Resolved: Government in the United States ought not function through Biblical principles.

To say that our laws should be based on Christian morality is not to promote the religion of Christianity. After all, our laws are based on some kind of morality. Many of the laws in place are in agreement with Christianity, such as murder, rape, and theft being illegal. Even lying is illegal in some cases (e.g. perjury).Contention 1 response:Pro has not shown that any discrimination would go on if our laws were based on Biblical principle. There is certainly no law that would be discriminatory toward women if they were based on Biblical law.There would also be no laws discriminating against homosexuals. They would still be protected by law. However, denying them marriage is no more discriminatory than denying a pedophile to the right to marry a minor, or denying a man from marrying his sister. Gay rights is not about equality -- it's about giving them more rights than heterosexuals. Marriage is not a right guaranteed by our Constitution. We do not have absolute freedoms in our country. We do not have the right to just marry whomever we want. Even in a country that doesn't base our morality on the Bible, there is still discrimination that goes on. There will always be discrimination as some people groups will not be happy that the laws are how they are.Sub-point 1a:Again, the Biblical position of the head of the household is not sexist. It's the established order of things. God is a God of order, not of chaos. You may as well argue that the pastor should not be the head of church, that all members should have equal say. Do you realize how chaotic that would be?Again, the man does not rule over the woman with an iron fist. They are in a relationship of mutual love and respect. However, the man is the head of the household. The woman is not supposed to go keep her head down and her mouth shut. Her opinions are just as valuable as his are.If the Bible was based on Christian morality, there would be no laws violating their rights as humans. I have shown this, and therefore his sub-point fails.Regarding the verses in Leviticus, I think Pro has confused Christianity with Judaism. The Jews were a Theocracy in Old Testament times. Their punishments were harsher for certain crimes committed. I don't think there's any basis in the New Testament for criminalizing homosexuality. The Bible is quite clear that it is immoral and that homosexual offenders won't get into Heaven. But that refers to people who have sex with members of the same sex. Those who just have the urge but abstain from it are still eligible for Heaven. And those that do engage in it can still be forgiven, but it requires giving up the lifestyle (even though the urges might not go away). It's the same principle for any sin, which people struggle with.Denying someone the freedom to do something is not necessarily discriminatory, especially if that thing is against the law. After all, marriage is not an absolute freedom, just like any other freedom that we enjoy.He asks why is homosexuality so heinous? The answer is because it violates God's marriage plan. The reason that a second gender was created was so that there could be a family unit. Adam was lonely and there was not a suitable mate. So God created woman. Adam then says that a man will leave his mother and father and be joined to a woman, and they will become one flesh (Genesis 2). The reason why any sexual sin, including fornication and adultery, is so heinous is that because by having sex, a man and woman become as one flesh. Sex is supposed to be between one man and one woman, and they are supposed to be committed to each other for life (which is why divorce is the same as adultery, Matthew 5-7). Sex and marriage are supposed to be treated respectfully, and as a lifelong commitment to your spouse. Any sexual sin violates God's plan for the family unit.I can't say for sure that homosexuality wouldn't be against the law if our laws were based on Christian morality. However, even if it was this wouldn't be discriminatory against homosexuals unless you would also make the claim that it would also be discriminatory against pedophiles, people who want to engage in incest, people who want to engage in bestiality (which does happen), etc. Our freedoms in this country are not absolute, as I have already stated.Founding Fathers:I really think that calling on the founding fathers is irrelevant. What if our founding fathers had believed that church should be inseparable with the state? Then we would have laws based on the morality with which they ascribed. I believe that his argument here commits the fallacy of appeal to authority.Contention 2:Sub-point 2a:Actually, before a hundred or so years ago, scientists actually believed in God. Scientists were creationists in some respect or another, and this includes Galileo. Specifically, it was the Catholic church that treated Galileo (and earlier, Copernicus) unfairly when it came to promoting the new heliocentric view of the universe. This is not limited to Catholicism or religion in general. With something that changes our entire worldview (such as when it was commonly accepted that the world was flat), those changes are hard to accept. What about if NASA ever discovers intelligent life on another planet? There will be many who will remain skeptical about it, even atheistic scientists.Christianity does not promote scientific slothfulness. There are Christian scientists. Christians are as diverse as atheists are. There are those who welcome scientific advancement and those who don't.Sub-point 2b:The examples may be "endless" (which is a very dubious statement) of his examples, but the people making them are not. Jerry Falwell is one example of a very vocal minority of alleged Christians. Pro believes in Christianity as the media portrays us, as unintelligent bigots. However, the majority of Christians follow the Biblical precepts of love and respect of others, even those who disagree with our position. The Biblical way of dealing with someone is not to mistreat them in any way, but simply to "shake the dust off our shoes" and move on. It's unfortunate, but there are some who overlook the Biblical mandate of love your neighbor and your enemy.Contention 3:Pro has not offered compelling arguments for why the good things from Christianity are irrelevant. It is not the Christian way to force our religion on anyone. One can not be forced into Christianity (though there are those who have tried). But laws based on Christian morality would not force anyone to follow God. No where in the Bible are we told to force our beliefs on others, or to annoy them into submission to the Christian position.Why Biblical morality should be adhered to:As I have shown, freedoms are not absolute. Even in the country as we have it now, we do not have absolute freedom. We have freedom of speech, but not to shout fire in a crowded theater or to threaten the President. So basing our laws on Christian morality would not change things as to some people feeling discriminated against.However, laws under Biblical morality would cut down on our society being so chaotic. People feel that they can live however they want, and it leads to chaotic behavior. I believe that freedom is a wonderful thing, but people need boundaries. I don't believe that every little minute moral detail should be made legal or illegal, and I don't think there's New Testament precedent for that, but certain things, such as the institute of marriage, should be more greatly respected. If it were, we'd have a more respectful country, with people who respect each other, than the one we have now.