It is odd that neither the Church nor modern public opinion condemns petting, provided it stops short at a certain point. At what point sin begins is a matter as to which casuists differ. One eminently orthodox Catholic divine laid it down that a confessor may fondle a nun's breasts, provided he does it without evil intent. But I doubt whether modern authorities would agree with him on this point.
Interpretation
The quote critiques the ambiguous moral boundaries surrounding physical affection and sin within religious and societal contexts.
Bertrand Russell's quote examines the complexity of moral judgments regarding physical affection, particularly in the context of religious authority. He highlights the contradictions between religious teachings and modern societal views on what constitutes appropriate behavior, questioning the clarity with which sin is defined and how varying interpretations can lead to significant moral dilemmas. The mention of a Catholic divine's stance reflects the often contentious relationship between established religious doctrines and contemporary societal values on intimacy and consent.
In practice
During a discussion on ethics in a philosophy class, this quote could be used to illustrate the complexities of moral judgments.
St. Paul introduced an entirely novel view of marriage, that it existed primarily to prevent the sin of fornication. It is just as if one were to maintain that the sole reason for baking bread is to prevent people from stealing cake.
Freedom comes only to those who no longer ask of life that it shall yield them any of those personal goods that are subject to the mutations of time.
Of these austerer virtues the love of truth is the chief, and in mathematics, more than elsewhere, the love of truth may find encouragement for waning faith. Every great study is not only an end in itself, but also a means of creating and sustaining a lofty habit of mind; and this purpose should be kept always in view throughout the teaching and learning of mathematics.
At all times, except when a monarch could enforce his will, war has been facilitated by the fact that vigorous males, confident of victory, enjoyed it, while their females admired them for their prowess.
Moreover, the attitude that one ought to believe such and such a proposition, independently of the question whether there is evidence in its favor, is an attitude which produces hostility to evidence and causes us to close our minds to every fact that does not suit our prejudices.
Extreme hopes are born from extreme misery.
War is not merely a political act but a real political instrument, a continuation of political intercourse, a carrying out of the same by other means.
The brighter the light, the darker the shadow.
We experience the grace of an infinite God, but grace is not infinite.
When a human being kills an animal for food, he is neglecting his own hunger for justice.
Every satisfaction he attains lays the seeds of some new desire, so that there is no end to the wishes of each individual will.
I am sorry to have to inform you that I do not believe in the Bible as a divine revelation, & therefore not in Jesus Christ as the Son of God.
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