Cardinal George rues stunted debate about same-sex marriage
August 08, 2012
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In a column on legal acceptance of same-sex marriage, Chicago’s Cardinal Francis George remarks that the public debate in America has been artificially limited. A full debate, the cardinal argues, would include not only a discussion of individual rights, but also a discussion of natural law and the claims of religious faith. But in practice the debate has focused almost exclusively on the claims for individual rights. Cardinal George observes:
Unfortunately, when the only permissible context for discussing public values is that of individual rights protected by civil law, then it is the government alone that determines how it is acceptable to act.
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Posted by: TheJournalist64 -
Aug. 08, 2012 8:59 PM ET USA
This is exactly what Ben Wiker says in MORAL DARWINISM. It derives from the philosophy of Hobbes and Locke, in which the word "right" is defined as "what I want" and the only way to handle a conflict between what I want and what you want is for the government to decide. But true human rights are given by God, and are inalienable.
