Question

1. Our heritage has shaped many of our laws, but some laws seem more directly tied to our religious beliefs and thoughts of morality.
Please discuss a law that you think is grounded in a morality and one that is more universal. Please explain how you arrive at these differing views.

2. We have several different tiers or jurisdictions for law. We have local laws (city and county), state laws, and federal (national) laws. As individuals, should we be allowed to only recognize the ones with which we agree? Should we have to abide by all of the laws? Should the different tiers be allowed to pick and choose which to follow or enforce and which to ignore?

Answer 1

1. Yes, ultimately, it is the universal law of brotherhood!! Let us discuss in detail.

Inalienable human rights, according to famous American philosopher Tom Paine, are: (1)right to live with dignity (2) right to liberty and (3) right to pursuit of happiness.These ideas have influenced all major democracies such as India, USA and Australia.

Human history is a saga of wars, exploitation, fights and so on. Exploitation in many forms continues even among the civilized. Political oppression  by kings and dictators has slain thousands of people unnecessarily.Today also the oldest means of social control is physical violence ... even in the politely operated societies of of modern democracies the argument is for violence. No state can exist without a police force or its equivalent in armed might. While we cry for brotherhood and peace on one side, we are accumulating all kinds of weapons and war materials on the other side. How is this justified?

Here is the relevance and value of religion and its laws. Society cannot function without religion. We can say that religion is an agent to control the society. How? It sets forward some dos and don'ts, and people may act accordingly. Religion exist in all societies, although religious beliefs and practices vary from culture to culture. Religion has had a very close relationship with power and politics. For instance, periodically in history there have been religious movements for social change, like various anti cast movements against gender discrimination. Religion is not just a matter of the private belief of an individual but it also has a public character.

So far we have been witnessing the uselessness of government laws in solving many problems, at the same time moral laws would be helpful in such cases.

Now let us discuss the law of universal brotherhood. This is similar to  the beautiful law taught by Jesus Christ that is "Love your neighbor as yourself". No other law is beyond this wonderful law and no other law is against this law. So we can say beyond doubt that this law is more universal than any other.If we follow this law, there won't be any war or fights. There won't be any terror, because love alone triumphs!!