Stu says: To be fair, you can say that everyone who believes in any particular religion thinks everyone who doesn't is wrong. So the entire Catholic Church (for example) and everyone in it starts every discussion about religion or a subject that their religion exercises some moral/ethical/historical influence etc on from the standpoint that if a person doesn't believe in their god they are wrong/mistake/ignorant/need saving.

Stu, what you say is true if you speak only of absolutists, those who see only one possible answer to each question. And we certainly do see absolutism all around us. And yes, it runs rampant in churches - but it is not universal. Until I got to Mudcat, I hadn't expected to see it among progressives, but absolutism is alive and well among people here at Mudcat who call themselves progressive.

And if absolutism is the rule, then conflict is inevitable.

But although that "my way or the highway" attitude is strong in Western society, I think there are many who are able to appreciate diversity in thought. If we are to be truly "progressive," I think we need to honor that diversity and seek to accommodate the values of all without compromising the values of anyone.

So, in this thread, we're talking about abortion and the Zika virus. Some see the issue as clear-cut. Zika virus causes microcephalic babies, so pregnant women exposed to the Zika virus should have abortions. And it appears they think that anybody who hesitates about that is evil.

But what if the Zirus does not cause birth defects in a particular pregnancy? Should we perform a prophylactic abortion, just in case? Or what if the mother wants to have the baby despite the birth defect? And does the baby have any rights before it is born?

I am appalled and disgusted by the rigid authoritarianism of many anti-abortion activists. Believe it or not, many Catholic bishops are also appalled and disgusted and embarrassed by those activists. It's rare to see bishops and priests and nuns participate in aggressive opposition to abortion. Most Catholics seem to accept Catholic teaching that life is sacred, and that it begins at conception. Neither of these teachings can be proved - or disproved. They are a matter of the heart. But if the majority of people in a nation hold these concepts, then it would seem to make sense for that nation to ban abortion.

The trouble is, laws against abortion violate the rights of individual pregnant women to make decisions for their own lives. And so a balance must be achieved.

I don't know where that balance is. But somehow, I don't think the balance in Latin America should be determined by absolutist atheists in the United Kingdom.

-Joe-