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"So, is the only difference between what you allow when you're the
host and what a member of the Christian coalition would allow,
going to be whether or not clothing is required?"
Absolutely not, though that particular issue does provide an
excellent illustration of many of the issues that come up when
sexual morality is discussed, such as the way in which a harmless,
even wholesome pleasure can be demonised. Also, the understanding
of the presence of an aesthetic component in the development of
codes of behavior explains to us why they can't spring into
perfect form, overnight. The discovery of which balance of goods
makes life the most pleasant comes out of experience, in time,
and logical deduction can only tell us what the consequences of
the acceptance of that balance are.
No, the freedom we seek is far broader than that, as is the list
of freedoms that have been abridged. The most obvious is the
freedom to do things that, while harmless, another finds
distasteful. For example, to go back to the carrying out of the
"Great Rite", while it is very much my business if someone is
doing so on my dining room table, it is clearly none of my
business if someone does it in someone else's home, with me not
around. If you elect to do this, while I might prefer not to be
invited, I'm not going to judge or exclude you because you did
this or try to persuade others to shun you for having done so.
I would ask others in our group to likewise, be accepting and
respectful of your choice. Usually, though, people won't be at all
hesitant about seeking to have those whose personal choices they
disagree with shunned, sad to say.
Now this is not to say that none of us will ever try to talk you
out of something, if we think that it would be a mistake. Friends
do that for friends. Besides which, those who would try to talk
you into something not in your best interests (for their own
purposes) aren't going to be at all shy about persuading,
guilting, or badgering you into giving them what they want, or
about bringing in their friends for support. So if anything, the
concerned friend who tries to talk one out of what he perceives to
be harm's way, restores balance to the situation as he provides
moral support and enhances the likelihood that what appears to be
one's free choice, truly will be. But disagreement should not
become disrespect, and while we may rightly vow to continue trying
to talk someone out of making a mistake, we should not reject them
as human beings for making it. Then, more than ever, is our
friendship needed.
The intrusiveness that is now frequently accepted without
question goes far beyond this, though, and we'd like to put it
aside, in our dealings with each other.
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