Ethics (Religion)

by David Turell , Sunday, October 05, 2008, 16:39 (5893 days ago) @ dhw

David asks: "Why should I pay taxes to support a premeditated murderer?" Economics before ethics? I accept your argument that there are different types of murder, and I am not saying let's be soft on the child-killers, the cold-blooded planners, the serial murderers. But if you asked me cold-bloodedly and with premeditation to stick in the needle or pull the lever or fire the shot that would kill them, I would not be able to do it, and I would not ask anyone else to do it in my name. - Because most of us have ethical sensitivites, we use a firing squad or several people to pull several levers for chemical or electrical death, so no one can feel he alone is responsible, for no one knows who has the lethal lever. As for economics before ethics, I do follow the rule of 'do unto others' Rabbi Hillel's and Jesus' lesson. But the premeditated murderer can not claim be a human 'other'. He is sub-human and does not claim my ethical consideration. I do not hunt any animal except by camera. I know animals are natural murderers, but they do not have our human consciousness or conscience. They deserve my ethics, so I will continue to take pictures.