In Reply to: Is exposing heresy "religious persecution"? posted by Donny on August 27, 2003 at 11:20:35:
Are you saying that: "Wanting to uproot a group from the face of the earth simply over their religious beliefs" is not the same as "exposing their sexual-religious beliefs to the public... merely discussing them in an open forum." If so, I can agree with you. Moreover, I would say that it is important that those beliefs are discussed publicly to see what implications they have had on our lives. Another byproduct is that the cost to society due to these beliefs can also be examined.
But let's look at the idea of "persecuting" The Family... some may have the energy, the time and the inclination to do just that. They may believe that doing so is what they must do. The way I see it, one group is just as free as the other to do as they please. After all, we as human beings are able to believe lots of things and get away with it.
What the fundamental points are, after all is said and done, in the case of The Family or of any other group we consider dangerous, are there any lines we must respect and not cross? How innocence and guilt should be determined? Who will do that determination?
But the most important question is ethical, which is more important, to protect society even if a few innocent individuals get hurt, or to protect all innocent individuals even if society is hurt. These two interests are not always aligned but contrary. What directs our actions is what we would rather protect, individuals or society at large. For my part, I’d rather protect the individual because The Family is just a flea circus. They and their teachings are their own and worse enemy.