Paper #64 has a comment from a reader that poses a very serious, profound, and interesting question about the Mosque being built in New York City: "Where do you draw the line? Two blocks? Three blocks? Four blocks? 20 blocks? How far away is far enough? Where is the line drawn for religious freedom? And, who's church/temple/synagogue is next?"
This is a fantastic question because it not only deals with the Mosque but can be asked about many things: abortion, gay marriage, taxes, health care, war, etc. Where do you draw the lines on any of these?
With abortion the question becomes when does life begin and when does it become murder? If life begins at conception then any act by human hands that stops the life from growing makes it a murder. But if life begins at the babies first breath then it's only a fetus- a non functioning life form. With gay marriage, the question becomes at what point does marriage need defining? If gays can not be allowed to marry, then human rights may be being violated. But if they are allowed to marry then that opens doors up to other marriages. With taxes, the question becomes who are the rich? If $250,000 is the cut off then those living in Hawaii and Florida (let's not forget Hollywood) are doomed. With war, the question becomes when is it justified? If it is never justified then everyone involved with warfare is a criminal and all of those who have fought and died meant nothing. But if it is justifiable then perhaps more are needed to stop abuse by dictators.
What a fantastic question! It not only in itself is an enigma but opens up all kinds of endless inquiries. If you really thought about it you may come to the conclusion that there may be no answer to it. Oh, but there is an answer. The answer to where do you draw the line is "at the beginning".
People are afraid of drawing the line, any lines. But that has been the problem of society since it's creation. God drew the original lines for us. But being human (irresponsible, self-indulgent, arrogant, wicked...see Paper #68) we erase those lines and redraw them with every new generation. Here is the problem with this action. If a line is being redrawn then all moral standards are lost. If the line keeps moving away from moral standards then it will eventually disappear. This leads to a chaotic society which will implode upon itself unless checked. Whose moral standards? Don't fool yourself. God laid down the original morality system. We (as the human race as a whole, not individuals) are the ones who have changed it and have done so many rotten things that we are no longer shocked by what the world does. We are the ones who have misinterpreted the will of God and went to wars in His name. We are the ones who have moved the barriers of right and wrong to the end that no one knows the difference anymore. So when someone finally reminds us of the original system we socially stone him. Thomas Hobbes claimed that man is naturally selfish and if left unchecked by government he will destroy himself. He was mostly right. man has become so wicked that if it wasn't for the morally correct in this world then man would have destroyed himself already. He has been put in check by God. God is the original government.
The line to be drawn is at the beginning. The line in the case of the Mosque is: it should never have been even an idea to be built at Ground Zero. One block away may be all it takes to settle the issue but it should never have been conceived in the first place.
