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And are you sure about it, Elaine? Are you sure that even God isn't musing about our worthiness as a species? It's a reasonable thing to question, but if you're absolutely certain about it, more power to you. Myself, I'm not sure.
Anyway, I should have clarified that it wasn't to single you alone out, Elaine, and apologize for that... it's been a recurring theme from time to time on different posts. There can be a fine line between expressing a differing opinion or view, and or sermonizing to other people for theirs. Yes, we're all sinners ... true, nobody's perfect.... it's a point that's so obvious, it doesn't bear stating, and I daresay everyone of us here knows it without needing to have it pointed out.
But if I'm following the logic correctly as I've seen it in several posts (stated various ways), to point at the "mote" in the eye of someone who takes part in causing the avoidable (important adjective) suffering of animals is unacceptable, but to point to the "mote" in the eye of someone for being critical of those who take part in causing the avoidable suffering of animals, is acceptable. That seems convoluted to me, and something like "selective judgmentalism."
Anyway, I'm not a moral relativist and won't pretend to be. Having convictions and weighing one ideology against another isn't a matter of feeling superior or perfect. Tolerance has its place, but it isn't a blanket panacea-- some things in the world demand intolerance. Certainly, if anyone here thinks that it's not a more evolved or higher spiritual path to be compassionate toward other living beings .... if you think that it's equally spiritual and equally good and equally right and equally smart to not be compassionate toward other beings, and that any human activity is worthy and wonderful just because it's human.... then by all means, I guess it's fair to call those of us who hold a different view, "judgmental" and "self-righteous." It won't necessarily make that true, but at least it wouldn't seem disingenuous. Because if you feel the same way and hold the same view... that compassion is the "better, higher, more spiritual" path ---and that a human race that lived on that path, as opposed to the opposite path, would be more worthy of the gift of life itself, then it makes no sense to pretend to be on higher ground just because you don't openly state that sentiment in the same way that others may do.
Juli
Go on to: Comments by Elaine - 17 Feb 2009
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