t recall from philosophy classes, but is probably in the same ballpark (see also: Rights to prevent other people from doing things I don’t care for).