OT The Way the Future Was

On 26-Apr-2005, "jce" <defaultuser@hotmail.com> wrote:

> The separation should also extend both ways - the state should not interfe
re
> with the purity of the religion.

The trouble is, a large part of religion isn't about our beliefs, it is abou
t
our values.  And a large part of having a government that is responsive to t
he
governed - is to be responsive to the values of the governed.

In societies today, our values say that human sacrifice is wrong.   However,
 it
wasn't too long ago when adulterous women were stoned in Afghanistan.
Churches usually agree when the state sends its youth to kill "for good caus
e".
But not always.

Still, in general, the values of the rulers (both religious and secular), pa
y
attention to the values of the governed.    Religions change their emphases,
 and
various portions of scriptures are devalued or emphasized.    Definitions of
"cruel and unusual" change as our values change.    Successful religions and
successful states try to guide the values of their members, but such guidanc
e
isn't a one way street.   I'd say they are guided more by the people than th
e
other way around.

Conservative values tend to be towards the more comfortable values of our yo
uth
- not the values from a couple generations before our youth.

SF author's Fredric Pohl's autobiography is called "The Way The Future Was".
Great title.   SF used to be full of how great the future would be, in an er
a
when USAmericans (its biggest audience), believed that the future would be
unlimited.    But our expectations are lower now - no more Martians, no more
family space ships, no more zipping around the galaxy spreading Truth, Justi
ce,
and the American Way.   In fact, spreading The American Way was what Vietnam
 and
Iraq are all about.    Neither the US nor Europe believe in this future anym
ore
as much as China does.

So what are our values and how hard will we fight for them?