Legislating Morality vs Legislating Morally
*This post is courtesy of Jordon Greene
Something to remember this coming week at the NCGOP Convention when electing a Vice-Chairman.
Some, specifically one running for Vice-Chair, refuse to understand that we liberty-minded folks do not want to remove morality from politics or government; such would be illogical and dangerous. They say we want to keep morality and politics separate, and they purport that merging the two in essence is the answer. They like to pervert our words into something foreign from their intent. The important thing to note here is that legislating morality and legislating morally are two entirely different things with very important differences.
Legislating morality is to make law that prohibits, through legal punishment or exclusion, certain acts or things based on their moral character (typically based on the Bible) regardless of their tangible effect on liberty or free will. Legislating morally is to legislate in a moral manner however. This means that the legislator has and displays an upright moral character, that they are faithful to their oath of office to the US Constitution (and their state’s constitution for state officials) and they uphold and keep their commitments and principles.
Whereas the first, legislating morality, fails to be moral from the onset because it violates liberty based on an individual’s or the masses perceived notion of morality. Rather than carrying out government’s legitimate role of protecting the individual’s liberty from abridgement, the second notion maintains it.
Legislating morality also reduces the importance of the church, the rightful agent of morality, by reassigning their God-given compass of morality to the State, one of the most corrupt and power hungry institutions on the planet, causing the church to become lax and dependent on the state for the enforcement of religious doctrine and morality. Something the founders would be enraged over.
If we were to truly emphasize legislating morally the problems that many illegitimately claim would be solved through legislating morality would be solved or at least much diminished. Legislating morally provides the undergirding needed to provide an honest, transparent, and constitutionally sound government that respects liberty and encourages people of faith to combat immorality in the correct manner, as individuals to individuals and through the church. Legislating morally is the only proper way of legislating, morality is better maintained in this manner than by the forceful hand of government.
Why we think we can force people to do what Christ only demands voluntarily of the human race, I will never understand.
We need your help! If you like PunditHouse, please consider donating to us. Even $5 a month can make a difference!
Short URL: https://pundithouse.com/?p=14022
