"Theft is of the delusional type-- it reveals an inflated sense of the importance of self relative to others."
I don't quite get what you are saying here. God appears to agree with me that its a bad thing which I guess its why it made it into the 10 commandments.
"Unproductive sex involves spending time and effort in order to stimulate the pleasure center of the brain, but gives little lasting satisfaction."
I'd disagree massively here. I'd say it can provide a lifetime of pleasure. Of all of the ways we have come up with for stimulating the pleasure centres of the brain its one of the least dangerous compared to drugs / alcohol etc.
"If you see morality as a combination of effective living, and a social contract letting other people live effectively, then it's obvious that too much of a fixation on sex (or food, or possessions, or power) represents immoral behaviors."
As opposed to the good things in life like war, rape, forcing your beliefs on others.....
Also you conflated fixation on food, possessions and power with sex. How is that even valid?
"Before everyone starts squeaking in outrage, let me say again that this is just one way to view morality. I think for the most part, the Bible makes more sense when morality is viewed this way than when viewed as attempting to comprehend and obey the random whims of God."
No squeaking here. The trouble with taking a view on biblical morality is that it is totally unacceptable in the modern world. If you attempted to follow biblical morality in any country in the Western World you would find yourself in prison. The only way to look at them would be as the random whims of God. Even the most benign commands are morally neutral, for example, why is it morally more acceptable to eat a steak than a pork chop?
I don't quite get what you are saying here. God appears to agree with me that its a bad thing which I guess its why it made it into the 10 commandments.
"Unproductive sex involves spending time and effort in order to stimulate the pleasure center of the brain, but gives little lasting satisfaction."
I'd disagree massively here. I'd say it can provide a lifetime of pleasure. Of all of the ways we have come up with for stimulating the pleasure centres of the brain its one of the least dangerous compared to drugs / alcohol etc.
"If you see morality as a combination of effective living, and a social contract letting other people live effectively, then it's obvious that too much of a fixation on sex (or food, or possessions, or power) represents immoral behaviors."
As opposed to the good things in life like war, rape, forcing your beliefs on others.....
Also you conflated fixation on food, possessions and power with sex. How is that even valid?
"Before everyone starts squeaking in outrage, let me say again that this is just one way to view morality. I think for the most part, the Bible makes more sense when morality is viewed this way than when viewed as attempting to comprehend and obey the random whims of God."
No squeaking here. The trouble with taking a view on biblical morality is that it is totally unacceptable in the modern world. If you attempted to follow biblical morality in any country in the Western World you would find yourself in prison. The only way to look at them would be as the random whims of God. Even the most benign commands are morally neutral, for example, why is it morally more acceptable to eat a steak than a pork chop?
