Originally posted by: senseamp
I didn't avoid commenting on it. I said we should not pass these laws that dictate our morals on people whose actions don't harm anyone else's.
Obviously it's a moral which the vast majority of society throughout history has held. We feel that animals, while not our equals, are living creatures on this planet just like us, and that causing undue harm on them for amusement is the sign of a sick individual. Therefor, society outlaws this deviant behavior. This is not a new concept. The action does not harm an individual, but we see it as harming society as a whole. It's the same with walking around naked... it doesn't interfere with your rights at all... it only interferes with what society has deemed moral.
We could pass them if we wanted to, but we should not. Otherwise you'll have a theocratic state that restrains people's freedom in the name of purported "moral values."
You're saying we shouldn't pass these laws, because we'll have a theocratic state. Problem is that we have passed these laws already. We've had them since western civilization arose. Where is the theocratic state?
This isn't a religious issue, although most people derive their morals from their belief in God, but the rest of us have an intrinsic knowledge of what is right and wrong, and in this society, we have deemed inhumane treatment of animals for amusement as being wrong.
Maybe you have realized you have a moral responsibility towards animals,
You make it seem like I am in the minority... when you yourself are in the extreme minority on this issue, fortunately.
just like some have realized they have moral responsibility to not eat any animal flesh at all.
That's fine, but you are skirting the line again between issues.
But you shouldn't force your moral values on others.
I'd rather try and help you develop your sense of morality, as it is severely lagging behind the rest of western civilization.
Edit: Just for added effect
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
~ Mahatma Gandhi
"Of all the creatures, man is the most detestable. Of the entire brood, he's the one that possesses malice. He is the only creature that inflicts pain for sport, knowing it to be pain. The fact that man knows right from wrong proves his intellectual superiority to the other creatures; but the fact that he can do wrong proves his moral inferiority to any creature that cannot."
~ Mark Twain
