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Layla Rose's avatar

Judgment, as well as religion absolutely can do harm, and they do. It's about reason, understanding, and compassion. I'm pretty sure all the women being blocked from getting into clinics as a result of both judgment and religion would probably beg to differ. Most monotheistic religions and practices teach a very rigid set of vertical authority ideology, which does mental, psychological, spritual, and sometimes even physical harm to others. I've experienced this as a child growing up as a fundamentalist.

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Selina ThePagan's avatar

Rigid vertical authority is one of several reasons why I'm Pagan and not Christian. So much of that authority was NOT legitimate and was used to abuse. [WAY too many stories like this!]

Judgement is different from action, and we need more than compassion and understanding to make good decisions. We also need to consider: LEGITIMATE authority, loyalty, the sacred, what's fair [earned], and the effects on the wider civilization. No, I don't think we should be blocking people's freedom of movement. Which means I don't approve of climate protestors and Muslims blocking roads either. My question is which clinics, and who is being blocked? I will not be banned from exercising judgement. Civil disagreement is better than the alternative.

No one uses reason as a first judgement. You can read a summary of the brain science behind how humans make decisions in Jonathan Haidt's The Righteous Mind. All humans go with emotion first, and reason after the fact. However, if we have the habit of asking questions, AND we like the person in front of us [this format is a complete fail for that] then there is a shot we will be swayed by what they think.

We don't get away from religion though. If we don't hold something greater than ourselves [humans] in a place of awe and aspiration, then something falls in to fill the void. For the last 20 years or so [maybe longer] that something has been government and the results of that are... ugly.

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Leo in L.A.'s avatar

I am not pagan, and I'm absolutely not Christian, but I would love to read one of your posts that talks about its core values that mean the most to you. And even more interestingly, maybe areas where you deviate from the collective.

I get the sense you may look at the beliefs as fluid, and I have always appreciated that myself . 😊

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Selina ThePagan's avatar

Good suggestion!

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