My views on objective morality

[LadyForCamus]

So, I've taken some time away from the meat of this thread to gain some perspective, and l've taken the time to go back and read through what happened here with fresh eyes. I'd like to share my final thoughts and feelings (assuming anyone is still interested) before stepping out and closing the door on this disaster.

Rape is a difficult subject for many people. Every time I have seen it come up as a topic here at the forums (I can only speak to what I have been personal witness to), it begins as thoughtful discussion and inevitably escalates into one or two people being villainized as "pro-rape."

After sitting back and absorbing what has happened here, I have come to the realization that I cannot discuss rape without getting personally, emotionally involved. I am not capable of unbiased discourse on the matter. I should have politely excused myself from the thread the second it came up. This is was my learning curve. I take full responsibility for it, and I'm sorry for it. I should have picked up on CL's emotional fatigue and let it go.

Now to be fair, I think there is learning curve here for CL as well. In my opinion, she needs to understand that when we are discussing the horrors of human suffering, and she takes the philosophical position: "God lets these things happen for a reason, and this suffering is part of his larger plan," she isn't just talking about the suffering that is 'out there somewhere.' She is taking about suffering that many of the people involved in the discussion have experienced personally. In other words, what it sounds like is: "God let YOU suffer for a reason. YOUR suffering is a part of his larger plan." In other words, it pulls in the dummies who don't know better than to circumvent the thread all together (like me) with an emotional hook that burns. Whether or not they believe in such a God, or any God, is irrelevant I think.

And that's not fair to CL. For one, we don't (or at least I don't) have any idea what she has been through in her life; what she has suffered. I certainly don't hold her personally responsible for anything her God has or hasn't done to me or anyone close to me. She is also not responsible for those of us who have a hard time keeping our feelings in check. But, I do think that going forward she needs to better prepare herself for the emotional backlash that is bound to occur anytime this particular can of worms gets opened, intentionally or otherwise.

I know she feels ganged up on, and I know some people said some pretty nasty things, but I think this was less about a gang-up: "let's beat on CL till she cries!" and more about her expressing a belief that several people had a negative emotional response to all at once. I'm not excusing it. I'm just saying I think that is what happened.

I also stand firm in my (and Hanky's) position that her beliefs are founded upon a logical contradiction, or atleast a cognitive dissonance in terms of god's morality. I have yet to see this challenged convincingly. It seems any challenge to it requires God to forfeit his omnipotence in some capacity, so I won't concede yet in that regard.

I am sorry in advance if I have spoken incorrectly for anyone's feelings or intentions here. Please correct me if I have misstepped. I am also sorry to CL, and I'd like to extend my apology to her personally if she would take me off ignore. If she chooses not to, I will respect her decision. Thanks to anyone who is still listening to me ramble; I promise I'll stop now!