I teach NCEA Religious Studies, at level three, one standard is to “Analyse the response of a religious tradition to a contemporary ethical issue”. Officially students have to describe the response a religious tradition has made to a moral issue. Our school like a lot of schools looks at Christian responses to abortion. Because I […]
Entries Tagged as 'Jurisprudence'
Erik Wielenberg and the Autonomy Thesis: Part Three Standard Objections to the Autonomy Thesis, Human Rights and Dignity without God
March 25th, 2017 1 Comment
In my last post I looked at Erik Wielenberg’s response to the objection that, in the absence of God, people lack compelling reasons to comply with morality’s demands. A second objection Wielenberg briefly addresses is that without certain theological doctrines, one cannot provide a plausible basis for human rights and dignity. Wielenberg, here again, takes Craig […]
Tags: David Boonin · Erik Wielenberg · Infanticide · Loius Pojman · Nicholas Wolterstorff · Peter Singer · Rights · William Lane Craig
John Corvino on Liberals and Being Judgemental
October 25th, 2015 2 Comments
Recently I have been reading John Corvino’s book, “What’s wrong with Homosexuality?” Corvino describes himself as a religious sceptic and is one of the leading defenders of the moral permissibly of homosexual conduct, and also an articulate defender of what is commonly called “gay rights”. In terms of the conclusions we each have, Corvino and I are […]
Tags: Bad Reasoning · Homosexual Conduct · John Corvino · Judging
Nonsense on Stilts: Non-Discrimination Rights
March 29th, 2014 16 Comments
When the Human Rights Act was passed in 1993 I supported the writing of non-discrimination rights into law. At that time I, like many New Zealanders, believed that people had a right to not be discriminated against that the government should protect. Since then, reflecting on the issue has lead me to change my mind. […]
Tags: Discrimination · Rights and Freedoms
Religious Freedom and Non-Discrimination
March 10th, 2014 20 Comments
Currently I am working on a post on the issue of non-discrimination rights and the morality of discrimination. In the mean-time I thought I would highlight the thoughtful commentary from James-Michael Smith in this video.
Tags: Discrimination · Freedom of Religion · Homosexual Conduct · James-Michael Smith · Religion in Public Life
Flannagan v ACC – Victory
September 12th, 2013 13 Comments
Long time readers of this blog will remember than 5 1/2 years ago I was in a car accident that saw me suffer a herniated cervical (neck) disc and require disc replacement surgery. Readers will also be aware that the pain I lived (live) with did not end after that surgery and that when the […]
Tags: ACC · Car Accident · Disc Replacement Surgery
A common objection to belief in the God of the Bible is that a good, kind, and loving deity would never command the wholesale slaughter of nations. In the tradition of his popular Is God a Moral Monster?, Paul Copan teams up with Matthew Flannagan to tackle some of the most confusing and uncomfortable passages of Scripture. Together they help the Christian and nonbeliever alike understand the biblical, theological, philosophical, and ethical implications of Old Testament warfare passages.
AUSA, expelling pro life groups, and legal advice
October 5th, 2017 Comments Off on AUSA, expelling pro life groups, and legal advice
For those following the Auckland University Students Association (AUSA’s) recent decision to expel a pro-life group at Auckland University, it may interest you to know that the following press release was sent to me today: Media Release: ProLife Auckland Date: 5 October 2017 University Group Celebrates Victory Against Unjust Discrimination Auckland University Club ProLife Auckland celebrates […]
Tags: Abortion · AUSA · Rights and Freedoms