D
Darryl1958
Guest
I think in terms of just self-interest and self-reflection, a large swath of human values and morals, the so called Noahide covenant, are not only rationally believed in, but almost intuitive. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” defines a rather universal human principle that has been written onto our hearts, to use the common metaphor. While not exclusively instinctive-nothing of a moral nature ever is- it is at least intuitive, and it comes naturally to us. Since it feels so wrong and outrageous to our very essence to have our mothers murdered, or our daughters raped, we intuitively acknowledge that it would therefore be wrong for us to do that too.Problem is that those are not so obvious. People say a lot of times that so-called “gay marriage” isn’t harmful despite evidence to the contrary. The phrase “how does it affect you” is also used against folks as they are sued for refusing service, something which any business owner should have the right to do for any reason.
Another biggie is pornography. Folks really ought to listen to some of the former actresses testify about that; it’s a far cry from the feminist excuse that it’s just a “choice”. Same can be said for prostitution, and guess what? Some people in the USA actually want nuns to pay for their contraception.
When it comes to our sexuality however, which is what most of your examples centre on, we are dealing with a morality of a very different order. Our physiological drives toward sexuality, probably most especially for young men, are profoundly imprinted on our very essence, and the harm done is not so immediately apparent.
It is only through the wisdom of age, and the wisdom of the ages that the harm principle becomes apparent when it comes to our sexuality. However, the knowledge necessary to make this a rational choice is experiential, and the time when people make their sexual choices is when they are very young, and without the necessary experience to make an informed and rational choice.
The principle of preserving life is in most respects absolute in the code of Judaism, and it takes precedence over most other violations of the moral code. We can kill in self-defense, or even steal, lie or cheat if our lives absolutely depend on it. It is therefore curious that that absolute value of life preservation does not also extend to rape. Rape is the fate worse than death, and in the case of giving in to sex, the wisdom of that code is to chose death first.
Whether or not we agree with the ancient Jews that this is a correct attitude, what we can see is how powerful and potentially harmful Jewish wisdom regarded sex with. George Gilmore echoes some of the same sentiment when he notes how absolutely addictive homosexual behavior is among teenaged boys especially. Even experimenting once of twice in the vulnerable years of youth can leave to a lifetime of addiction.
With sex then, experience is needed to make a rational choice, but the very nature of the experience changes the very chemistry of our physiology, and skews any further choice.
At the same time, there is nothing in society that as foundational as properly functioning families, and such families are built upon sexual behavior. The experience of sex changes the very nature of our choice so that it can no longer be a rational choice, but becomes based more in the channels that sexual experience carves into our very psyches.
Sexuality is a very special case when it comes to making rational moral choices therefore, and it ought not be surprising that people who reject the wisdom of the ages in their youths are no longer in a position where their sexual choices resemble anything that is rational whatsoever.